Fog/Mist and 72° F

Gigantic red strawberry signs point the way to Carolina Red Strawberry Farm on Cannon Bridge Road just off U.S. 301 south of Orangeburg. When customers arrive at the roadside stand, a "Certified South Carolina" logo lets them know they can expect to find the finest locally grown strawberries around. And so far, the season is looking like a good one for both growers and consumers.

Not long after opening at 9 a.m., Monty Rast's Carolina Red farm is buzzing with customers of all ages, some stopping by to pick up baskets brimming with berries at the stand and others opting to pick their own from the long, tidy, double-wide rows of plants growing on raised beds of black plastic.

The season is looking good so far, Rast said, adding that he's moving out about 100 gallons of berries each day.

"I'm one of the few 'pick-your-own' operations around," Rast said. "All these strawberries are the Camarosa variety, and they produce really well, ripen on the vine and are very sweet -- both the larger and the smaller berries."

Throughout Rast's 3.5-acre field, plump, juicy berries surround well-formed rosettes of deep green foliage. Pest problems have been practically nonexistent in his fields this year, Rast said. There have been no signs of botrytis, gray mold or soil-borne diseases, thanks to a weekly fungicide spray program. No insecticidal sprays have been necessary, though he keeps an eye out for spider mites, he said. Regular watering and fertigation through the drip tape keeps the plants healthy and producing. Black plastic row cover eliminates weed competition.

"It takes me about $5,000 to $6,000 per acre in production costs," Rast said. "That doesn't include marketing and cooling facilities."

In the Spring Branch community of southern Bamberg County, Neal and Penni Crider have a half acre of strawberries just coming into production. They are in their second year of operation and do strictly "pick-to-order." Neal Crider said fruit set seems to be a little later this year, perhaps due to the continuing cool nights and overcast days.

"When we start getting a little more sun, I expect they will pick up," he said. "The crop looks decent so far."

Crider just had two hives of honeybees brought into his strawberry field to help increase pollination. Because of the increased cost of fertilizer, he has had to increase the price of his strawberries a bit, he said.

When it comes to advice on commercial strawberry production, many growers across South Carolina seek out the advice of Powell Smith, vegetable and small fruit entomology specialist with Clemson University Extension Service. Smith said this week that the strawberry harvest appears to be getting off to a good start so far.

"Most plantings of either

plug or bar

eroot

have good fruit set, and the size is very good," Smith said. "The first couple of pickings always look a little rough due to the fruit setting during cold conditions, but the fruit in the Midlands that I have looked at

lately is well shaped and large."

Smith has seen few problems other than a couple of cool nights of frost.

"There are always a few operations with spider mites and root rot problems," Smith said. "But gray mold has been light due to the generally dry weather, and no anthracnose has been reported yet."

Smith did note that some growers had encountered serious deer depredation.

Strawberries are almost exclusively drip irrigated, Smith said, so most growers have adequate irrigation water. However, in some areas of the Midlands, pond levels were low enough to make it a challenge to frost protect. Several growers are at their limit for being able to frost protect again, but the recent rain helped some.

Smith said there is a long-range warning about Wednesday or Thursday, April 16 and 17, for possible frost in some areas of the state.

Fresh strawberries are available from mid- to late March (coastal) through early July (mountain counties) in South Carolina. Several growers use "season-beating" techniques to produce strawberries off-season in the fall as well.

T&D Correspondent Minnie Miller can be reached by writing to her at 138 Nature's Trail, Bamberg, SC 29003. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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