With 16 days of no rain and a late frost this spring, strawberry and sweet corn crops have had their challenges in Northeast Ohio. Some farms have already said that they won’t have any berries to pick. Some do, but making sure the plants are healthy has meant lots of irrigation.
Eric Ross, co-owner of Red Wagon Farm in Columbia Township: “It’s just about time to start harvesting strawberries, which are planted about a year in advance. The plants need a lot of water in their final stretch before being picked.”
Of course, hot and dry weather can actually be good for strawberries, depending on if you have enough water. Patterson Fruit Farm in Geauga County’s Chester Township is in really good shape, said Dave Patterson, although they’ve been irrigating much more than usual. He said they’ve already started picking strawberries to sell and they plan to open the U-Pick fields later this week.
Source: cleveland.com