A late freeze struck many parts of Virginia in mid-May, causing uncertainty among some blueberry growers. Among the localities were Danville, Lynchburg, Richmond and Roanoke. These all saw record lows on May 10, and the mid-May freeze damaged some of the state’s blueberry bushes.
“The freeze in May caused a lot of damage to blueberries, particularly to varieties that bloom early and produce early—those got hit hard,” said Dr. Reza Rafie, a Virginia Cooperative Extension horticulture specialist at Virginia State University.
Rafie estimated that 10% of the blueberries grown at VSU’s Randolph Farm were damaged by the May freeze. Dwight Boston, who grows early blooming rabbiteye blueberries at Gold Hill Blueberry Farm in Orange County, said his crop was damaged extensively.
While affected areas were widespread, not all blueberry growers suffered losses. At Ratliff Tree Farm in Rockingham County, Delmer Ratliff reported his late-blooming Bonus and Nelson blueberries withstood the late freeze.
“The blueberries are looking excellent,” Ratliff said. “They might even be ahead of schedule from normal years, but we’ve got a lot of bloom and a lot of berries. We’ve also had a lot of bee activity, which is great, and everything’s looking really good for this year.”
According to augustafreepress.com, the blueberry growers said pick-your-own activities would continue in some capacity as berries start to ripen in mid-June. All are committed to practicing social distancing—some of which is naturally tied into their operations.
