By Clint Thompson
Strawberry planting has commenced across southern Florida. Growers have been met with ideal conditions so far, according to one producer.
“It’s been great. We’ve had overcast days. It’s great planting weather over here,” said Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida. “We’ve had some misty rains early on, a little bit of rain in the afternoon. It’s been real overcast. We’re 80 degrees (Fahrenheit) right now, which is good planting weather.”
Parke said temperatures are usually pushing 90 degrees F. It is not until the second week in October that southern Florida starts seeing that cooler fall weather. The cooler temperatures started earlier than expected.
“It’s better when it’s cool, overcast. It’s perfect planting weather. What happens is people plant, and maybe one person is a little bit behind the rest of the crew, and you might have plants outside the water for an hour and it’s 90-degree weather. You’re going to have some problems you know. You’re going to have more mortality rate when it’s hotter than when you do when it’s overcast and cooler,” Parke said.
Rainfall has also been very sparse in Southwest Florida. Parts of Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties are classified in an extreme drought.
“We’ve been having some rains, some heavy spots here and there. Some fields will get it, and some won’t. It’s not been solid bands like a cold front coming through. When those cold fronts come through, the whole state gets it at one time,” Parke said.