A new estimate for the 2008 Washington apple season puts the year’s harvest at 101.6m 18.14kg cartons, 1m more than a prediction made in August.

Dodging a late frost last week and lower than expected impacts from early frosts have been credited in part with the rise in production, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Early picking varieties Gala and Golden Delicious were the star performers, however. Those varieties are now finished for the season, and brought in a larger harvest than expected, according toKeith Mathews, the executive director of the Yakima Valley Growers-Shippers Association.

“With the evidence we have seen on harvest of Golden Delicious and Gala being substantially finished and realising we were low on our estimate, it is fair to say we will come in above 100m cartons,” he said.

Mr Mathews said Washington apple crops avoided a significant frost last week, but other apple producing areas in the US have not been as lucky, suffering from both hail and frost this season.

Washington’s highest apple harvest was in 2004, with 105m cartons.

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