CLINTON TOWNSHIP -- The folks at Green Barn Berry Farm near Muncy are getting ready for strawberry picking time -- the kick-off of their season. But owner Robyn Schreiber says with the combination of Mother Nature and farming, you never know what you're going to get each year.
"Now that they're uncovered, if we get a couple warm nights it pushes them faster to ripen. If we get some cooler nights, it just slows them down a bit. They're pretty resistant and we're keeping our fingers crossed," Schreiber said.
Schreiber says the combination of really hot and really cold nights isn't great for strawberries. That, plus our cold winter, is pushing back the season a bit. The farmers recently ran irrigation over the berries for frost protection. Schreiber says this type of weather usually brings storms. She hopes that won't happen.
"It would be very bad. The hail would mark them up. Nothing wrong with them, but they just wouldn't be pleasing. They wouldn't look as nice," Schreiber said.
Over at Tom Styer's Farm & Market, it's the same story. People are constantly stopping by asking when the strawberries will be ready.
"Where are the strawberries? We're anxious for strawberries," Sonia Murphy said.
"How are the strawberries coming along?" Doris Rogers asked.
Doris Rogers of Hughesville stopped by Tom Styer's Farm and Market in Muncy to see when the strawberries would be ready.
"I love to pick strawberries. I get carried away, but I forget I have to pay for them at the end," Rogers said.
The staff at Tom Styer's says the strawberries should be ready for picking between June 5 and June 10. They are keeping their fingers crossed for more warm sunny weather.
