Across SWMREC’s 350 acres near Benton Harbor, researchers work with apples, peaches, plums, pears, grapes, blueberries, raspberries, chestnuts and an extensive assortment of vegetables. Apples, grapes and pickling cucumbers are among the center’s major crops.
What makes southwest Michigan capable of growing such a remarkable range of crops can be traced in large part about 10 miles west of SWMREC — to Lake Michigan.
The lake acts as a giant temperature buffer, de Schaaf said. “It keeps us a little bit cooler in the spring, so plants and trees don’t bud out early and get hit with spring frosts. And then it also extends our growing season longer into the fall.”