Cold Snap After Warm Winter Makes It a Tough Season for Louisiana Strawberry Growers

By Terell Wilkins

The Advocate

An unseasonably warm winter that made Louisiana strawberries grow faster than usual also made the crop vulnerable to the recent cold snap. 

With temperatures as low as 28 degrees in the Florida Parishes and surrounding areas, farmers had to shield their strawberries from the freeze under row upon row of protective covering.

William Fletcher, who owns and operates Fletcher Strawberry Farm in Ponchatoula, said the covers have so far served their purpose.

“That’s the big white blankets that we spread out over the entire fields," Fletcher said. "They will protect the plants down to about 26 degrees."

Risk of crop damage goes up as temperatures fall and cold spells drag on, he explained. But the timing of the freeze matters, too: if the cold snaps come later-than-expected, it can mess up the growth timeline. 

"What we hope doesn't happen is that the plants put on a big fruit load too early and then before we can get it to a harvestable condition, bad weather comes in and ruins them," Fletcher said. "Now, it's a game of starting over."

Unpredictable weather could force farmers to wait for a new set of blooms and then another few-or-more weeks for those to blossom and bulk into marketable strawberries.

"If they really load up with a lot of springtime fruit and vegetation too early and then we still get a bad (freeze) come in, it could prolong the onset of the season by a month or so," Fletcher said. "That's happened to us in the past and is one of the things I worry about with it being so warm."

Because there is no perfect weather for growing strawberries, Fletcher said the best thing to do is to stay flexible.

“We just adapt and do the best that we can with the conditions that are coming on at any one given season,” he said. “Sometimes you almost wish for a cooler winter, that way you can have a more traditional strawberry season when folks are traditionally interested in purchasing them."

After a tough year for Louisiana growers, Fletcher said he hopes consumers can make it worthwhile by buying local produce. 

"Farmers are dealing with adverse conditions just like everyone else in this region, but this year has been especially more difficult," he said. "So when you see somebody selling Louisiana strawberries, just treat yourself and help support the farmer while you enjoy the best-tasting strawberries that are available for the public to buy."

EMAIL AT TWILKINS@THEADVOCATE.COM OR FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER, @TERELLJWILKINS.