2024's grueling summer heat took a toll on some fruits and vegetables grown at Gilcrease Orchards.
"We lost a lot of the tomato fruit to sunburn," according to Gilcrease Director Mark Ruben. "On the day we hit 120 degrees, they all died." Ruben tells FOX5 Gilcrease does not want a repeat of 2024, so this winter, they had a massive 6-and-a-half acre shade structure installed.
"It's a canopy with 30 feet between poles, and also 30 feet wide," Ruben said. "They knit it together like a big quilt."
Tomatoes, blueberries, and summer squash will all grow under the canopy this spring and summer. Ruben told FOX5 not all their fruits and vegetables suffered through the heat of 2024. Eggplants, okra, and sweet potatoes did well.
Read more at Fox 5