It's all go for British Columbia's berry season as growers report great conditions and a promising, if average sized, crop. A good pollination period is helping quality to be high among the different berry varieties. Currently, it's blueberries that are taking the spotlight as the new crop, taking over from raspberries which began a couple of weeks ago.
"Good pollination and favorable weather conditions during pollination has resulted in very high berry quality this year," said Rhonda Driediger of Driediger Farms in Langley. "Our first crop of strawberries has already finished, with the second crop due to start at the end of July. Raspberries began about 10 days ago, while blueberries are just starting now. It looks to be an average-sized blueberry crop this year, with forecasts suggesting that BC will produce between 150 - 160 million pounds."
"There is great opportunity for frozen and juicing product as well," she added. "Some other regions are struggling to fill demand with quality issues. This year, the berries on our commercial-scale farms and in the greater BC region will be looking to have a greater share of this market in addition to the fresh market."
Boost in locally grown, and 'U-pick' market
Berry growers in BC are noting an increased interest among consumers for more locally grown produce, and have seen a rise in popularity for the 'U-pick' market. Driediger noted that the clientele has changed over the years for these concepts, and is now more activity-focused, rather than for economic or seasonal purposes.
One of the Driediger team members stacks boxes ready for another U-pick day
"Public demand has been great and there has been a greater emphasis on locally grown and U-pick," she said. "A lot of the visitors that come to our farm are from other parts of Canada that are vacationing. There are also a lot of people who live in Vancouver, which is very urbanized, who come to enjoy the experience of picking their own fresh berries. Many of these have never had the opportunity to have such a connection with farming life. In the past, many families would come and pick an entire years' worth of berries, but with many fruits being available 365 days a year now, this is no longer needed as it once was. Overall, we continue to experience great support for our produce."
Growing more berries in plastic mulch
One of the highlights for Driediger Farms this year is the conversion of their entire strawberry crop to grow in mulch, which they had been doing partially up until this year. For the company, this is a new concept as it is less common in BC than other areas like California. Driediger says it has proven to be highly beneficial.
"We are now seeing better yields on less land now that we have converted all our strawberry fields over to the mulch," she shared. "It has been done in California for years, however because the Northwest region grows more of the June-bearing berries, it is less common. Since the conversion, we have hardly had a bad berry and the more efficient use of irrigation has saved us water and money."
For more information:
Rhonda Driediger
Driediger Farms
Tel: +1 (604) 888-1685