Handley Talks to Ellsworth American About Maine’s Strawberry Crop
David Handley, a University of Maine Cooperative Extension specialist of vegetables and small fruits, spoke with The Ellsworth American for an article about this season’s strawberry crop in Maine. “What we have found so far is that growth is good and pest numbers have been pretty low,” Handley said, adding the winter helped the crop by creating a protective snow cover and warding off pests. “Because we had a late spring, the pests were late waking up and the plants were past the period where the pests would be interested,” he said. Handley said most strawberry farmers plan to begin harvesting around June 19 or 20 with a goal of peaking around the Fourth of July. Handley also spoke with the Maine Public Broadcasting Network about this year’s crop.