No Peaches in 2025: The Hard Truth from Our Grove
This is not the blog I wanted to write. Not after the work we’ve put in. Not after how many of you told us you couldn’t wait for this season’s peaches. But here it is:
We unfortunately won’t have peaches this year.
Before we go any further, we want to thank you for your patience, your kind messages, and your continued support as you've waited for this year's crop. It means more than you know.
We’ve walked the orchard. We’ve looked at every tree. We’ve held hope longer than we should have. But it’s clear now: our 2025 peach harvest is a total loss.
Peach tree in the grove - May 2025.
Peach tree in the grove - May 2024.
What Happened
This winter, Texas experienced one of the lowest chill hour totals in recent history. Peach trees require a specific number of chill hours—typically between 600 and 1,000 hours of temperatures between 32°F and 45°F—to properly break dormancy and initiate healthy blooms. Hood County, like much of the state, fell well short of that threshold in 2025.
Then came spring. A devastating hailstorm swept through Granbury, damaging both young saplings and mature trees across our orchard. Just as the remaining trees began to bloom—against all odds—a late freeze struck, wiping out any last hopes of fruit. According to the National Weather Service, temperatures dropped below freezing across North Central Texas as late as March 21, well after peach trees had begun flowering.
That was the final blow.
We Did Everything We Could
Since last summer, we’ve poured everything we have into restoring and preparing this orchard:
Mulched every tree by hand.
Rebuilt the irrigation system for deep, even watering.
Pruned each tree with care and intention.
Rotated chickens through the orchard to reduce pests and naturally fertilize.
Planted cover crops to support soil health.
Avoided synthetic chemicals entirely.
Removed diseased trees and replaced them with young, healthy ones.
Today, we have 71 peach trees in the ground. A healthy, mature peach tree in Texas can produce 150 to 300 pounds of fruit per season, depending on its age, health, and variety (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension). At full capacity, our orchard has the potential to yield 10,000 to 20,000 pounds of peaches.
But this wasn’t a good year.
Despite seeing the healthiest foliage and strongest branch structure we’ve had yet, we have no fruit. Still, there is a hidden benefit in this kind of year. When fruit doesn’t set—or is lost early—trees redirect their energy. Rather than focusing on fruiting, they invest in growing deeper roots, thickening cell walls, and building resistance to pests and disease. It's a survival mechanism that leads to long-term resilience. As we've stepped away from synthetic inputs, these trees are re-learning how to thrive on natural care alone.
This is the hard reality of farming—especially when you're doing it organically and regeneratively.
This Hurts
Peaches are the foundation of Green Star Grove. They are the heart of our name, our brand, and our identity. For many of you, they were how you discovered us. This news hurts us—not only financially, but emotionally.
We won’t stop.
We will continue to mulch every tree.
We will continue rotating chickens.
We will prune with care.
We will keep rebuilding the soil.
We will keep planting more trees every single year.
Because trees are a long-term commitment. And we are committed for the long haul. As Napoleon Hill once said, “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” We’re holding onto that truth as we look to the seasons ahead.
How You Can Help
This July marks our one-year anniversary as a small farm and business. We’ve invested everything—our time, our energy, and our finances—into building this dream.
When you buy our eggs or sourdough bread, you’re not just buying food. You’re investing directly into Green Star Grove. Those purchases help us weather setbacks like this and keep working toward the future.
We also need your help to grow our digital presence. Every follow, like, share, and comment helps us reach more people who care about local food and sustainable farming. Building a strong online presence is one of the best ways we can make it through tough years.
This won’t be the last hard season. But hopefully, the next won’t come so soon. We can nurture the land, raise healthy animals, and care for our trees—but we can’t control the weather.
Thank You
Thank you for reading. Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for sticking with us.
We believe in this orchard. We believe in these trees. We believe that if you build it, they will come—and if you plant it and care for it, it will grow.
Though we didn’t get fruit this year, we know our trees are using this time to grow deeper roots, build resilience, and strengthen their immune systems. Without the stress of fruiting, they’re investing energy into what can’t be seen—what’s underground and essential. These are the seasons that shape the strongest orchards.
We’re still planting. We’re still caring. And we’re endlessly grateful for your continued support.
Green Star Grove is a regenerative farm in Granbury, Texas, dedicated to real food, healthy soil, and strong community. Learn more or support our work at GSGrove.com
