Strawberry Season Strong but Short

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(Host) Strawberry season is well under way and the Department of Agriculture reports that it appears to be a “pretty good one” for most of Vermont’s approximately 60 growers. The season typically lasts for only 2 to 3 weeks. It looks like the 2002 crop will be a little better than recent years.

(Clark Hinsdale) “We’re going to have an average to above average strawberry season. Which we’re thankful for.”

(Host) Clark Hinsdale of Charlotte Berry Farm says last week’s hard rains came at a bad time causing some strawberries to spoil. But the warm weather bodes well for raspberries and blueberries, which he expects will be early this year.

(Hinsdale) “Strawberries are the hardest of the crops to grow. Mostly because they sit on the ground, and if you get two or three days of rain in a row, they’ll start to rot and then start to rot their neighboring berries on the same cluster. Where with the raspberry and blueberries, if some get away from you they just fall on the ground and don’t bother the other berries on the cluster.”

(Host) The extreme warm weather means raspberries and blueberries may be ripening in some areas as early as this weekend. For strawberries, meanwhile, the heat is compressing the season. The going price for strawberries this year is about $1.20 per pound in the field.

To find a strawberry field near you, visit the Department of Agriculture web site.

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