We started shaking Monday, 7/28/2014, about 2 weeks earlier than average. Nut removal is pretty good, a few too dry, and a few green, so we hit the timing about right. This orchard is our earliest to mature every year, and a good producer.

BLANKS! Sometimes a nut appears to be maturing normally, but inside, things are not going well. Usually these "nuts" are the first to split. When the shell in opened to inspect the nut, it is like getting a fortune cookie with a little note that says "no fortune here"!
My impression is that there are far fewer blanks this year than typical.

With a quick look at many almond trees it appears that we should be shaking in just a few days. An early start would be great to get the nuts out of harms way (especially with all the talk of El Nino possibly bringing rain in September).

A closer look at the interior of this same tree reveals that there are many unopened nuts and that harvest is further off than the first impression would lead us to believe.  This orchard may be ready toward the end of next week, about July 25. We just have to keep checking and wait until they are ready.

The almond crop is maturing earlier than usual, by close to two weeks. I took this picture on the third of July as we were applying the last of the hull split spray to this block. We finished the last of the Nonpareil blocks today. The hull split spray protects the opening nuts from Peach Twig Borer and Navel Orangeworm.