Strawberries will be ready soon!

Frank Wiles of Our Green Acres, located at 3965 Waverly Rd. in Owego, N.Y., is pleased to see that this year’s strawberry crops are looking healthy, with nice green leaves, impressive buds and large blossoms. The recent rain, according to Wiles, came at an ideal time for the preparation of his strawberry plants.

In the business of growing strawberries and other crops since the mid 1960’s, Wiles explained that the last two years were a challenge. With the weather sequence out of sync and unfavorable, it was an overall disappointment compared to other years.

This year’s crop has put a smile back on his face, especially after a frustrating, money-losing year in 2016.

Wiles said, “I’m somewhat excited,” and clarified, “A farmer always has a level of ‘guarded enthusiasm.’”

Wiles feels that this year will be better since adequate moisture was abundant during the initial growing, and then water and fertilizer he supplies via drip lines has maintained the progress. The past winter and early spring were better than most, too, which has been conducive to growing fruit.

At Our Green Acres, the early to mid-season strawberry varieties should be ready in about three to four weeks, and another variety, day-neutrals, will be ready in about two weeks.

Wiles commented that the upcoming Owego Strawberry Festival, scheduled on June 16 and 17 this year, is a significant event for the Village and the entire area, as well as for the industry as a whole. He reminisced about the later-than-usual crop of strawberries that occurred during the first Strawberry Festival.

“Local crops aren’t always ready,” Wiles said, and chuckled, “Like magic that first year, the strawberries ripened. I had to send a message out to find pickers, and fast!” About 25 people showed up to help pick the strawberries in time for the first festival.

Wiles is genuinely excited about his blueberry crop this year, too, which have struggled over the last three years. Our Green Acres also grows peas, sweet corn, onions, potatoes, raspberries, tomatoes, squash and more.

For his fruit crops, Wiles is concerned about “the new pest in town,” known as the Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), a fruit crop pest that threatens soft summer fruit. The insect is appearing in fruit growing regions around the country, and Wiles explained it appears in our area around the end of July. His early blueberry and main strawberry crops will miss its timing, but for the day-neutrals, which produce through October, and some other fruits, he will take appropriate measures to keep his crops thriving.  He remains positive that growers and researchers can work together to implement new and effective pest control strategies.

For information about Our Green Acres, call (607) 687-2874, find them on Facebook or visit their website, https://owegogreenacres.wordpress.com. U-Pick information, farm stand hours and Farmers Market hours will be announced.