You will find strawberries at area markets this weekend, but not nearly as many as in years past, thanks to the weather.
"It's killed us on strawberries," said Trey Deck, owner of Melon Patch Farms in Chickamauga, Georgia. Deck works with two other growers who oversee 11,000 acres of strawberries grown in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
"We are down 40% over where we typically are," he said.
Deck said by phone that he had strawberries at the Chattanooga Market for opening weekend and will return for the annual Strawberry Festival this Sunday. He said the costs for a quart, 3 3/4 quart and a gallon are similar to last year's prices at around $6, $18 and $25.
He added that in addition to the weather impacting his yield, the cost of the baskets he uses to sell the berries has tripled. But, the biggest hurdle has been the weather, and it has affected strawberries and cantaloupes at Melon Patch, and could impact the watermelon crop, he said.
"The biggest problem has been a very cool and very wet winter, then a few days of extremely warm weather in early April when we thought we might be OK, but then it got cold and wet.
"The worst thing for strawberries is cool damp weather and no sun," he said.
Ooltewah Farmer's Market Director Angel Miller said by phone that part of her role at the 10-year-old market is to reconnect farmers and the community and to educate buyers on how farms work.
"We are truly an agricultural-focused market with only local farmers and foods and no crafts," she said.
Miller said one of the big things the market does as part of its role in the community is education.
"While you can get strawberries year-round at the grocery, those come from other parts of the country or other countries," she said.
Strawberries, which are $20 a gallon at the Ooltewah Farmers Market, only grow locally in the spring, she said. She said she is constantly asked by visitors to the market why there are no tomatoes in April and May.
"Because it's too cold," she said.
Even though there were fewer strawberries available for opening weekend of the Chattanooga Market, Chris Thomas said via text that the market set sales records.
"We had a terrific opening weekend, with our markets reporting record sales up 20.7% over last season," Thomas said. "Farms have limited spring produce, with the late freeze and heavy rains impacting strawberry, peach and flower crops, but new food entrepreneurs helped us to push to new levels. Fresh HoneySeed bagels, Hoff & Pepper hot sauces and Lucky Cajun Seasonings are just a few items brand new — or returning after an extended COVID absence — this year."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.