CUMBERLAND—Sweet, local strawberries are a hallmark of the spring season.

And thanks to a mild winter with above-average temperatures, many Virginia farmers are stocking up their farmstands, opening their U-pick fields and welcoming customers early with promising harvests.

“This is probably one of the better crops we’ve had,” said Rob French of Sunnyside Farms in Cumberland County. “We started picking last week so our stands are open, and we have strawberries.”

French’s berries started ripening a week ahead of schedule this year, something he attributes to the area’s moderate temperatures, which he hopes will continue. Strawberries are weather-sensitive and don’t like extremes.

“We didn’t have those long, drawn-out periods of really cold weather,” explained French, a member of Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s Specialty Crops Advisory Committee. “We were a little worried when it was starting to turn up a little hot, but it cooled back down.”

Sunnyside Farms sells strawberries wholesale and at the farm’s four produce stands in Cumberland, Crewe, Farmville and Powhatan. Customers can buy the berries in flats and quarts.

“The jelly makers are getting ready,” French quipped.
In Chesapeake, Jerry Lilley of Lilley Farms echoed French, saying he is cautiously optimistic for a longer strawberry season after the early start—barring severe weather or heavy downpours.

“They look good so far,” he said. “I think everybody in the Hampton Roads area is having the same sort of season we are—everybody I’ve talked to is early and has a good crop.”

The farm’s U-pick fields are already bustling with customers, and Lilley is preparing for the height of the season.

“The big month for us is May, around Mother’s Day weekend,” he said. “Everybody is excited about strawberries.”

While southern areas are benefiting from the temperate climates, farmers farther north are working hard to protect the delicate flowers and berries during recent spring freeze and frost warnings.

“It’s been a little bit of a challenge since it got warm early, and we’ve had to fight some frost and freezes here for the last few weeks,” said Jay Yankey of Yankey Farms in Prince William County.

But, he added, “it’s not unusual. We usually have to cover them a few times every season—we haven’t had any devastating freezes or anything.”

Yankey said his crop is looking “pretty good” and anticipates opening his U-pick fields for customers within the week.

To keep ripe strawberries fresh after picking, don’t leave them on top of each other in buckets. Instead, place the berries on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator with a cotton towel laid over top to help them last longer.

“We suggest not washing them until you’re ready to eat them,” Lilley advised.