Getting Geared Up for Strawberry Season

We're getting all geared up for strawberry season!

The 11,500 strawberry plants that we planted in the fall are really growing!  That's nearly double the number of plants we had last year.  They should be ready to pick in April and May.  This year, we planted nearly all 'Sweet Charlie' strawberries, just like last year, which are famous for being super sweet!  We also planted several hundred 'Ruby June' and 'Chandler's to try and extend the picking season. Be on the look out for opening day of the patch.

WHAT: U-Pick Strawberries

WHERE: 14489 Bethel Church Lane, Smithfield, VA 23430

WHEN: 7am-7pm, 7 days a week, (starting in April - May), rain or shine

COST: $10/basket, on the honor system (we provide the containers for free)

Blackberries

Our blackberries were a bit of a dud this season, and we won't be opening the patch.  We were away on vacation and the patch wasn't well maintained.  Hopefully they're bounce back nicely next year! :-) 

Strawberry Patch is Closed for the Season, Blackberries Ready Soon

Thanks to all of you, we've had a phenomenal strawberry season!  There are no longer any strawberries in the patch.  

Now, we're getting geared up for blackberry season.  There are tons of blackberries on the vines and they should be getting ripe within the next few weeks.  All of our blackberries are thornless.  If you'd like to be added to our e-mail list for updates on picking conditions, hours of operation, and seasoning openings/closings, send us an e-mail at browdersfreshpickins@gmail.com.

Pick Your Own Strawberries - Now Open!

As of Saturday, April 14, 2018, we're OPEN!  Come pick some of these delicious berries :-)

For your convenience, we’re open 7 days a week, 7 am to 7 pm at our farm, less than 5 miles from downtown Smithfield.  14489 Bethel Church Lane, Smithfield.  When you arrive, please park in front of the greenhouse.  Grab a container.  Those are yours to keep.  Pick as much as you’d like.  There is a black box near the corner of the fence by the gate (where you grab your buckets) for your cash or checks (made out to ‘Browder’s Fresh Pickins’).  The price is $10/gallon basket & this is all on the honor system.  Please e-mail us if you have any questions browdersfreshpickins@gmail.com or if you'd like to be added to our e-mail list for farm updates. 

 The strawberries have been covered with frost blankets going on 3 weeks now to keep the blooms from freezing.  We were curious to see how they looked underneath the covers so we went "undercover" and found dozens of beautiful bright blooms per plant.  The blankets must be working.

That means within 30 days (probably sooner) we will be open for pick-your-own at the farm and pre-picked at the Smithfield Farmer's Market.  

We just put up a banner at the farm announcing our 'Sweet Charlie' strawberries are coming soon and will be $10/gallon basket for pick-your-own.  Just imagine the delicious smoothies, homemade ice cream, fruit salads, or any other refreshing treat you could concoct. 

A Bit Chilly for Our Berries & Windy for Our Fence

The berries enjoyed a few weeks of warmer-than-usual weather.

 Which caused them to bloom.

 But, last week it was below freezing for a few nights, so we had to cover them with frost blankets.

They'll be under the frost blankets for another week or so, then hopefully the weather will get warmer.

 In addition to the cold, we've been battling the wind.  Last weekend's wind storm took a toll on our deer fence.

The whole family pitched in to straighten up the fence.  We installed dozens of new T-posts reinforce the bent & broken posts.  It's held up pretty good so far!  Looking forward to a great strawberry season!

U-Pick Strawberries Coming Soon!

We're getting all geared up for strawberry season!

The strawberries that we planted in the fall are really growing!  They should be ready to pick in April and May.  This year, we planted ALL 'Sweet Charlie' strawberries, which are famous for being super sweet!  We have more than three times as many Sweet Charlie plants as we did last year. 

Details:

WHAT: U-Pick Strawberries

WHERE: 14489 Bethel Church Lane, Smithfield, VA 23430

WHEN: 7am-7pm, 7 days a week, (starting in April - May), rain or shine

COST: $10/gallon basket, on the honor system (we provide the containers for free)