Strawberry season arrives early for some Manitoba growers
Hot May helped berries grow quickly, but cooler temperatures and dry conditions may take toll on crops
Strawberry season is arriving a little earlier than usual in Manitoba, with some farms preparing to open their fields to eager pickers in search of the first taste of summer.
At Lost Creek Acres, west of Portage la Prairie in the rural municipality of North Norfolk, owner Jane Giesbrecht expects her U-pick fields to open around June 30 — slightly ahead of schedule — but that depends on the weather during what's been an unpredictable season.
"Just plan for all kinds of weather, especially this summer," Giesbrecht said. "Today I'm in a jacket and hat and sweater, and tomorrow I might be in shorts and a T-shirt. It's so hard to tell."
A hot May helped strawberries grow quickly before cool temperatures set in, while dry conditions have taken a toll on the crop.
"We're definitely seeing smaller fruit this year, just with the way things have been a little bit drier," she said. "But still … a ton of flowers, a ton of fruit out there."
Cloudy skies and a lack of rain have slowed the ripening process, she says. The berries are forming well — but many are still green.
If cooler temperatures continue, "then it'll be a little bit longer," Giesbrecht said.
'Picking should be good' despite dry conditions: farmer
The dry conditions have also put pressure on irrigation systems. Lost Creek Acres relies on a dugout filled with spring runoff to power its irrigation system, but it's already nearly empty.
"We've watered constantly," Giesbrecht said, adding that last year, the farm didn't start watering until mid-July.
If the dugout dries up completely, they'll have to start hauling water to keep the plants healthy. A good rain would help ripen the berries and bulk them up before they're ready for picking, she says.
"They still taste really good regardless of the size, but it's just nicer for picking if you can get bigger berries," she said.
Andy Loewen, who runs Friedensfeld Honey & Berry Farm southeast of Steinbach, says his farm has also had to manage its crop carefully through dry conditions, but overall, things are looking promising.
"We're off to a little bit of a hard start, with not as much rain as we would have liked," Loewen said.
His farm, which has about 12 hectares of strawberries, has been relying on irrigation.
"We feel very optimistic," he said. "I've done this for 20 years, and the fruit set and stuff I see out here … customers will be asking for more baskets when they go out in the field, because the picking should be good."
'Cautiously optimistic'
In Winnipeg, local strawberries have already started hitting the shelves. Colin Rémillard of St-Léon Gardens told CBC's Radio Noon his Winnipeg market and garden centre began selling local berries over the weekend — unusually early for Manitoba.
"This is one of the earliest we've seen from recollection," Rémillard said, which he credits to the warm spring causing plants to flower earlier than usual.
"Last year was a tremendous season — probably the best I've seen since I started working here in 2009," he said. "This year will be tough to beat that, but so far, it's off to a great start."
Angie Cormier, executive director of the Prairie Fruit Growers Association, said while some farms that have early ripening strawberry varieties have been able to open ahead of schedule, most will likely open on average dates.
It's hard to say whether the season as a whole is truly early, she said.
"Everybody's always cautiously optimistic, because we know that a lot can happen between now and when picking starts ... or even between now and when the season ends," said Cormier, who also runs Cormier's Berry Patch in La Salle.
Most growers are expecting three to four weeks of picking, she said.
If July brings intense heat, later berries could ripen too quickly. Ideally, cooler nights and temperatures in the mid-20s will stretch out the season and help the berries sweeten, said Cormier.
"The general vibe out there right now is everybody is excited to get picking," she said.
Giesbrecht said at Lost Creek Acres, around 1,000 baskets came off the field last year — not including what was picked by friends and family.
"This is only our second year having fruit," she said. "We're trying to tamper expectations a little bit … but hopefully it'll be almost as good."
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With files from Radio Noon