"We lose sleep over this:" Springtime strawberry crop in NC threatened by freezing temperatures
Hungry for springtime strawberries? Freezing temperatures overnight could threaten them.
With temperatures possibly dipping to 26 degrees in Nash County, strawberry farmers are preparing crops to withstand the frost.
One night of freezing temperatures could wipe out six months of work.
Strawberry City, a farm in Nashville that grows more than 2 acres of strawberries, has begun laying out row covers to cover the plants.
"Strawberries are a finicky crop and they’re a long season crop, so here in North Carolina we actually plant in October," explained Sue Leggett, who runs Strawberry City with her husband.
Leggett says while the strawberry plants can withstand the cold – but the bloom is another story. With the harvest season just two and a half weeks away, most of the plants have bloomed.
"We do lose sleep over this," said Leggett.
The covers take off some of the pressure, however.
With the covers, temperatures would have to get down into the lower 20s to really have an effect on the crops.
"So for the next couple of nights, with the covers, we will be fine," she said.
Strawberry City plans to open its produce stand and U-pick by the end of the month. The farm is on 5384 NC Hwy 58 South in Nashville.
