Orchard News

This time of year is a slower time for those who work out in the Montz Orchards in Charlie, TX. The Montz family has 220 acres with 8,000 trees located at their home orchard in Charlie. Also, between Byers and Thornberry, TX they own other orchards. Some of the orchards are older but some have just been planted. All these trees keep Jake and Tim very busy.



While this time of year is slower than October through December there are still things to be done. All the equipment must be overhauled and checked to make sure it will work again next year. Sometimes in the middle of harvest machines are fixed "just good enough" to finish the job. This time of year is when the proper maintenance occurs.



In addition to repairing the "nuts and bolts" of the business, the guys out at Charlie are also cleaning up the orchard floors to make sure all the pecans from that season have been picked up, all broken limbs are hauled off, and the orchard floor is smooth and ready for the next phase of crop maintenance. The trees are also pruned during this time in order keep them in commercial production form.



This year was an "off" year for our area. We had a bumper crop last year and after a bumper crop the next year is always scarce. Next year should be a little better and then the following year should be another big crop. Pecan trees typically have a three year cycle.

1. Bumper Crop

2. Scarce Crop

3. Decent Crop

Repeat



Of course all this is subject to Mother Nature. Getting enough rain, having the right temps at the right times, and avoiding freezes when they would destroy a crop are all some things that pecan producers simply cannot control.



Most of the Montz Orchards are on irrigation and so we can help with the water situation a little, but Tim says he sure has been praying for rain lately. Along with the irrigation systems, Jake and Tim use crop management tactics to try and ensure a constant crop year after year. These practices includes hedging, spraying, and shaking the trees to try and have an impact on the crop size each year. These tactics help to ensure that the Pecan Shed store will always have enough of those top quality papershell pecans available for their customers.



Thanks to Tim and Jake, as well as Scott and Chad who also work at the orchards, the Pecan Shed has been pleasing customers for over 20 years with farm fresh pecans that are hard to beat!