DECATUR — An unusually mild winter and early arrival of springlike temperatures may be welcomed by north Alabamians, but they are a cause for concern for some area peach growers.

At Reeves’ Peach Farm in Morgan County, some varieties are blooming weeks earlier than normal, placing them at risk of frost damage if the warm temperatures don’t hold.

Owner Mike Reeves said, depending on the variety, that most peaches typically don’t bloom until mid- to late-March or early April. At his farm, many varieties were well into blooming, and some trees already had leaves sprouting March 9.

That could mean an earlier crop of peaches and strawberries for the farm.

Operations Manager David Reeves, Mike Reeves’ son, said they are tentatively planning to open their roadside fruit stand April 1 for the first crop of strawberries, when they normally wouldn’t open until April 15.

It also could mean trouble if the unusually warm temperatures don’t hold. A sudden cold snap could damage the fragile blooms that would otherwise have grown into a peach. The more the blossoms develop, the more susceptible they are to the cold, David Reeves said.

Mike Reeves said the last frost of the year historically isn’t until April 15 on average, so the coming weeks will determine the fate of this year’s crop. The latest frost he could remember was April 13, 2007, when a sudden cold snap killed peaches and several other crops across north Alabama.

The farm didn’t produce any peaches that year, David Reeves said. 

To provide a buffer against the heightened risk of frost damage, David Reeves said, they are pruning the trees less than normal for this time of year.

Peach growers typically prune trees to reduce the number of buds on each tree, resulting in fewer peaches of better quality. By leaving some of the younger, heartier buds on the tree, they’ll save some in case the more mature buds don’t survive.

Even without the threat of frost, the unusually mild winter could be a problem for peach growers, because some varieties won’t have received enough chilling hours to properly end their dormancy cycles. Chilling hours are when the temperature is between 32 and 45 degrees.

Too few chilling hours can result in several problems, including a long bloom period and varied fruit size and development, according to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

“We’ll have a peach crop. It’s just a matter of how good a crop it’s going to be in terms of quality,” said Chris Becker, Limestone County coordinator for the extension system.