In Kherson region, LLC Enogray planted 60 hectares of peaches and nectarines to replace those orchards that were lost due to neglect during the occupation.
Vitaliy Krupa, the chief agronomist of the farm, shared this information in an interview with the magazine Gardening Ukrainian Style.
It is noted that the farm has been operating for 1.5 years after the de-occupation of the lands. For over eight months, from the beginning of the war until November 11, 2022, the stone and seed orchard covering an area of 360 hectares grew without owners: it was not cultivated, pruned, or fertilized. As a result, a significant portion of the trees on 200 hectares became unsuitable for further full-scale production, although some of the orchard was preserved. In the remaining lands, orchardists gradually uproot trees and plant new ones in their place.
Today, Enogray cultivates 66 hectares of cherries, 33 hectares of fruit-bearing peaches, 30 hectares of plums, 4 hectares of apricots, and 20 hectares of apple trees.
"Only the younger and stronger trees survived, or those mulched with straw, which retained moisture reserves," Vitaliy Krupa explains. "Many apple trees did not survive, as well as the old peaches from the 2004-2010 planting years. To be precise, it was not worth restoring them — the investment would not have paid off. It was cheaper to uproot them and plant new trees. Also, 12 hectares of cherries and 23 hectares of plums were abandoned for clearing.
