I posted earlier about the freeze, worrying about its affect on the strawberry crop in Louisiana. I’m reading now that it’s going to be ok, just a little delayed. The farmers lost a couple of weeks, and had some additional costs to protect their crops from the freeze, so folks, support your local farmers. But it’s going to be ok.
(One note: I was interested that those Louisiana strawberries are being produced on about about 300 acres. That’s less than half a section, half a square mile. I”m amazed at all that goodness from that small a footprint. We really need to support what remains of all that historical truck farming).
Recent cold weather in south Louisiana will cause this year’s strawberry crop to come in a little later, but the damage is not as bad as the industry first believed, LSU AgCenter experts say.
Regina Bracy, LSU AgCenter horticulturist at the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station, said recent freezing temperatures will possibly set the crop back for nearly a month.
“It takes 21 days from flower to berry. So if the growers lose all of their flowers and berries at this time, then they will not have another crop for 21 days,” she said.
Bracy said this means growers won’t have any income during that time. In addition, cold weather adds to growers’ expenses because they have to cover the rows to try to protect the plants and possibly apply water at night.
The peak season for Louisiana strawberries is usually in March and April, but farmers receive more money for their crop earlier in the season. So the prime time for the farmers is November, December and January.
Bracy said Louisiana produces about 300 acres of strawberries.
h/t Watching From The North Shore in comments.
Are they going to be available locally?
About when they become available around Hammond, I see them at the Farmer’s Market stand up on Old 7. I’d expect so. It’s still going to be a few weeks I would assume. I’ll ask and post what I learn.
I will say I was astonished when I saw the 300 acres. Only 300 acres probably explains why I don’t know where a working farm is. While the town of Ponchatoula is pretty small, the general area referred to as Ponchatoula is pretty big. You could easily hide one 300 acre farm, much less the many obviously much smaller farms that make up the industry.
I will watch for the trucks, and will keep tell my wife to keep an eye out when she goes to the produce stand, and let you know when I see the first sign.
I saw a truck Sunday afternoon selling berries. My wife heard they picked everything they could before the freeze. So you might be able to find some in the short run.