Harvesting and Processing Almond Trees Harvest season for almond growers is from August to October. Growers have mechanical tree shakers that allow almonds to fall to the ground. For the next 8 to 10 days, the almonds continue to dry in their shells in the orchard and are then swept and picked by machines. From March to June, almond kernels mature and grow to full size, and the shell hardens around them, both protected by a hairy outer shell.
Once the spring rains stop and the weather warms, farmers begin watering their orchards to support the growing crop, taking great care to ensure that every drop of water is used responsibly and efficiently. Also at this time, green almonds can be harvested for various culinary uses. The almond season starts in late October after the previous year's harvest. During this time, it is essential to give almond trees enough nutrition before dormancy so that they are ready to push the buds during the flowering season in February.
This mainly involves the application of nitrogen, potassium, zinc and phosphate to trees. These nutrients can be applied through irrigation water (often called fertigation), spread over the soil in a dry format, or applied as a foliar spray to the leaves of the tree. The life cycle of an almond begins in late February, when California's fertile farmland transforms into a sea of white flowers. Each flower must be pollinated by a honey bee in order for the nut to grow to full maturity.
The harvest occurs between February and April, when the nut has an acceptable moisture level. Mechanical harvesting requires garden floors to be free of large weeds and that all foreign materials be cleaned. Shakers are used to vibrate the tree trunk, so that the fruit (peel, peel and nut) falls to the orchard floor. After drying, they are swept in rows and collected ready for storage.
Almond harvesting carried out mainly by machines. With the exception of young trees, almond trees are mechanically shaken (Photo 1), walnuts are paddled in the wind and mechanically harvested (photo 1) by a series of machines. The use of machines has reduced dependence on labor and increased the efficiency of almond production. And bee hives that help pollinate almonds come out steadily stronger than they get,1 providing a healthy start to the year.
California almonds are the most common source of wholesale almonds on the market, and California has the largest number of almond growers, almond farmers, and growing almond trees. Like most crops, almond tree cultivation is significantly affected by climate, as are bees that help pollinate growing almond trees. The best conditions for growing almond trees are climates conducive to a particular winter cold, which limits the cultivation of almond trees to a few regions of the world. In the spring, usually between February and March, California almond trees begin to produce flowers.
Every part of the harvested almond is used for some purpose. Shells are rich in nutrients and are used to feed livestock, husks are crushed and used for animal bedding and even to create biomass that can be burned to create heat. The cold hours depend on the variety, but almonds generally need between 500 and 600 hours of cold. As such, I thought it would be useful to give an overview of the life cycle of an almond to help inform readers about what it entails to grow and sell this tree nut to the masses.
Because rain alone in California is not enough to grow commercially viable almonds, farmers must supplement rainfall with irrigation. After sizing, the almonds are kept under controlled storage conditions to maintain text quality until they are shipped or processed into a variety of different almond shapes for various culinary uses. And the biggest almond lovers are here in the U.S. In the US, where more than 30% of the almonds grown in California are consumed each year.
Almost 80% of the world's almonds grow in California and the remaining part grows in Australia, China, the EU and Turkey. Almond shells are used as bedding for livestock and shells are a valuable dairy food, with ongoing research exploring potential new uses. In contrast, most almond growers use highly efficient irrigation methods, such as drip irrigation or irrigation by. .
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