MONMOUTH, Maine — David Handley, a University of Maine strawberry specialist, wasn’t sure until recently what kind of season it would be for one of the state’s earliest, sweetest crops.
But with a couple of weeks to go before the strawberries ripen enough to be picked at most farms in the state, things are looking up, he said this week.
“I’m relieved. It’s looking very good,” Handley said. “It could have been a lot worse.”
What worried the fruit expert? This winter’s notable absence of snow, primarily. Strawberries can’t weather the cold very well, he said, and usually do OK this far north because of the snow cover that reliably insulates the plants through the coldest part of the winter. This past year, the snow wasn’t reliable. If farmers didn’t mulch well enough, their delicate strawberry plants were at the mercy of the weather — or even flocks of roaming and hungry turkeys.
“That’s another hazard: the turkeys,” Handley said. “They’ll come in and scratch all the straw off, looking for seeds.”
Strawberry farmer Joe Adams of Adams Strawberry Acres in East Corinth said the lack of snow did cause him to lose several plants.
“We got some winter kill,” he said.
Despite the tough winter, he’s hopeful it will be a good pick-your-own season, which at his farm should start by the end of June or the first of July.
“We’re looking forward,” he said. “We aren’t going to have a big crop, but we’re going to have some, anyway.”
A few miles away, Albert Tate of Tate’s Strawberry Farm said he didn’t lose plants to cold. But he does expect to have fewer strawberries this season because he grew less than half of what he usually does. That’s because his plants a few years ago were invaded by a destructive beetle called the root weevil, and the only way to get rid of the pest without chemicals was to plow the land under for two years in a row.
Tate said he’s putting in 80,000 new strawberry plants this summer, but his supply of fruit this year will be limited. Eager pickers should arrive early, he said, adding he expects to be open by June 18.
“I only have 12 acres (open for picking this year) — and even at 25 acres I got picked out,” Tate said. “The berries that are going to be available are going to be good. They’re good size and have a good flavor.”
Despite the threats from the lack of snow, the turkeys and the root weevils, most strawberry farmers are telling Handley, the berry expert, they weathered the winter OK and expect to be ready for the pick-your-own season to begin the third weekend in June, which is normal.
At Highmoor Farm in Monmouth, the university’s apple, small fruit and vegetable research facility, where Handley works, the strawberries are ripening up nicely. That’s a good sign for a small but critical Maine crop that helps farmers get some cash flowing through their coffers again.
“Compared to wild blueberries, the numbers for strawberries don’t look that impressive,” Handley said. “But strawberries are very important. They’re a high-value crop.”