Aussie cherry farmer Alison Jones on overcoming weather challenges for this year’s harvest
A shorter cold period across mainland Australia is leaving its mark on this year’s cherry crop, but fifth-generation grower Alison Jones is confident the season will still deliver a quality harvest.
“The chill this season has been down a little bit for the mainland, but the warm, sunny days certainly help improve sweetness,” Jones, who runs family owned and operated Wandin Valley Farms, has told nine.com.au.
Alison Jones runs family owned and operated Wandin Valley Farms. Alison Jones/Wandin Family Farms
This could lead to less cherries hitting the market in the lead up to Christmas, but not enough of a drop to significantly impact what she is describing as an “excellent” season ahead.
Wandin Valley Farms spans four orchard locations across regional Victoria and Tasmania including Colignan near Mildura, Boweya and Peechelba near Wangaratta, and Rosegarland in Tasmania, with its central packing facility based in Wandin in the Yarra Valley.
‘The warm, sunny days certainly help improve sweetness.’ Alison Jones/Wandin Valley Farms
Producing the best cherries possible requires the constant monitoring of changing weather conditions, with orchards regularly inspected to ensure the fruit is tracking well. This is an art Jones and her team has perfected.
“What happened this year is we had a really good blossom set. Then the bees come in and pollinate. We rely heavily on bees. They’re one of our major workforce, as well as the working holidaymakers.
“And so the bees do the pollination and then the flowers set and turn into the cherry.”
The shorter cold period on the mainland this winter lead to “a bit of shedding”, Jones explains, although the first harvest has been “nice and shiny” and a “decent size”.
“We hope that we get a good run with the weather going forward, not a lot of rain when the fruit’s at maturity which does cause it to split,” she explains. “But if it’s not at maturity, it [the rain] could help benefit the fruit size.
“And a bit of rainfall and regular moisture just to keep nutrition up helps to build up the size as well.”
Too much rain, and mature fruit can split, but cherry farmers are ready for this as well. Growers can implement a range of interventions to when conditions do turn.
Wandin Valley Farms operates four growing regions in Victoria and Tasmania. Alison Jones/Wandin Family Farms
“On some of the sites, you’ll hook up your spray pump, turn the nozzles on, and blow the water off to dry the cherries and trees.
“On larger orchards, we might actually get a helicopter in to fly low over the trees and disperse the water. That makes a massive difference.”
“I was just up at our Wangaratta orchard yesterday and things are moving along nicely,” Jones added.
‘There’s been a little bit of shedding, which is normal.’ Alison Jones/Wandin Family Farms
Operating across four different regions allows Wandin Valley Farms to “spread the risk” posed by the weather, particularly with an orchard in cooler Tasmania where she said winter chill is never an issue.
Their harvest kicked off in late October, slightly ahead of the official start of the cherry season on November 1.
Wandin Valley Farms began its harvest a week ago. Alison Jones/Wandin Valley Farms
Jones expects the 2026 season to be another strong run, following what was a “terrific” season in 2025.
“We started packing last Saturday. Traditionally, it’s early November for most cherry growers. Mainland crops go through into January in some of the later regions, but we go into late January because of our Tassie crop.”
Because harvesting in northern regions like Mildura and the Murray Valley is only just getting started, supply is tight, keeping opening prices high.
In these early days of the season, Aussie shoppers can expect to pay between $45 and $65 per kilo across major supermarkets and independent grocers.
Prices will steadily drop week by week through late November and December as the broader Victorian, New South Wales, and Tasmanian harvests come online. Rates typically ease to between $15 and $25 a kilo, occasionally dipping to $10 to $12 per kilo during peak holiday supply windows.
Prices will drop as the season progresses. Getty
Although there are already “rescued” cherries hitting the market via wholesalers including Farmers Pick where shoppers can purchase a two kilo box for just $37.95 while stocks last.
These cherries are “perfectly tasty” but less than ideal in appearance due to differing sizes and missing stems, and some are “a little wonky”.
When it comes to picking the best cherries off the shelf, Jones says it comes down to visual cues and firmness.
“It’s always good if a cherry has a sheen, and green stems normally represent freshness,” she says.
‘It’s always good if a cherry has a sheen, and green stems normally represent freshness.’ Alison Jones/Wandin Family Farms
Wandin Valley Farms grows up to 50 different varieties, with its main crop being the deep-mahogany Lapin cherry.
“There are heaps of other great varieties to get you through the season. They crop at different times, so you can spread them out, and that’s how you extend the length of the season as well.”
