By Clint Thompson
Alabama’s strawberry crop is planted for the 2026-27 season, says Edgar Vinson, assistant research professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Auburn University. One immediate concern he has is the potential impact of cold temperatures in the next few weeks.
With all the strawberry plants still in their infancy stage, they are vulnerable to early frosts that might impact the entire state.
“This early in the season, I think the first thing that comes to mind is, we just planted a lot of them, they haven’t had a lot of opportunity to get acclimated to the cold,” Vinson said. “If there was a cold front coming through, I’d be concerned that the plants wouldn’t be acclimated for the cold and they would need some sort of, they’d need some frost cover.”
The average first freeze and first hard freeze varies from South Alabama to North Alabama. In North Alabama, the first frost/freeze usually occurs from Oct. 21 to Nov. 2. In central Alabama, the first frost/freeze usually occurs in early-to-mid November, around Nov. 1 to Nov. 11. In South Alabama, the first frost/freeze usually happens in late November, around Nov. 28.
Growers must be mindful of how low temperatures are expected to drop in the near future. A drop in temperatures could lead to a reduction in strawberry yields.
“I don’t think it would kill them, but it might damage them to the point that you’re reducing your yields,” Vinson said.