The Coachella Valley grape crop is nearly ready for harvest, or is it? We've gone from unseasonably high daytime temperatures to recent below-normal temps. These below-normal temps are not helping the table grape crop. I stopped by some of the vineyards a couple of weeks ago and took these photos. Unfortunately, since then, our temps have dropped 20 degrees during the daytime! ACK! The Desert Sun ran an article today saying that the grapes need warm days to set their sugar. And, unlike many other crops, they do NOT ripen after they've been picked...they have to be picked at the peak of their perfection. So, growers here are holding their breath and hoping for warmer weather, which is forecast for this weekend. Nature Notes for May 19, 2011. To see other Nature Notes, please go to: http://ramblingwoods.com/
