The first day of summer is soon approaching, and everyone is anxious for fresh strawberries and for our U-Pick fields to open. The berries are a little late this year, but we are finally getting the sunshine we need to push them along. We just picked some flats this morning to sell in our store. Yum!
It looks like we will have a decent berry crop, however, it was a rough winter for the strawberries. They are covered in straw, but there was still some damage because of last winter’s bitter cold temperatures. On top of that, there has been an issue with strawberry root weevils. Rulfs partnered with Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension during the Fall of 2013 to find a way to control the damage these pests were causing in our fields without using chemicals. For more on this topic, here is the article that was published in various publications:
http://www.nnyagdev.org/index.php/2013/10/18/nny-grower-testing-strawberry-weevil-treatment/
Today, the men were out weeding the strawberry fields. This makes it a better experience for our customers and easier to pick the berries.
Mr. Paul put in lots of new raspberry plants this spring. Hopefully in the next few years we will be able to offer U-Pick raspberries, as our first planting did not produce enough to keep up with the demand from the public.
We are looking forward to a great season. The men have been happy with the scallions and bok choy they’ve harvested. These men love what they do, and take pride in keeping our fields clean and picking delicious produce for our customers to enjoy!
In other news at the farm, we have been busy planting various veggie crops, planning the strawberry festival, working in the greenhouses, and of course keeping our eyes on the apple trees and hoping for a great harvest this year! Hard to believe we are already thinking about the Fall!
