Strawberry season pushed back due to long winter: farmer

The cold winter has pushed back the growing season for one strawberry farmer in Cottam, Ont. pushing him to erect long tent-like coverings called tunnels to protect his plants.

Brad Raymont, the owner of a fourth generation family farm Raymont's Berries, has built five tunnels, which are different than greenhouses, with about 20,000 strawberry plants underneath.

"In the tunnels our goal every year is to hopefully start around Mother's Day, but just like last year it's going to be about two weeks later," said Raymont. "I think that's the end result for a lot of things in the ground growing."

Raymont said this years is a lot like last year, with a long winter and a cool spring.

"The plants are smaller than they should be, but by the time we're picking they should be where I'd like to see them."

Currently his strawberries are at the start of the fruit stage, with the plant flowering. Raymont said it takes about a month from this stage to getfruit.

"When we don't get started as early, we never get those weeks back," said Raymont. "If we're two or three weeks later than normal, that's three weeks of production, it's not like come September, October when they're winding down, it's not like we could add three weeks to the end."

Full red berries are expected the week after the Victoria Day holiday, he said.

He said because the tunnels protect the plants from the elements,the fruit quality is generally better.

"Under here they get a little bit of shade from the sun and they never get rain on, so it's a lot less disease pressure," he said.

Each strawberry plant has a yield of half a kilogram or one pound of berries.

Raymont's Berries participates in the LaSalle Strawberry Festival every year and Raymont said he's hopeful he'll have a good harvest by then.

This year's festival takes place from June 11 to June 14.

Raymont's strawberries along with other fresh fruits and vegetables he grows are available daily on at their produce stand at their farm market.