On a recent warm and sunny afternoon, Russell Holmberg, orchard manager at Holmberg Orchards in Gales Ferry, pointed to a peach tree that already had bloomed, showing promise of fruit to harvest this summer.

But he then walked over to a nearby row where peach trees of a different variety stood without a single blossom. 

Growers in Connecticut and New England are reporting possible losses of up to 90 percent of their peach crop following a cold snap over Valentine's Day weekend, according to Steve Jensen, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture.

The cold spell hurt the tree buds, which were particularly vulnerable because they had not become "hardened" against the cold during an otherwise mild winter, he explained by email.

Some orchards along the shoreline, like Holmberg's, are still expecting a peach crop, though a lighter one, as some trees made it through the severely low temperatures.

While there is still a small chance a freeze could arrive as the trees begin to develop fruit, Holmberg said he's hopeful the fruit will survive.

Holmberg's, whose location near the coast and on the banks of the Thames River helps buffer it from extreme temperatures, is anticipating about 25 to 40 percent of a normal crop. 

"You never know until the season starts how any crop will do, but it does appear that there is widespread damage to peach trees in Connecticut and throughout southern New England from the February cold snap," Commissioner of Agriculture Steven K. Reviczky said in a statement.

Farther away from the shoreline, some fruit growers reported total losses.

"We lost our entire crop this year," said CJ Pogmore of Bluebird Hill Farm in Lebanon. "All the buds froze. There's not a bud out there."

Pogmore, who owns the farm with his father and grandfather, said the damage happened when temperatures dipped to negative 10 or 11 in February.

The farm never lost its entire peach crop before, though it did lose about 70 percent of its crop two years ago when temperatures fell to negative 9, he said.

"Even that one degree makes a big difference," he said.

Pogmore said the farm, which has about 4 acres of orchards and also sells sweet corn, tomatoes and pumpkins at a farm stand, is pretty diversified, but the peaches are a big attraction in mid-summer.

He said he expects the farm will be able to get by this summer and hopes the weather will hold up, but pointed out: "you never know what to expect in New England."

Karen and Tom Scott of Scott's Yankee Farmer in East Lyme originally thought they lost their entire peach crop during the freezing and windy Valentine's Day weekend. 

But about a month ago, Tom Scott began seeing signs of a peach crop. He took the family out into the orchard to point out the trees.

But Karen Scott said for every one tree blossoming, another two were without any blossoms.

"I'm happy we're seeing any flowers," Karen Scott said. "I'm thinking: I'll take whatever we can get."

She thinks the farm's location near the shore helped the crop. Still, she said she can't remember seeing such damage to peach trees in 40 years.

"This is a significant loss," she said.

She said the peach crop typically brings in about $75,000 in summer income, but this year it could be only $10,000 to $15,000.

Karen Scott said the farm has crop insurance and is carefully taking records.

She expects her apple crop will be fine, since the weather held up following a cold spell in early April.

Mary Concklin, fruit crops integrated pest management coordinator in the Plant Science Department at the University of Connecticut, said Connecticut's peach crop is mostly gone, with losses of peaches inland, but some along the shore.  

"You tend to lose peaches every so often due to the cold, but not to the extent we have this year," she said. "This is really an unusual year for us." 

Fruit growers said the trees are healthy and they expect a crop next summer.

Steve Preli of West Green Farm in Lebanon said his peach crop can be considered non-existent, as  there were few pink flowers in bloom this spring.

He said apples are expected to fare better and have a decent crop this fall. He said the apple trees have abundant flowers, though there is some visible damage to some flowers.

At Whittle's Willow Spring Farm in Mystic, hundreds of apple trees were blossoming throughout the orchards on a recent afternoon.

But Phil Whittle, farm manager, said the farm had lost most of its peach crop.

He counted only seven pink blossoms on a peach tree that typically would be covered with flowers at this time of the year.

Another peach tree, of a different variety, already had blossomed and showed less damage, but was a rarity among the farm's approximately 50 peach trees.

While the farm sells other items, from apples to squash to sweet corn, he said customers enjoy picking up peaches as a treat while they're buying vegetables for dinner.

"It's more (that it's) everybody's favorite," he said.

k.drelich@theday.com