Handley speaks with BDN about strawberry season
David Handley, a University of Maine Cooperative Extension specialist of vegetables and small fruits, spoke with the Bangor Daily News for an article about the coming strawberry season. Handley wasn’t sure until recently what kind of strawberry season it would be, he said. “I’m relieved. It’s looking very good,” Handley said. “It could have been a lot worse.” Handley’s concerns came mostly from this winter’s lack of snow, according to the article. Strawberries can’t weather the cold very well, he said, and usually do OK this far north because of the snow cover that reliably insulates the plants and protects them from turkeys looking for seeds, the BDN reported. Handley said most farmers are telling him they weathered the winter and expect to be ready for the pick-your-own season to begin the third weekend in June, which is normal. At Highmoor Farm in Monmouth, the university’s apple, small fruit and vegetable research facility, where Handley works, the strawberries are ripening up nicely, the article states. “Compared to wild blueberries, the numbers for strawberries don’t look that impressive,” Handley said. “But strawberries are very important. They’re a high-value crop.”