Re: Any small scale (10 acres) strawberry farmers on here?

Posted by CBBC on June 09, 2017 at 20:06:34 from (184.66.87.175):

In Reply to: Any small scale (10 acres) strawberry farmers on here? posted by Winchester1 on June 09, 2017 at 18:56:00:

When I grew up we did strawberries. Usually 3 acre rotations for three years give or take. In the 70's we had pickers - even supplied berries for Queen Elizabeth when she made a visit to Vancouver... I was probably 4 or 5 then so don't really remember but I recall mom and dad complaint about the fruit pickers back then too.
In the 90's we still had some but it was strictly U-Pick. In the right market you can do OK with that especially if you go no spray or Organic if you really think you can work hard.

Basic equipment... rotivator with strawberry kit ... which basically means you take out the middle tines and they have sweeps or slats to bolt in place stopping the dirt from covering the plants.
Spring tooth cultivator for keeping weeds out of rows.
Brush cutter to knock the plants back at the end of the season.
Sprayer if you choose to go that way... there are registered herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.
Irrigation equipment ... we used hand lines, I guess a gun would work for summer ... buds and growth for the following year.
Hoes and a bunch of teenagers to clean the rows ... that was me.
Transplanter, we had a two row, they are avalible used if you look around. Hand planting works if it's laid out right but a lot of work.
Of course regular tillage is handy, subsoiler, plow, discs, packer and a few tractors are nice to have.
We also had a longer shank cultivator with a fertilizer side dresser on it.

Now days they have daynutral varieties ( everbearing) so you can get more of a season than 3 weeks. Plastic mulch is used as is drip tape for irrigation.

And just as a side note ... Deer love strawberries. So plan on fencing if there are deer around.

It's actually not that hard, and they do taste great!
Check with your local extension agent or state agrologist. Up here in BC we have a Provincial Berry Guide which gives advise etc on how to grow most berry crops.

God luck. Grant

Replies:

• Re: Any small scale (10 acres) strawberry farmers on here? Bob Harvey 20:17:32 06/09/17 (1)
  • Re: Any small scale (10 acres) strawberry farmers on here? CBBC 21:59:56 06/09/17 (0)

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