Through Heat and Drought, Local Strawberry Crops Are Ready

SAUK CENTRE (WJON News) - A late spring and dry conditions have produced a double whammy for area strawberry growers.

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The strawberry picking season has opened but may run a little later than average due to the cool spring.

In addition, strawberries need one to two inches of water per week to produce the best crop. Most of the state is now dealing with various stages of drought, and some areas of the state have received less than a tenth of an inch of rain this month.

Corey Paul works at the Tutti Fruiti Kitchen and Market Farm in Sauk Centre. He says he still expects a good crop.

Rain would have helped their average size. There's some that are a little bigger, but they're good size average, I would say. There's plenty of them out there. I guess we'll see what happens.

The market farm opened for the picking season this week, and Paul says he expects business to pick up once the word gets out and should last through at least the fourth of July.

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