PEI frost does damage to local strawberries

“I do have some damage in my fields,” says Nabuurs of Nabuurs Gardens, which grows approximately seven acres of strawberries. “How much exactly is a little difficult to say because it froze right down into the unopened flower buds. The flowers are open but for me to know, I would have to peel the buds open to see what the extent is.” Of his crop though, Nabuurs estimates approximately 15-20 per cent is affected.

So while frosts at this time of year aren’t new to PEI growers—Nabuurs says the latest he’s seen a frost was June 18th—what was different was the temperature swing. “Sunday afternoon we were working in the fields and it was blistering hot at + 31°C (87.8 Fahrenheit). Within 24 hours, it dropped to -4°C (24.8 Fahrenheit),” he says. “We set high temperature records on Saturday and low temperature records on Sunday. Those temperatures are killing frosts.”

The system, which is comprised of approximately 85 nozzles spread out on a grid, rains water over the whole crop of berries during the frost warning. “As the water touches the blossom, it freezes. But in the process of freezing, there’s a tiny amount of energy released and that energy keeps the blossom under that ice and protected,” he says. “But that has to continue as long as that temperature is below zero. As soon as it stops, then the freezing process stops and then the frost penetrates and freezes the blossoms which are very sensitive. If they freeze, they’re done.”

He believes that the part of his crop which did undergo damage was an older patch of berries and not as strong.

As far as agriculture on the island, potatoes clearly dominate the province's agriculture focus. Yet, according to the PEI Statistical Review 2016, fruit accounted for 14,390 acres in 2016 (up from 12,854 acres in 2011) though blueberries account for a large portion of that figure. (PEI grows cranberries, raspberries and gooseberries along with strawberries.) 

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