TYLER, Texas (KETK) – Farmers are seeing a bloom in strawberries and blueberries this season. A year ago, the Tyler Berry Farm did not have strawberries and the blueberries were shriveled up.
This year… it is a totally different story.
“Hot and dry versus this year its cool and wet for the most part. I feel like its almost polar opposite,” said owner of the Tyler Berry Farm Marshal Wiggins.
The hot weather that came earlier than expected in 2022 caused their strawberries to stop blooming.
“When it gets over 95 degrees they stop blooming, so it was well over that temperature early last year,” said Wiggins.
A cooler start to the summer means strawberries will be ready to pick longer.
“The berries are doing a lot better right now and they are still putting up blooms, so we will have strawberries for a couple more weeks at least,” said Wiggins.
The temperatures are increasing in East Texas and the farm doesn’t see the heat as a concern, because of all the rain the blueberries have seen. All of the blueberries are at full size.
“They love hot weather, so as long as we got moisture, they are a warm weather crop,” said Wiggins.
A late frost knocked out some blueberry blooms, but so far it looks like they’re on the right track.
“I think they think its May, usually our strawberries are doing good in May and we didn’t have it this good in May,” said Owner Addie Wiggins.
The Tyler Berry Farm is also having a family day on Saturday with a hay ride at story time and a chance to pick strawberries, blueberries and flowers.
Berry and flower picking is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Story time is at 10 a.m. and noon, and hay rides are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.