Berry lovers will be happy to hear that the U-pick season has now started.
Across the Prairies, strawberry U-pick seasons typically start in early July. Raspberries and Saskatoons are then often available from late July through August.
Andy Loewen is the owner of Friedensfeld Honey and Berry Farm, located east of Friedensfeld in Manitoba. He says their strawberry U-pick season officially got underway on Friday. An opening day of June 27th is a little bit earlier than normal for their farm.
"I think sometimes we only open around July 1st," he says. "But it varies within kind of a one-week period."
Loewen says he was both humbled and excited by Friday's turnout. By mid-morning there were dozens of vehicles in the parking lot and crowds of berry pickers getting a head start.
"I really thought there would be a lot less people," he admits. "So, we're very excited and very positive about the season."
And, Loewen says Friday's weather provided one of the most beautiful mornings for opening day. He notes some years they have contended with thunderstorms, but the sunny and warm conditions Friday helped produce an amazing turnout.
Strawberry lovers have been picking berries at Friedensfeld Honey and Berry Farm for about 20 years now. Loewen says they have approximately 30 acres in production this year and then another 14 acres that were replanted. He notes strawberry plants are only good for about three years. After that, the plants do not quite have the same energy anymore and the berries start getting smaller. That is the reason for the replanting. Loewen says it turns out that this year, similar to last year, was just a bigger year for replanting.
They also planted about two acres worth of raspberries this year. He notes those should be available for picking starting next year.
According to Loewen, their plants wintered really well. He notes there was adequate snowfall and the end result is a beautiful crop coming through this year with a lot of potential.
Loewen says each year is different, with its own set of challenges. He recalls last year at this time there was too much rain, though being on a large sand ridge helps during wet seasons. Loewen says this year is quite a bit different as the weeks leading up to the start of the season were hot, dry, and windy. As a result, they have been irrigating the plants on almost a daily basis.
If the weather holds, Loewen says this year's U-pick season could last three weeks. He notes some of their plants are still blooming, which bodes well for a longer season. Having said that, an extended heat wave could very quickly shorten their season, as the plants would all ripen at once. Loewen says the ideal forecast for the next three weeks would be daytime highs of about 24 or 25 degrees.
Friedensfeld Honey and Berry Farm relies on a staff of about 15 to 20 people for the U-pick season. Loewen says they are the ones to manage the field and then he brings in some of their workers from the honey side of the operation, to help out. He notes they are very blessed to have the staff they do.
"We've had a lot of the same people come back," he explains. "I'd say that we've been very blessed to have really, really good people come and help us out here. It's been amazing."
Meanwhile, Loewen says they are very thankful for the generous support they feel from their community. He notes they are passionate about the product they produce and are appreciative and humbled by the support shown.