The Florida Strawberry Growers Association (FSGA) was encouraged and confident following the coldest night of the winter season on Sunday, Jan. 30.
Sue Harrell, director of marketing for FSGA, surveyed and videoed a field on the association’s Facebook page. The crop survived low temperatures in the high 20s.
“We protected our crop with overhead irrigation by coating the plants with ice. We were fortunate that the wind lay down so it could get full coverage over all the plants. Most of us went in and picked the ripe fruit right off the plants before the freeze happened. The only fruit on the plants in most fields are the ones that aren’t fully ripe yet. The green fruit and the blooms survived. We may just have some damage on the really ripe fruit. But our growers are resilient. They know how to handle these situations and were prepared. We knew it was coming,” Harrell said.
Florida growers are currently in the middle of harvest season. It started around Thanksgiving and will continue through Easter. Growers will pick every three days until April.
“You’re going to get the freshest berries during the winter months possible, especially if they’re on the east coast. They’re picked and shipped usually the same exact day,” Harrell said.