This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Odd Weather Makes Earliest Strawberry Crop Ever

Jones Family Farms in Shelton says unusual weather has led to an early strawberry season.

The winter and spring seasons of 2012 were ones for the record books. Record high temperatures, droughts, late spring frosts and freezes and weeks of misty rain have all added to a very unusual climate in southern New England. For several weeks, area farmers have been trying to figure out what all this means for their crops. For Terry Jones, one of the longest-continuous strawberry growers in the Connecticut, it brings a picking season earlier than ever.

“This is the earliest we’ve ever had people harvesting strawberries at our farm,” said Jones, who has been inviting guests to pick their own berries at his Shelton, farm since the 1960s. opened for pre-season picking on Tuesday, May 29 and will continue to pick through June – or as long as the berries last.

“It’s a quick season,” continued Jones, “once the berries turn ripe, there’s no stopping them. The season usually lasts up to four weeks.”

Find out what's happening in Shelton-Derbywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

One of the biggest challenges of strawberry season is public understanding of the time frames.

“I always feel bad when a guest arrives in our last week of picking saying they didn’t know strawberry season was so early in the summer,” said Keith Padin, Director of Marketing and Hospitality for Jones Family Farms. “We put the word out on our website, Facebook and on the Farmer Jones crop report line, but it’s often what people remember in their heads, from visits in the past, that brings them to the farm at certain times.”

Find out what's happening in Shelton-Derbywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Years ago, our strawberry season wouldn’t be in full swing until Father’s Day weekend” said Jones. “So, people still have that idea in their head – mid to late June for strawberries. Well, Mother Nature has pushed that time frame up considerably in recent years, and this year it’s especially early. Everything seems to be earlier and earlier every year.”

Connecticut residents planning to secure their annual strawberry harvest should look for information from their local farmers soon. The CT Department of Agriculture lists many of the pick-your-own farms in the state on their website, or see the .pdf file attached for listings (tip: click the "Fullscreen" option, where you can zoom in and read it more easily).

Before you know it, the strawberry season will be over!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?