Cooler weather has created a challenge for West Australian cherry growers and delayed the harvest, but that will not stop people from having the fruit on Christmas Day.
Cherry growers say the cold weather means it is taking longer for cherries to ripen, meaning many farmers have only just started to pick fruit from their trees.
Manjimup grower Louis Vellios has been anxiously waiting for the weather to warm up.
"It's a very slow start. The varieties we're picking now should have been finished three weeks ago," he said.
"They're at the stage of turning pink and they're just sitting there. With the heat they'll all turn within a week and a half."
Cherries for Christmas
Donnybrook fruit grower Sam Licciardello said his harvest was about a week and a half behind.
"It's probably the latest it has been in a while," he said
"If it's hot, they'll stay dormant. If it's too cool, they'll stay dormant."
He said there was likely to be a last-minute rush of cherry picking in the weeks before Christmas.
"We're harvesting today and as we get closer to Christmas we'll be harvesting every day.
"That Christmas week, we may find we'll be harvesting a couple of different varieties in the one week, which is a challenge.
"There will be no shortage of quality fruit, it's just that they're coming in in small portions."
Mr Licciardello asked consumers to be patient as growers did their best to make sure all the fruit was harvested for Christmas.
He said while he expected there to be plenty of cherries for the local market, it was unlikely there would be enough fruit to send east, where unrelenting rain has killed cherry trees, damaged fruit and left the Christmas favourite in short supply.
Picking starts days before local cherry festival
The start of the harvest comes just days before the South West's annual Cherry Harmony Festival in Manjimup.
Co-organiser Jon Doust said growers would work up to the 11th hour to pick fruit for the festival.
"Some growers will pick them on the day, on Saturday, and just truck them into town," he said.
Mr Doust said it was not uncommon for cherries to arrive late.
"I don't think this is the latest ever, I would suggest it's probably in the top four," he said.
"I remember one year in particular when it was even later and we were very, very lucky to have any cherries at all."
