In Georgia, some farmers are growing citrus, or olives, Knox said. In Washington state, scientists have developed a spray made out of cellulose from wood pulp to help insulate fruit.

'So you might grow an apple that has fewer chill hours than the previous apple you were growing.' 'One is to try different varieties of the same crop that they've been growing,' Knox said.

Growers and scientists are trying a few different things to adapt as climate change continues to pose a threat to future crops, said Pam Knox, an agricultural climatologist with the University of Georgia. In Virginia, freezing days in March and April hurt apples that bloomed early, too. Then in March, two frosts killed almost all of the commercial peaches in the state. This year in Georgia, January and February were super warm – near the top of historical records. There's also growing research on how climate change may be making cold snaps more unpredictable.įarmers across the country are dealing with these changes. 'As they wake up earlier and earlier, but the threat of an acute cold event doesn't decrease, they become more and more exposed to these sorts of events.' 'Climate change is impacting how our fruit crops perceive the safest time to wake up in the spring,' Londo said. Fall, winter, and spring are all getting warmer. Then, when it gets warm outside, trees wake up and get ready to bloom.

Some of the Southers' apples did survive a late spring freeze, but they are gnarled with rough skin.įruit needs a certain number of hours each winter to stay cold and dormant.

Skin mara