November 30 morning --- Good morning everyone! We are hard at work putting out frost covers to protect the strawberries in bloom from these upcoming freezes this week. We will be closed until we feel we have sufficient ripe fruit on the plants to open the gates to the public. It could be next week, or it could be in March. We do want to take a moment to tell you how thankful we are that you visited the farm these past couple of months. While we're closed this winter that doesn't mean we are on vacation... welll.... with the exception of Farmer Dan... everyone else is here at the farm winterizing and prepping for the Spring season. Raelynn got soooo excited after the tulip crop last March, that she wanted to plant even more flowers. So finally, dad caved and got her some ranunculus (look it up), iris, and allium bulbs to plant this coming week. We'll just see how they go. We sure are good at getting him to do what we want ha-ha. Raelynn got her flowers, and I got the apple trees. Speaking of apples, we are excited for this freeze to kick the trees into dormancy so we can start the clock on chilling hours. It took some time, but Dad did pass on the love of farming. So far nothing has died..... I'll let you know if anything changes.
November 28 Afternoon -- While this rain is beneficial to grow the strawberries, it is not beneficial to ripen berries. They need the sunshine and warmer weather. We will have few, if any, strawberries for the remainder of the day and tomorrow. We will remain open with fun activities for the family until 5 today and 11-5 tomorrow. Berries this time of year are new to us. There are more on the plants to ripen if we can keep them from freezing this coming week. We will post here and on our facebook page if/when we will have additional berries to pick in December.
November 26 3pm -- Wow! A lot of Strawberries were picked today! Those berries were gorgeous and a tasty treat for a time of the year we don't normally have them. The ripe berries have pretty much been picked for a few days. The Farm will be open through Sunday for Thanksgiving activities but very few Strawberries will be available for harvest. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend.
November 26 --. Happy Thanksgiving! It has been a beautiful morning and we have had a nice turnout to pick Strawberries. While there is still lots in the field at 11:30am - I think supply will start to dwindle soon - something to keep in mind. We here at the farm have SO MUCH to be thankful for, one of which is the best customers ever! Enjoy your holidays.
November 22 --- Well well well.... look what we have here.... STRAWBERRIES! That's right, we have a variety that is producing some ripe fruit right now. Not usual for this time of year, but the absence of freezing weather has provided us with some great berries out in the field waiting for you to pick! The strawberries are $2.89 per pound and 75 cents for the box. We'll be open today, Thanksgiving, Friday, Saturday and next Sunday for our thanksgiving festivities and strawberry picking. Strawberries will be limited so come on out and get them while they’re hot.
Monday Afternoon 11/16 --- Thanksgiving is a beautiful time to come visit the farm! We'll have 2 mazes, the jumpy thing, sand art, paint-a-pumpkin, stuff-a-scarecrow, hayride, barrel train, and our signature Texas Maze. We also have our traditional turkey scavenger hunt where you try to find 14 wooden turkeys that are hidden around the farm. For those that like a challenge we also have 2 stuffed turkeys lurking around. The flowers died last night in an unexpected freeze, so we won't be cutting any more flowers. Don't forget to join us in the Spring for our next flower season: tulips!! Come on out for some good clean family fun during your Thanksgiving break!
Monday Morning 11/9 --- We are now open for Thanksgiving Holiday Hours! We will be open Thursdays thru Sundays 11:00 am to 5:00 pm (closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays) November 12th thru November 29th with most of our fall activities. Click here for a list of our activities. We will even be open Thanksgiving Day for a fun activity for your family to do this holiday season. We hope to have you out in our extended holiday hours!
Friday Afternoon 11/6 --- This weather is great! Now is the perfect time to visit the farm. If we had a crowd-o-meter we would be in the green (no very many folks out) from here on out. This weekend will be a fun time on the farm. After this weekend, we will close down on Monday-Wednesday and reopen Thursdays thru Sundays for some extended fall fun through the end of November. We call it our Thanksgiving Celebration. We'll have most of the activities you love (berry bounce, sand art, pumpkin painting, scarecrow stuffing, barrel train, hayride, Texas Maze, and barnyard maze.) Flowers will go until the first freeze! So they are hanging in there. The extended forecast doesn't have a freeze in sight, so flowers will go on.... for now. We look forward to having you out this weekend or for the Thanksgiving Celebration. See ya soon!
Sunday afternoon, 11/1 --- Yesterday and Today have been picture perfect days! The weather has been incredible and the customers too. The Farm attendance has dropped off considerably now and I expect it to stay that way until we close for the year. Now is the time to come enjoy a relaxing Farm outing.
Flowers: whew! we barely missed a freeze two nights in a row! I had 34 degrees last Thursday and Friday morning. We all know it can frost at 37 in clear no wind nights - luckily we did not get a frost and the plants are still hanging on. The blooms are much smaller now but still make a nice vase. WE expect the flowers to continue to bloom until we do get that freeze.
Strawberries: all planted. We purchased 132000 plants but not all of those were viable so we ended up planting about 128,000. After planting we will lose some plants that fail to get established, especially this year since we haven't had any rain, so I imagine we have about 124,000 live plants for this crop. That is a MESS of plants! I shudder to think about how many Strawberries they will produce. We plant several varieties each year because invariably, one variety will produce better than another. Even the same variety does well one year and not the next. Most of that is attributed to temperatures after planting in the ground but there is a whole host of things that can influence production. This is the one of the reasons California is so good at raising Strawberries - the weather is mostly consistent from year to year. Our weather can have wild dramatic changes from year to year so everything is a guessing game when trying to plan. Overall, the plants seem to be in pretty good shape and we are excited about next years potential crop.
Wednesday, 10/28 --- Wowzers!! The sun came out today and it is wonderful!! The next few days should be amazing with Sunny skies and highs in the 60's and low 70's. The Farm looks very good. A tiny little bit of rain to settle the dust and a fresh batch of Pumpkins has all excited. The Farm seems to be running smoothly and I can't think of anything to hold you back.
So far our Flower field looks great. We will have to watch tomorrow night, Friday morning to see what the temperatures do.
Saturday evening 10/24 --- It was a glorious day! Tomorrow should be fantastic weather too! Remember: the Farm opens at 11am on Sundays. I believe tomorrow will be a busy day, There will be lots of folks with masks and lots without masks. To enjoy the Farm in a less attended weekend, come next Sunday or the following weekend. Regardless of the day, we will be here waiting for you.
Friday evening 10/23 --- Oh yes!! I broke a sweat this morning and was right cold this evening! The Front came through about 1pm. It was a dry front but the temperatures are awesome. Tomorrow will be fantastic: High near 71, sun in the afternoon, lots and lots of pumpkins, flowers, and fun to be had. The Farm is running good, nothing to stop anyone from coming out. It will probably be a busy weekend - the earlier the better.
Flowers: showed me! Those plants are turning out some beautiful flowers and lots of them too!! The cutting should be good this weekend.
Pumpkins: We have loads of them waiting for you.
Wednesday afternoon 10/21 --- Still going great! The season is moving right along and we have harvested lots and lots of fun! Don't worry, there is still plenty of fun left for everyone.
Temperatures: we seem to be on a temperature roller coaster, Tomorrow should be upper 80's, Friday and Saturday - upper 70's low 80's = wonderful!!
Scarecrow stuffing: the Scarecrow store has been restocked. We will have plenty of clothes for the remainder of this year. ALTHOUGH, it was fun letting folks bring their own clothes so we are going to sell the tickets both ways. $10 if you have your own clothes, $17.99 using our clothes.
Flowers: more blooms are popping out every day. They are not quite as big as in the beginning of the season but I have seen some very nice bouquets. The plants are at least waist and sometimes chest high, it is like cutting flowers at eye level (well, maybe for the shorter folks). There should be plenty to pick through Saturday. Sunday could be a little iffy. Please remember to put water in your vase as soon as you finish cutting the blooms. It is best to put water in first but a lot of people don't like to carry the vase with water in it. We have water bars just inside the entrance.
Observations so far:
Come early, the earlier the better.
Weekend pony rides have a wait, normally between 11 am to 3pm waiting occurs.
Don't buy all your tickets at once. There is plenty of spots to purchase tickets if you find something you wish to do.
The Candy Corn Maze is the easiest, Barnyard medium, Texas is more adult oriented.
Flowers are $5 per vase, several people can pick into one vase.
Saturday evening 10/17 --- Better and Better, the people and atmosphere just keep getting better and better. This was a busy day and if history proves correct, tomorrow and next weekend will be big too. To avoid any crowds while still experiencing everything the Farm has to offer, come November 1 - 8. It was cooler weather today and I could visibly see a much greater portion of folks wearing masks. 89 for a high tomorrow is creeping back up in the warm range though.
Finally!! we have cleaned out the Scarecrow clothes store. We will restock next week but if coming tomorrow, bring some clothes. We have the heads and all the supplies to build it - you just need to bring a shirt and pants. The ticket will only be $10 if you bring your own clothes.
Flowers - how can there still be any? I am not sure but I talked to the last customer to leave and she said there is still a lot down at the ends of the rows. She had a very nice bouquet. Should you purchase a ticket and find there is not enough to satisfy you. We will exchange the ticket for another activity of similar value but we can not do refunds.
Wow, this was a satisfying day for us as we saw lots and lots of smiling faces. Remember: open 11am to 5pm on Sundays.
10/13 --- Please remember the Farm is closed on Wednesdays. Don't come tomorrow, please. Thursday morning we will have the Farm freshened up a bit and waiting for you. Did you see the temperatures for Friday and Saturday?! Yes, a little Fall weather is heading our way!
We were able to sneak in and plant a few more Strawberry plants today. Little by little we will get this job done. Seems like we made a few extra beds so we ordered a few more plants to get us up to 130,000. That's a lot of plants and makes me shudder to think about all those berries needing to be picked - everyone start telling all your friends and neighbors now to be ready for berries in March 2021.
10/11 --- After todays temps, a predicted high of 87 tomorrow will be wonderful! We are always open on Mondays, even tomorrow, Columbus day. Historically Columbus day is a big day so be prepared. All of our activities will be running, even pony rides. The Pumpkin grille will not be open so bring a picnic lunch if you intend to eat.
The Flower field is hanging in there! There will be Flowers to start the day for sure. Not sure what they will look like by the end of the day though. Luckily there is many many more buds coming for next weekends cutting.
Ye haw, it has been a great Fall season so far. It seems like we are still missing some customers - is it you? If so, well come on out, we're waiting for you!
10/10 --- Hey Hey, what a wonderful day! It did get a little toasty this afternoon. Normally, when I myself get hot and sweaty I get a little testy ---- not our customers though, they were still awesome! Tomorrow is predicted to be a little warmer than today, maybe even reaching close to 100 degrees. Come prepared and everything will be good. I saw a lot of people bring umbrellas for some instant shade, which seemed like a great idea.
All the activities are going great guns! Our Flower field is looking a little picked from a distance but when you get in amongst the plants you will see there is still a lot to choose from.
The Farm is open Monday for Columbus day. It will be nice if the lower predicted temperatures come true. Hope to see you soon.
10/9 ---- Here comes the Holiday weekend and the Farm is ready. I want to be honest with you - it will be busy. There is room to get away from folks but it is inevitable that occasionally you will find yourself within six feet of others and they may or may not be wearing a mask. Most of the time it looks busier that it is. Most folks will arrive between 10am to 2pm .
It is going to get warm in the afternoon. If you have lived in Texas very long then you have a pair of Fall Shorts (normal summer shorts you wear in the Fall but to make them special you call them Fall shorts because many years our Fall is not too Fallish). We allow folks to bring in Food and Drinks (non alcoholic). The grille will be open this weekend too and we have plenty of water for purchase.
The Flower field is loaded with blooms to start the day. I 'think' there will be plenty to last all day. Tomorrow evening I will put up an update for Sundays picking.
All the activities are running well. The three difficulty levels of Mazes have turned out to be fun. The Candy Corn is the easiest (although we did get a call from someone wanting help getting out). Normally the Candy Corn Maze takes about 15 minutes to run in, ring the bell and run back out. The Barnyard Maze is a little more difficult - taking about 20 minutes. The Texas Maze is the most difficult and it might take an hour or so to completely finish.
Yipee, here we go. Hope to see you soon!
10/7/20 -- The Farm is a little dry but looking good. The afternoons are getting a bit toasty. We were able to freshen things up a bit on our closed day (today) to get ready for folks tomorrow.
We are open Monday (Columbus Day) with all the activities - even pony rides.
10/5 --- Another great day today, and past weekend too! This weather is just amazing! a little warm in the afternoons because the sun is so intense, we have some farmhands getting sunburns! The mornings seem very pleasant - if planning a trip I would recommend mornings and the earlier the better (we open at 8:30am).
Last weekend was pretty big. Saturday saw a good size crowd and Sunday not quite as much. Today (Monday) was not as busy and I don't expect Tomorrow to be very big either. To avoid folks - come on Monday or Tuesday.
After crying about being wet two weeks ago, I am crying about it being dry now. Ha, I admit I am a hard to please, temperamental farmer:). The Mazes are looking a little peaked. The Sorgum is drying out and looking very thirsty. We gave the Candy Corn, School group and Barnyard Mazes a trim last week, which they needed badly. 'Texas' got a very quick trim but needs a little more - maybe tomorrow. I already see new pathways being cut. Oh well, that is just part of it. It is a little easier than before but is still a pretty good challenge.
Our Flower patch was worked over pretty hard too last weekend. Luckily, they like this warm weather and will be putting more blooms on. I think we will have plenty to begin with Saturday morning but not sure if they will last the entire day.
Strawberries - we were able to get a good many planted today. Still lots to go but we will just chew off little pieces and eventually the whole pie will be planted.
This has been a fantastic Fall season so far. Lots of wonderful happy folks have been out and we have enjoyed everyone of them. If you haven't made it out, come on, we are waiting for you!
10/1 --- Whew, it is starting to get a little warm in the afternoons and a little dry too. The Farm is starting to show a little wear from foot traffic - my once beautiful lawn I worked on all summer is now a little peaked. Ha!
The Farm is looking good and all the activities are doing well. Pony rides will add to the mix tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.
The first 25000 Strawberry plants are in the ground. It seems like we are taking forever to get started on this job but little things keep popping up. Don't worry, we will eventually get it done. Hope to see you soon!
9/26 --- What a beautiful day and customers! All I saw was smiles and smiles.. The weather was just wonderful today - tomorrow might be a tad warmer than today so shorts might be good attire. The wind is supposed to pick up so that might help keep us cool. Open 11am to 5pm on Sundays. The Farm looks great, come out and see us. No entry fee, no parking fee - just pay for the activities and pumpkins. Folks can spend a little or a lot - it is up to you.
9/24 Thursday evening ---- The sun came out this afternoon, yay. The Farm is now in great shape and waiting for Harvesters of Fall Fun. I suppose there might be a few wet spots down on the end of the flower rows but that is about it. We hope these 80 degree temperatures continue! Now is a great time to come see us.
We were able to get into the Texas Maze the other day and put a shine on it. We are very happy with the way it is looking. So far, not a lot of new trails have been blazed so it is still pretty hard. I think we will have to put up a "Don't mess with Texas" sign though because we found quite a few water bottles that had been discarded in the cane.
Hope to see you soon!
9/22 --- Tuesday evening ---- The rain has finally stopped (did I really just say that?). Luckily the past two days have just been off and on rain so we didn't get too much overall. It is a good thing we are closed tomorrow for some 'dry' time. I suspect we will have some muddy spots on Thursday, even less Friday and by Saturday we should be dried out.
We certainly cannot complain about these incredible temperatures. Wow, these 80's are so very nice. Low 80s for Thursday and slowly creeping up to upper 80s by Saturday.
The first 30,000 Strawberry plants arrived today. I don't know how or when but somehow I would like to get them planted before the next batch of 70,000 arrive next week. The last batch of 28,000 are running a little late which is ok because we will be ready to plant them when they arrive around the 7th of October. It sure would help if we can dry out a little so we can get into the field.
9/19 Saturday evening --- What a great way to start the 2020 Harvest of Fall Fun! The weather was wonderful and so were the folks that came out. O how we have missed seeing happy smiling faces, it is good to be open again! What a joy to see folks having a old fashioned good time. The grounds have mostly dried out now (still a few wet spots in the flowers tho). Our forecast for tomorrow is 82 degree high, increased clouds and a 10mph north wind! Awesome weather! I hope October is this cool too, wouldn't that be wonderful. Open at 11 am on Sundays.
We did have a complaint today that there were too many people, some were not wearing a mask and we misrepresented how open it was on this webpage. Please know, there is no way we can keep you from interacting with other people from time to time. We want folks to be as comfortable as possible. Mondays and Tuesdays are the least attended days. 10am to 2pm seems to be the busiest time of Saturday and Sunday can be all busy.
9/18 ---- We are ready to officially open tomorrow!!! yay and the weather is going to be awesome! With a high forecast of 84 and a North wind it should feel wonderful. It did rain the past two days, today has been good to dry things out but there will still be a few mud puddles for little Johnny to find tomorrow. I would wear old shoes if going through the mazes or picking flowers, everywhere else is just fine. We hope to see you soon!
9/14 --- Wednesday evening. My 4 yr old granddaughter taught me a saying that I have been using quite a bit lately - "you get what you get and don't throw a fit". I have been crying all summer about all these showers all around us and not getting any on us. Well, today a cell popped up right on top of us and only on top of us. About 7 tenths of an inch. It was a great rain for sure but a little inconvenient when trying to unload pumpkins and get things ready for opening weekend. Well, we won't throw a fit and just keep pushing to get ready :).
Everything is coming together great for a full farm opening this weekend. We will be open tomorrow for Cut your own flowers, Barrel Train, Texas Maze and the Barnyard Maze. I recommend old shoes as there might be some wet spots in the Maze and between the flowers. We have a chance of rain tomorrow too - keep an eye on the sky if coming tomorrow.
9/13 ----- Sunday morning. Whew, the temperature only went to 90 yesterday but it was like a steam bath when the sun came out. I think today will be a little more comfortable. Open at 11 am for Texas maze, Barnyard maze, Barrel Train and Flower cutting.
Next weekend the entire farm opens up. My amazing mom, Elaine and Diane have done an incredible job on the Hayride route. Scarecrow village has expanded!! There is now a carnival going on and even a beauty pageant. Sorry but the gym is closed due to the year. The hayride continues to be one of our signature events. I don't think anyone in the United States has a hayride like ours and it is all due to the creativity, passion, work of our 80+ Granny. She is an example that none of us should ever give up or let age suppress our productivity.
9/11 --- Friday evening --- We are loving this weather!!! I hope October is as cool as it was yesterday and today. Tomorrow the forecast calls for mostly sunny and high of 88. I think early in the morning will be cool but humid. To me, about 10 am is very comfortable. It will be a great day on the farm to do the Texas Maze, Barnyard Maze, Barrel Train and Cut your own flowers.
We cleaned up Texas and the Barnyard mazes this morning. They are freshly hedged and a tad soft in places but it really good shape for travel.
'Texas' is a very challenging Maze, it is easy to get in and out of but very hard to find all the 'parks signs' - in fact, I don't think anyone has found all of them yet. To explain: we surveyed the perimeter of the State of Texas into a field. We then plant "Texas" to a Haygrazer grass that gets up to 10 feet tall (not all of Texas is that tall though). The result is a 4 acre field that looks exactly like Texas from the air. Signs representing real places in the State of Texas are put into their respective spots in our Texas. We then cut pathways to and fro which all connect creating a labyrinth. The object of the game is to find all the places in Texas, each marked with said sign and a hole punch to mark your gamecard. Each year the signs have a theme. This year the theme is the 2020 Mega Maze, 20 parks in Texas to find. We have a map at the entrance so you can see where each park is located. Be sure to take a picture so you can get an idea of which way to head after finding one. If you get stumped, come out and take a look at the map, get your bearings and head back in. Texas runs $8 per person 6 and up. Under 6 is free but must be accompanied by an adult. Paying Pedestrians receive a free water upon exit.
'The Barnyard Maze' is the same general concept but it is just a rectangle with pathways creating another labyrinth. We have lost some of our animals and we are relying on the kids to go in and find them to see if they are ok. There is no hole punch, just find the Cow, Pig, Chick, and Sheep and come on out. The Barnyard maze is $2.75 per person. I am guessing it will take about 15 to 20 minutes to find them.
9/10 -- Thursday evening - Tomorrow is going to be a good day on the Farm for Flower Picking and Texas Maze going. The weather should be fantastic and the grounds have mostly dried out. Open at 8:30 hope to see you soon!
Thursday 9/10 ---- If I would have know "opening'" would cause it to rain - we would have done it in July, ha. This is the wettest 3 inches of rain I have seen. The rain has been very welcomed and refreshing. The Farm is open rain or shine so we will be here for the Texas Maze and Cut your own flowers. It is wet, flower picking won't be so bad but the Maze is sure to be muddy. Scattered showers are in our forecast, maybe a little drying tomorrow, by Saturday things might be looking a little drier.
The Sweet Berry Express Barrel train and a new maze, the Barnyard, are ready and should be open this weekend too. Sweet Berry Express Barrel train is a bunch of barrels on wheels pulled by a tractor through a bunch of spools painted like animals. Too me, it is the most boring thing ever but to my granddaughter it is 'Wow!' At 3 years old she wouldn't get off and might go five trips back to back. Seems like smaller kids enjoy it the most.
The Barnyard maze is a little harder than the Candy Corn Maze (not open yet). We need your help finding our four lost animals, go in and see if you can find a pig, cow, duck and sheep and then come back out. Tickets to the Barnyard are $2.75.
With this rain, we should be able to plow our last plot of Strawberry ground and build those beds soon. I can't wait to get those beds in and turn our attention to the next project - planting the plants. Yikes! the plants will be arriving in two weeks! Somehow this will all get done, just gotta keep pushing.
Monday 9/7 ---- What a great way to start the Fall season! It was a very good day! There was soooo many blooms that you can't even tell they were picked. The flower patch is looking spectacular, we are very happy with the way the plants are growing. Folks should be able to cut their own flowers all the way up to the first freeze (it has been so hot - I can't even imagine a freeze!)
Noone that I know of found all the locations in the Texas Maze. I thought it was going to be hard and ....... it is. Before long there will be some new renegade pathways that should make it a little easier. Normally pedestrians "win" a free water when they find all the locations - now we just give them one. I am anxiously awaiting an aerial picture from some of my friends with airplanes. We survey it every couple of years. This was a year to get it back in 'shape' and boy was I way off in places so now it should look very accurate from the air.
The Farm is divided by a road. The Texas Maze and Flower picking are on one side. The Barrel Train and Barnyard Maze are on that side as well. As soon as we get those two events ready, we will open them too. Hopefully by this weekend. Granny is diligently working on the Hayride route - who knows, maybe it will open up soon too?
Friday 9/4 --- Well, well, well...... at least the temperatures fell .......... but not a drop of rain did. This weather is like an experience my brother had the other day. He had been mowing the farm all day in 100+ degree weather and was ready to go home. Of course he had worked up a tremendous thirst for which he grabbed a bottle of water out of the cooler to take home with him. On his way home he opened the water to find the neck of the bottle was frozen solid. He said he was in misery because here he wanted a drink so bad but the ice was preventing any liquid from coming out. The cool refreshing water was just right there but he couldn't get to it. That is the way the rain has treated us the last few days. Travel 20 miles in any direction and you will find wet ground. I was so sure that it was going to rain that I even turned off the water sprinklers. Well, those sprinklers are on now for sure! This is not a good time to have a weather radar app on the phone - it just torments me even more! We are blessed and I am convinced it is for our own good. I am soo glad we were able to build most of the Strawberry beds. One little shower some day and we can knock out the rest in just a few hours.
My crew worked on Texas the Maze today! I have the inclination that it is going to be very hard to find all the locations - at least until new paths are made straight to the signs. East, South and the north part of West Texas have grown a foot or two over my 6' head. which makes it very hard to get your bearings. It seems we have a swath right down the middle of chin high grass. This actually might be a blessing to get a little more air flow when pedestrians are in there.
The field of flowers is just amazing!!!! The plants have started putting on the first blooms and are simply beautiful! I expect to see awesome bouquets coming out of the field in two weeks.
Granny has outdone herself again on the Scarecrow Island Hayride route. She always pushes forward and not satisfied with the status quo so she has added a few new scenes. There are lots of pumpkin patches but there are NONE that have a hayride like this one - all because of my 80+ year old mother is so creative and refuses to stop. She doesn't like the heat anymore so she would be out here at 6am for a few hours every day but Sunday. What an incredible example she is to everyone who meets her. The Hayride is one of our signature events and she is entirely responsible for its' success.
The girls are super busy putting the finishing touches on everything. The guys do the grunt work and the girls come behind and make it better.
The Harvest of Fall Fun is two weeks away! The farm looks great and will be ready!
Friday 8/28 --- Awesome, simply awesome! We couldn't buy a rain with a million dollars the last few months, everyone around us was getting showers but not here on the farm. Well, last Saturday we were smiled on and received a glorious inch of rain. Monday - tractor is running all day plowing, Tuesday - spread some Fertilizer, Wednesday - more cultivation. Thursday - lets rock and roll and build some Strawberry beds (we are running out of moisture now), so yesterday we built block A and C - about 5.3 miles = SWEET! Run the tractor till Midnight last night, build B and D today - this time 6 miles worth of beds --- YES! This is a huge job that stresses me out every year and to knock out most of it in two days is wonderful, even if it was 200 degrees out there. I am not even upset that the tractor ran over and destroyed my phone again (it is hard to be angry with my favorite tractor). I am very happy with how the plastic pulled, how full the beds are, how much dirt we have covering the sides and how straight they are, all things that are extremely important in bed building - well, not the straight part because you can get more plants on a crooked row but it is a matter of pride thing. Next week we have a chance of rain, and if it doesn't rain we can sprinkle, so we should be able build the last 2.5 miles easily in one morning. You know, building the beds is not a super big thing but it is just one of those things that bugs me to death and when it is done I am sooooo relieved. All in all we should have about 14 miles of Strawberry beds ready to hold the 126,000 plants on order.
The daughters have been diligently at work with their crew doing a whole bunch of I don't know what. I think they have 12,000 or so popsicles made, who knows how many jars of jam and I am pretty sure they are working on a couple thousand Ice Cream cups. All that coupled with getting signage up, doing HR and a whole host of little things that make the farm run like ........................ a well oiled tractor of course.
The flowers are all in the ground and growing. Most of them are even putting on their first blooms. Looks like we will have a good crop for cutting this fall.
The Mazes have grown well over my head now. The past few weeks have been all about water application in the unbearable heat wave. Wow, has it ever been hot and dry for us.
Anywho --- the farm looks great and we are full steam ahead heading toward the "Harvest of Fall Fun" (is it imaginable that the temperatures will lower and we will have a Fall?)
Monday 8/3 ---- Welp, nothing to do but smile and remember God is in control. He must not think we need any of that rain that fell ALL AROUND but not ON the farm this afternoon. The last few weeks there have been showers within 45 or less miles and we have yet to get any. I tell you, as soon as we throw the Open sign out - we will be in the bullseye :). Oh well, at least we won't have anything preventing us from planting the second 20,000 flower plants tomorrow. There is a silver lining in every cloud and it is up to all of us to find it. I am sure every profession is the same but being a farmer seems like a good way to look for silver linings. We have four good strong wells - they might as well be gold plated because in this kind of dry weather they are worth their weight in gold.
The two main things growing right now are the Mazes and Flowers. Both of which look to be in pretty good shape and moving right along.
The ladies are busy with their chores. When it is cool in the morning they work on Scarecrows for the Scarecrow Island Hayride, afternoons they retreat to the commercial kitchen to make Jam/Ice Cream and Popsicles. I think they have been working on signage as well and office work.
My crew and I: had a weedeater going, worked on irrigation, worked on the lawnmower, moved water and started getting flower plants ready for planting tomorrow.
Thursday 7/30 ---- The Farmhands have been busy getting ready for the Fall season. Even though it is a hundred, or what seems like a thousand, degrees outside - things have to get done.
Mazes:
"Texas" is about waist high, the pathways have been cut and it is looking great. This will be the year of the Texas Mega Maze - find 20 Texas Parks across Texas. Get your map out and start studying now, you will be looking for these State parks: Village Creek, Hueco Tanks, Possum Kingdom, Balmorhea, Alibates Flint Quarries, Big Bend, Mother Neff, Devils River, Caprock Canyons, Fort Boggy, Resaca De La Palma, Falcon, Copper Breaks, Mission Tejas, Lake Tawakoni, Palmetto, Choke Canyon, Brazos Bend, Enchanted Rock and Big Spring (whew). This Maze is hard and recommended for 14 and up.
"Candy Corn" - has been reshaped a bit. The entrance will now be on the left side of the Berry Bounce. So far, I like the change and it looks good to me. We drive the Barrel Train in this area in the Spring and man o man was the ground hard to break. We just couldn't get any rainfall to loosen the soil so we could cultivate. Anyway, it is done now and the pathways are about to be cut. This Maze is always a hit with the little kids and hopefully this year will be no different. For young kids - 4 to 14.
"The Barnyard" - in years past this was a school group Maze. This year we decided to plant a new school group maze and turn this into a very mild "find the animals" version of the Texas Maze. The grass looks great, the pathways have been cut. We are excited about offering this as a new Maze.
The new School group Maze is giving me a few fits but nothing we can't get worked out. This means the entire School group area will be moving just a bit. It needs a little work - School groups are a big question mark this Fall so this is a good year to give us time to fix the problems.
Flowers:
The 'cut your own flower' plants are going in the ground. There is 40,000 to plant, I suppose we are 10,000 into them. So far they look great. Grow babies, Grow.
Put on top of this Jam making, Popsicle making, Sign making, mowing, fence building, shed building, etc and you have enough jobs to keep 13 people busy full time. Since we are closed to the public at this time, it is hard to see the money go out :) but hopefully we will be able to open this Fall and see a return on our labor. Oh I forgot Ice Cream, I think I heard the girls say they are going to start next week on their goal of 20,000 cups.
Monday 6/22 -- Thank you to all our customers! We enjoyed the season! Even though we are closed that doesn't mean we get to take off. We'll be here working the fields and getting ready for fall. I'll update sporadically to let y'all know what we're up to! See you soon!
Friday 6/19 -- The strawberries have now run their course. Today was our last day picking. We are now closed for the summer to cultivate the fields and transform the farm into our Fall paradise. A HUGE thank you to all of our guests this Spring. Y'all are the best! See you in the fall!
Tuesday 6/16 -- Berries are getting harder and harder to find (Trust me, we've been looking) Open today, closed tomorrow, open thursday and friday! Friday will be the last day to pick strawberries for this year. We will close for the summer and re-open in late september for our awesome pumpkin patch. If we don't see you this spring, we will see you this fall!
Monday 6/15--- We still have a few berries in the field. It is hard picking, but if you want berries, this is your FINAL chance to get them fresh for the year. Berries this time of year are better put into recipes rather than eating off the vine. The heat makes the skin hard and seedy, not compromising taste, but texture while eating fresh. We're open for berry picking only today, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Hope to see you soon in our final days for the season.
Friday Morning 6/12 -- Well, well, well! What do I know? There are still lots of berries in the field! I feel confident that you'll go away with the amount of berries you want today! I picked a box (5.46lbs.) in about 25 minutes this morning! The trick is to move all the leaves around to find the berries underneath. We'll have the barrel train, bounce, sand art and paint-a-pot running today and tomorrow. Goats are always hungry so come by and say hey! We still have ice cream and popsicles to enjoy as well! What a great strawberry season we're having! I never thought we would be open this long, but here we are!
Tuesday Afternoon 6/9 -- The last good day for strawberry picking will be Thursday. (Closed Wednesday) It is going to start getting hard to pick Friday and Saturday. Saturday will be our last day for activities. Berry picking will continue through June 19th with the strawberries getting slimmer and slimmer each hour. As of June 20th we will be completely closed for summer. We will open back up in late September for our Harvest of Fall Fun Pumpkin Patch!
Monday 6/8 -- What a good weekend.... for me! We are usually closed this time of year with strawberries so I planned a weekend on the coast to celebrate my daughter's birthday. That's why I haven't updated since Friday. Anyway.... of the 8 varieties that we planted only 3 are still producing. Strawberry supply is still good in the fields that are still producing. Strawberries are winding down fast now especially with this heat! Come prepared for a hot summer day of fun berry picking! Farmer Dan doesn't want to put an end date just yet, but I would come now before it is too late. We are going to update our business hours: Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8:30-5:30. Closed Sundays and Wednesdays. All our activities will be open during business hours. We still have delicious ice cream and popsicles to cool you down! See you soon!
Friday 6/5 -- Well, well, well.... we have made it to another day in June! We picked quite a few berries yesterday! Today berry picking will be good in the morning, and get harder and harder throughout the day. It is getting very warm, so bring stuff like sunscreen and hats. We are mostly dried out now, so you don't have to worry too much about mud. We have fresh strawberry ice cream and popsicles. (I'm about to eat my morning cup of ice cream now. Who needs coffee when you can have ice cream?) The goats are hungry for attention and food (like me) So come on out. ALl activities open. no pony rides. Open 8:30-5:30 today!
Thursday 6/4 -- Strawberries are looking good. Today is probably the last good day for berry picking. Berry supply is going to start dropping dramatically with the hot weather. So hurry out for the last berries of the season. We have homemade ice cream and popsicles (ALWAYS made with our strawberries. NEVER made with artificial flavorings.) The activities will be open (berry bounce, sand art, paint-a-pot, and barrel train) Goats are hungry. The only thing that's missing is you! See You soon!
Monday Afternoon 6/1 -- Man these strawberries are like the energizer bunny, they just keep on going! We love that we still have berries in the field! And it is still taking folks 30-45 min to get 6 pounds of berries!!! However, all varieties are now putting out "daughter plants." That means the "mother plants" are now not interested in making fruit but multiplying. Strawberries are pretty cool because they have 2 methods of reproduction - seeds on the fruit and a daughter plant! SO cool. Anyway, that means berry supply will start dropping dramatically! Hurry out while the picking is good. Just made some fresh strawberry ice cream for the freezers that will be ready to eat tomorrow and all weekend long. Come out to see us for a great day in the outdoors!
Sunday Morning 5/31 -- We will be open today! From 1-5. We will have still lots of berries to pick. It is taking about 30 - 45 minutes to get about 6 pounds of berries! The strawberries sure are putting on a show for the last of the season, but get them before they are gone! We are only seeing about 1 more week of green berries left in the field. Best berries will once again be in the muddy spots today. It's gonna be a good one, and we hope to see you soon!
Saturday Morning 5/30 -- I don't think the strawberries know that it is the end of May! We have great looking berries in the field... with just one problem... you have to go through mud to get to them. I'm talking the kind of mud people get their tractors stuck in. I cannot stress this enough, bring rain boots. They are the most effective picking shoe there is. So come prepared for a fun day of mud and berry picking. (We don't charge for the mud.) There are some dry spots with average berries to pick, if you aren't trying to be hard core or if you aren't trying to take a piece of Marble Falls home with you. Last day for Pony Rides for the season! So come on out to get on them ponies. We're running low on ice cream (probably my fault) but we have lots of popsicles to enjoy! Everything is open for a bright and shiny day!! See ya soon!
Friday Morning 5/29 -- We still have a good number of strawberries in the field! We are still a bit muddy in between the strawberry rows, so come prepared for that.... Pony rides will be here today and tomorrow! Horray! We have all activities open, ice cream, and goats to feed. Come on out for a good day of fun!
Thursday Morning 5/28 -- After a rather large rain shower last night, we are muddy in the strawberry rows. Strawberry supply will be good for today! So come on out while they are here. My advice: wear rain boots, look under leaves, come as early as possible for best supply of berries. We will have berry bounce, barrel train, sand art and paint-a-pot open today. The goats are here waiting for visitors to the "goat-tel". I've already had my morning cup of strawberry ice cream, and it tastes sooooo good. Today looks to be a beautiful day on the farm.
Tuesday Morning 5/26 -- We got quite the shower this morning! We are very very wet today! Good thing, because berry picking won't be great today. Wait till Thursday to come pick berries. The plants need some time to ripen up berries after the loads of strawberries that were picked this past weekend. Bring rainboots if coming out today. You will get very dirty today, so bring an extra pair of shoes so you can get back into your car, and a trash bag to put your muddy shoes in. No barrel train today, it's just too wet. Berry Bounce, sand art, paint-a-pot are open, goats are hungry, and ice cream is waiting for you.
Monday Morning 5/25 -- Good Morning! We will be open this Memorial Day from 8:30-5:30. We did get some rain last night. There is mud in the strawberry fields, so bring rain boots or old shoes that you don't mind getting dirty. You will get dirty visiting the farm today. All of the easy berries have been picked. You'll have to walk to the end of the row and move that strawberry bush around to find the red berries underneath the leaves. We will have all activities open today: Sand art, barrel train, berry bounce, paint-a-pot, and pony rides! We will be open at least until next Sunday the 31st. We may be open after that, it just depends on the strawberry plants, and their production. Keep checking the fresh news if you are wanting to come out after the 31st.
Sunday Evening 5/24 (5:25pm) -- What a hot day! Someone fire the weatherman... we didn't get a drop of rain today. All of the easy berries have been picked. For tomorrow, you'll have to walk to the end of the row and move that strawberry bush around to find the red berries underneath. Like I said this morning no blooms and the green berries are slim, but we are committed to picking every last berry in the field! This heat is going to stop production quickly, so if you are in the mood for strawberry picking THIS IS IT!! Don't put it off! We are forecasted for heavy rain this evening, so bring mud boots tomorrow. Have a great night everyone! See you in the morning!!
Sunday Morning 5/24 -- Good morning! It's a great day this morning! We will be open rain or shine today from 1-5. The ponies won't be here today because of the iffy weather. (Saddles and water just don't mix.) But we will have all the other activities going! Sand art, paint-a-pot, barrel train, and berry bounce. Goats are always hungry. Strawberry supply is going to be good at 1 and get progressively worse throughout the day. This is the last of the ripe berries. There are a few green berries, and no blooms so that means strawberry season is going to be over pretty soon, so come out while you still can! So far, no mud between the rows even after last night's shower. We hope to see you soon!
Saturday Afternoon 5/23 -- Just now able to get on the computer today. We are having a good crowd out today. Strawberries aren't as plentiful as they were this morning, but if you are determined to get berries there are berries in the field. I would say it is now taking folks about 45 minutes to an hour for 6 pounds of berries. A good tip is to look under the strawberry plant leaves, and you'll find some other people missed. Pony rides are here today, and weather permitting tomorrow! We're here waiting on you! Come out for a good time!
Friday Afternoon 5/22 --- Wow! We STILL have full boxes coming out of the field! Picking is great for today and tomorrow! It is taking about 30-45 minutes to fill up a box, so bring water and sunscreen with you 'cause it's hot!!
Tomorrow doesn't look like rain... I'll post again in the morning to give you a warning on the weather.
Friday Morning 5/22 -- No rain last night, and it looks like the rain is going to miss us today too! (now that I've posted this the weather will change. keep an eye on the sky.) We will be open regardless of weather today 8:30-5:30. We have lots of berries in the field today! It is taking about 30-45 minutes to fill up one box, so keep that in mind when visiting today. We have our homemade ice cream and popsicles to eat today, and lots of activities for the kids! Pony rides, sand art, goats to feed, paint-a-pot, and barrel train are all open today! It's gonna be a beautiful day for strawberry picking!
The strawberries look like they are putting on one last hurrah before the end of the season. I'm not seeing many blooms or small green berries in the field so my **prediction** is that we will be open for at least one more week for berry picking.
Thursday Afternoon 5/21 -- We still have berries in the field! Picking will be great for tomorrow! Open from 8:30-5:30. No rain so far today, and chances look slim to none for tomorrow.
Thursday Morning 5/21 -- After a beautiful day off yesterday, the strawberries look great for picking today! The best supply will be this morning so come as early as you can. We will open regular business hours rain or shine today! We don't expect much rain... just enough to get wet. We were able to make our homemade strawberry ice cream yesterday, so we will have plenty for the whole family today! Activities are open (sand art, paint-a-pot, berry bounce, and barrel train) pony rides will be here tomorrow (5/22). We hope to have you out for a great day on the farm!
Monday right after afternoon, right before evening 5/18 -- It is getting hot! But the berries are still out there! Berry supply tomorrow will be okay. You will have to look under the leaves, and go through some mud to get to the good ones. If you can wait until Thursday... wait until Thursday. Picking will be best Thursday morning. Don't forget sunscreen, a hat, and to pace yourself when you visit. The weather is getting hot fast!! We will have all children's activities (with the exception of pony rides) open tomorrow. Pony rides will return Friday and stick around until Monday (memorial day). We picked a fresh supply of berries today to make into ice cream tomorrow, so no strawberry ice cream until Thursday. We will have our delish strawberry popsicles tomorrow for your sweet tooth. Goats are always hungry (they have three stomachs), and the horses love to hear how pretty they are. Please come tell our horses how pretty they are, they won't get to hear it over the summer when we close. We will be open through Memorial Day (5/25) with our kid's activities. it LOOKS like we should have berries but things can always change. Keep checking here for the latest updates on the strawberry supply.
Sunday Evening 5/17 -- What a great day we had! We had a lot of good pickers today! Translation: Ripe berries are still in the field, but for the next two days you will have to search for them. It may take going to a few different rows to get a good box of berries. Gone are the days of 15 minute - 5 pound boxes. !!Remember!! Move the leaves around to find the berries hiding under them! A great way to entertain little ones: Hide and Seek - Berry Edition. If you are looking to make plans for this weekend... my crystal ball is broken. All jokes aside-- we will be open through Memorial Day (5/25) with our kid's activities. it LOOKS like we should have berries but things can always change. Keep checking here for the latest updates on the strawberry supply. Tomorrow will be another good weather day, we will have berries to pick, the berry bounce, sand art, paint-a-pot, barrel train and goats to feed! Come on and join us for a day on the farm.
Sunday Mid-Day 5/17 -- We're still going! I was out walking the fields a few minutes ago, and we still have red berries to pick today! While the farm is mostly dry after yesterday's beautiful weather, there is still some mud between the strawberry rows. You know what that means... Bring old shoes or rain boots to pick in today. The best berries will be in the mud, because, for some reason, folks don't like to get dirty. I wonder what it's like to not to get dirty for a whole day..... mmm... I can't imagine it. We will have ice cream, lemonade, pony rides, sand art, berry bounce, barrel train, paint-a-pot, pony rides, popsicles, and goats to feed today. Lots of stuff to do today! Open 1-5.
Saturday Morning 5/16 -- We will still be open today 8:30-5:30. The farm is in good shape considering the wind storm we had last night. We are going to be wet today, so that means to get to the best strawberries you will have to deal with some sticky mud. Wear old clothes and rainboots, and don't forget an extra pair of shoes so you can get back into your car! Strawberries are looking good for this time of year!! If you're wanting to pick now is the time. I only see enough green berry supply to get us maybe two more weeks of berry season. No pony rides today, they couldn't get out of their pasture this morning, but we expect to have them tomorrow (5/17). The bounce is open, the goats are hungry, and it should be a beautiful day after the storm last night. See y'all soon!
Friday Morning 5/15 -- Whaaatt?? We have strawberries??!?! After doing the ole walk-about, I am pleasantly pleased with the amount of berries in the field! We will have a great supply of berries through the weekend and into next week. Things to remember when berry picking this time of year: look under the leaves of the plants for the best berries, go where other folks don't like to walk, we will have smaller than usual berries, you'll have to go to many different rows to get a full box. No pony rides today due to the weather, but all other activities are open and waiting for ya.
Thursday Morning 5/14 -- The farm is looking great this morning! I got here right after the sun came up and holy moly what a sight. There's really no way to explain why or how your heart gets full of peace looking over the crops as the sun is coming up with no one around but the Lord. Beautiful. Speaking of beautiful the berries look great today. Who knows how long they will last, just depends on the crowd. Overall, we are dry, but there is a good bit of mud in between the strawberry rows. Wear shoes you don't mind getting dirty, and a back up pair so that you can get back into your car without getting it muddy. As usual, we'll have all our children activities going on and lots of fun to have! We're looking forward to having y'all out today.
Tuesday Morning 5/12 -- Oh baby! Some rain! Doesn't the weather know that it's May?! Someone needs to check on that! We are glad for the rain to give us and the plants a break from the heat. We will still be open rain or shine 8:30-5:30! Now's a good time to show off those fancy rainboots y'all got. Our grounds are still very passable, but as the day goes on we will get some mud between the berry rows. Berry supply will be good today. Closed tomorrow.
Monday 5/11 -- Strawberries are looking decent for this time of year! Come on out for a few pounds, just don't expect to 'load up'. We'll have a good supply tomorrow and Thursday. Picking tips: look underneath the leaves for red berries. Strawberries don't ripen after you pick them so the redder the better!! We have our children's activities open (Sand Art, Barrel Train, Paint-a-Pot, and Berry Bounce) all week. Pony rides will be here Thursday thru Sunday.
Sunday 5/10 -- Open today for Mother's Day our usual hours 1-5! With a high of 80 today, it is gonna be a great day to be outside!! Berry supply will be best right at 1, and then it will decrease steadily as the day goes on. we will still have all of our children's activities open today so come out for some fun!
Saturday morning 5/9 -- Berry supply is limited as expected this time of year. Come out for the spirit of the hunt, but berries will be hard to find today. We will have our Strawberry Lemonade flowin', popsicles in the freezer, and all of our children's activities open! We hope to see you soon for some fun!
Tuesday morning 5/5 --- Nope - not many berries to pick today, Yep - lots of smiles, Ice Cream, Popsicle's, Sand Art, Berry Bounce, and Barrel Train riding to do. We will be here with smiles!
Every Spring is unusual ...... and this one is no exception! After a hot day yesterday (97), we are looking at a high of 78 today! I don't see any rush of berries coming. Going by green berries, it looks like we will continue to have a trickle of berries for at least two weeks - maybe a hundred or two pounds available per day. Some days less if the previous day was picked really hard. or more if the previous day was slow. .
Sunday evening 5/3 --- I don't know where they came from but folks ended up picking 330# today of Strawberries .... and a lot of those were ripe. Higher temperatures ripen them up in a hurry. I think these next two weeks will be about the same, a hundred or two pounds a day. Thursday mornings will become the best day to pick. Saturday mornings on the weekend. I heard we had a guy come out of the field today with a box of ripe berries. When asked where he found them he replied "I had to work for them so I'm not telling!" with a big grin on his face.
Picking for Monday - probably about 150 pounds scattered through the fields. Sunny skies, a little warm in the afternoon. SandArt, Barrel Train and Berry Bounce. Pony rides come back Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Lots of Smiles, Ice Cream and Popsicles. Hope to see you soon.
Sunday morning 5/3 --- Good Sunday Morning! It is a bright and shiny day here at the farm. The forecast calls for sunny and a high of 94.
The ripe Strawberry supply will be very slim today, the fields were picked clean yesterday. If coming today, come close to opening which is 1 pm to find any berries at all. The additional children's activities will be open today and the Ice Cream, lemonade will be flowing. We'll be waiting for you!
Friday evening 5/1 --- It was another good day on the Farm. It is getting a little warm in the afternoons, mornings are a little more comfortable. The Children seemed to love the fact that most of the activities have opened up. I like it too because if there aren't enough berries to pick, the kids still have a great time.
To pick berries - mornings are definitely the best nowdays. I saw about 200 of ripe berries pounds go out today ..... and another 200 not as ripe as I would like. Tomorrow will be just about the same. The fields are mostly dry but bring boots so you can get in those stubborn wet spots where not as many people have picked.
Regardless of berry supply, we will welcome you with Homemade Ice Cream, Popsicle's, Lemonade, Jam smiles on our faces and gratitude in our hearts that you took time out of your day to come see us. Smiling faces on the kids and adults alike make this all worth it.
Thursday evening 4/30 - Another great Thursday! I was surprised at how many berries were picked this morning. They weren't the best berries we have ever had but they still taste good. By about noon the berries coming out of the fields were not quite as ripe. By late afternoon they were getting very hard to find. Some berries will ripen overnight. We should have about 200 pounds to pick in the morning that will require looking. 200 pounds sound like alot to me but it takes some effort to find them when you spread that many over ten miles of Strawberry bed. It all depends on how many pickers come out as to how long they last. It looks like Saturday will be about the same amount of picking. Sundays have been tough picking, I expect this Sunday to be a good outing and fun with the events with very few berries to pick.
Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday we will be having Pony Rides (8:30 - 4), Sand Art, the Barrel Train, and the Berry Bounce open. We feel like we can control these events and keep them safe for patrons. Maybe late next week we will be able to open up Paint a Pot.
Regardless of berry supply, we will welcome you with Homemade Ice Cream, Popsicle's, Lemonade, Jam and smiles on our faces with gratitude in our hearts that you took time out of your day to come see us.
Wednesday evening 4/29 ---- A little wet now. We had about 7 tenths of an inch this morning. The fields were getting dry so a lot of that was soaked up quickly. The low spots will still have water in them so come prepared. The main grounds will be in great shape and easily passable without mud. Tomorrows forecast call for an 86 high and bright sunshine.
As for berries - tomorrow morning will be the best day of the week to pick. This time of the year our Strawberry production greatly decreases. Gone are the days of loading up on berries - now it is more of a hunt to find them. By Saturday morning some of the stubborn wet spots will dry up and there might be some berries there. We also hope to soon open up some of the children's activities.
Regardless of berry supply, we will welcome you with Homemade Ice Cream, Popsicle's, Lemonade, Jam and smiles on our faces with gratitude in our hearts that you took time out of your day to come see us.
Monday evening - It was a slow warm day today - good! Did I just say that? We want you to have the best possible picking experience when you come out - a couple of slow days is what we need to ripen up some berries.
Tuesday is not going to be a good Strawberry picking day. I do see some green berries on the plants. I think they will continue to dribble in for 3 more weeks. Thursday mornings or, if you need to come the weekend - Saturday morning - are the best times to come for berries. We are hoping to open up some of the children's activities, in a reduced capacity, later this week - that will be Sand Art, the Barrel Train, Pony rides and possibly the Berry Bounce. Regardless, we will welcome you with smiles on our faces and gratitude that you took time out of your day to come see us.
Monday 4/27 --- written Sunday night ---- Well,,,,,,,, my singing to the plants has not made them produce any more berries and maybe they have gone the other way! The fields are cleaned out at the moment, it will take a few days for them to put more berries on. Even then, production is going to be a fraction of where we were a month ago. We are on the downside of our Strawberry season, the season has been a long one since it started in the first of February. I think we have about 3 weeks left, maybe 4 if the weather cooperates.
The farm will be open Monday, we will have smiling faces, Goats to feed, Horses to pet, open spaces, homemade ice cream and popsicles but NOT many ripe berries to pick. The best day to get berries this week will be early Thursday morning.
Sunday (as written Saturday late afternoon) --- The fields are picked out. I wish we could put berries on the plants but there just aren't any ripe berries to pick. Remember: 1pm to 5pm on Spring Sundays. The girls are concentrating on making fresh Strawberry lemonade so I am not sure what the supply of homemade Ice Cream will look like tomorrow. I know they have lots of homemade Strawberry Popsicles.
Folks seem to be having a good time just letting the kids frolick through the fields, feeding the goats, petting the horses (little hands and big mouths don't mix though, so watch out there). The weather is supposed to be sunny with a high of 85, throw those shorts on and work on your tan while here.
Ripe Strawberries - the next best time to pick (still not great) will be next Thursday morning. We'll be here with smiles on our faces should you come on out.
Saturday morning 4/25 --- This morning was a squinter - the sun had me squinting all through the field. The forecast calls for an 80, a welcome relief from yesterdays upper 90's!
The berry forecast for today is slim pickings. It is going to be a good day for sure, just not many Strawberries to pick. As for the future of the Strawberry season -- I can only guess. Even after growing Strawberries for 30 years - it is nothing more than a guess. We do have some green berries on the plants. It looks like berries will continue to trickle in for the next three weeks. I suspect the longer days and increased temperatures will have the plants shut down by late May.
Friday morning 4/24 ---- Another stunning morning! Our forecast calls for sunny but Hot (97!) today. That is quite a change considering it is 54 now. Strawberry plants do not like the heat.
The fields are picked out of ripe berries, picking today will take a lot of diligence to find only a few berries. We will be here with smiles on our faces, hungry goats, wide open spaces and ice cream in the freezer. Look at it this way, without many Strawberries to pick - the cost of the visit is much less.
It looks like we will have a small increase in production by next Thursday, until then the picking is going to be slim.
Thursday morning 4/23 --- Good morning! It's a nice crisp sunny morning here on the farm. Beeeeeutiful! The weather forecast for today is sunshine and 88 degrees for a high. The fields are 95% dry now - only wear boots to venture where no one has gone before.
Strawberries - I see more red today than anytime this week. Folks will still have to search for them but there is some out there. More green berries seem to be popping up every day, I think there is hope that production will make a little come back in a 10 days or so.
This will be a great day to have a cup of Strawberry Ice Cream (is there ever a bad day for Ice Cream), pick a few berries and feed the goats.
Tuesday 4/21 --- Good morning! A cool morning with a gentle breeze is wonderful. Ripe Strawberry supply is very slim for today .... but the weather is great and it is a good day to enjoy a outing.
Monday morning 4/20 ---- Good morning!!!! It is a fine day for sure! Our forecast calls for sunny skies with an 89 degree high. The Farm looks great and we will be here with smiles on.
Strawberries - as I walked through the fields today, I saw NO ripe berries to pick. We have some vetch growing among the Strawberry plants in a couple of spots, normally noone will look under this harmless viney clover like looking plant - I couldn't even find a ripe berry there. There are some green berries that will be turning in the next few days. Of all the days in this week, I would say Thursday will be the best. I don't think we will ever get back to the high production of mid March but it does look like we will have a trickle of berries through mid May.
We have lots of open spaces to run, goats to feed, horses to pet, homemade ice cream, homemade Popsicles, homemade jam and homemade strawberry lemonade. We'll let you look for berries, since folks only pay for what you pick - it might be your cheapest outing yet!
Sunday morning 4/19 --- Good Sunday morning! As I write this, the skids are cloudy and it is misting. By the looks of it, we did not get any rain last night. The grass and roads are wet from the mist. Only the stubborn wet spots have mud in them, the rest of the fields are dry. Our forecast calls for sunshine and a high of 89 this afternoon.
Ripe Strawberry supply is very slim. Today is not a good day to pick many Strawberries. Come out to have some fun, eat some ice cream and see the goats. We will be here with smiling faces
I can't tell when the next best time to pick Strawberries is because we are keeping them picked pretty close. I would say next Thursday morning if I was to guess. We are closed on Wednesdays so they will have a full day to ripen some up with no one picking them.
Saturday morning 4/18 - Good Morning! It is going to be a fine day! Our weather forecast is calling for cloudy skies and a high of 64 today, a chance of rain tomorrow morning with a high of 89 - what a difference.
Unfortunately, the ripe Strawberry forecast is not good. I see very few berries in the fields for picking. The Farm is open rain or shine and we will be here with smiling faces to greet you but ....... come for fun, not for berry picking. The goats are always happy to see folks (just pull some green grass to feed them) and the Horses love to be petted (little hands and big mouths don't mix - please don't feed or get hands close to their mouths).
Thursday afternoon 4/16 ---- And just like that 'the fields are picked clean". It's going to take a couple of days for the plants to put on some more berries. These last few days have been absolutely incredible weather - where was this weather 3 weeks ago when the plants had gobs of berries on them? Oh well, sometimes you hit it right and sometimes you don't - all you can do is smile. "Thank You" to the folks that have come out lately and enjoyed the outdoors without a lot of berries to pick.
Tomorrow, Friday 4/17 - will not be a good Strawberry picking day. It will be a great day on the farm regardless of berry supply. The goats are sure to be hungry and the horses always want attention (but remember: big mouths and little hands do not mix). We open up at 8:30 am, tomorrow it will be especially important to come early. Once again, it will be especially important, if coming tomorrow, to come early (hint).
There is a chance of rain in the forecast for us tomorrow afternoon and Saturday. The Farm is open rain or shine so we will be here with smiling faces regardless.
Thursday morning 4/16 --- Good morning! What a fantastic one it is! The Sun is brilliant, the air crisp, the Farm looks great. I just came out of the fields and ..... I wish the Strawberries were there but ..... the picking is going to be tough. After the first string of four beautiful growing days of the Spring, the plants are beginning to come alive, unfortunately the berries are not there to come alive too. There are still stubborn spots in the fields that will not dry out - those spots have the most berries - bring some boots so you can get to them. Sooooo, today will be a wonderful day to enjoy the outdoors picking a few berries and eating ice cream.
The early varieties are starting to put a few blooms on and I do see a few green berries so there is some coming but as a whole, I believe we are on the backside of the production curve.
Wednesday 4/15 --- We are closed on Wednesdays and that stinks because it is such a nice weather day but since it is a Wednesday, we are closed. Wednesdays we are closed so we can mow. We also like to weedeat on Wednesdays so we close the gates. The Port O Potties get cleaned on Wednesdays - not many folks want to be around that - so it is a good day to close. I don't understand it but most of the Farmhands want a day off during the week, so we close the gates on Wednesdays (but wait a minute ........ who's doing the mowing? ahhh, seems like most of the women folk are taking the day off - hmmmmm). It is a beautiful day, I hope you are enjoying it. The Farm will open wide in the morning for Strawberry picking. Seems like we are on the downside of the production curve now - be prepared to look harder for your berries.
And what about high 30 degree temps this morning! I know, whaaaaat?
Tuesday 4/14 --- A little nippy this morning! Good morning! Yesterday was a bit cold and today is starting out the same. The forecast for today calls for some clouds and a high of 59 - wowzers. Don't put that jacket away yet. The goats sure were loving it this morning, even the older ones were jumping and playing.
The Farm is open today and we will be waiting with smiling faces. The berries are becoming harder to find. Move those leaves around and you will find them.
Monday 4/13 ---- Good, wow it's a little chilly, morning! Pull that jacket out because that breeze has a bite to it! The sun is out in brilliant form, what a lovely day it is going to be! If only berry supply was going to cooperate!
Let's be honest - the picking is going to be tough today. There is some berries out there to pick but folks are going to have to dig for them. Every year is a challenge and this year is no exception. The fields are half wet and half dry. If you had a choice of which day to come this week - Thursday morning would be best. Let the fields dry out today and tomorrow, closed Wednesday so Thursday would be the best.
In a normal year - we would pick heavy through April, drastically drop off the first of May and finish up late May. It looks to me like we are about two weeks ahead of that schedule. I don't see a whole lot of berries coming.
Today's forecast calls for sunny skies and a 64 high.
Sunday 4/12 --- Good morning! It is a super special day for my family. The Farm will be open for Strawberry picking this afternoon, 1pm to 5pm.
A pretty strong storm passed through about 6am. It sounded like a rock'em sock'em storm for sure but it must not have been too bad because all the port o potties are still standing upright. It did dump a lot of rain. At 9am the sun is out in brilliant form, it is breezy, the air is amazingly clean, the grass is super green and it will be wet between the Strawberry rows. Today is a mud boot kind of day. Happy Easter!
Strawberry supply is ...... well, lets put it this way ..... The fields have lots of berries in them ..... seems like everyone has gotten all the berries they want ....... but there is some less than desirable berries amongst the good ones ...... be choosy, toss that bad berry on the ground and pick another - we want you to go home with a box of good berries. There are 8 acres of Strawberry plants out here, look around and you will find those good spots.
4/11 -- Good morning, Happy Saturday! At 8am, It is a lovely morning here on the farm. The skies are mostly cloudy, the temperature is 62 degrees. The weather forecast calls for a chance of rain beginning about noon. The Farm is open rain or shine. The fields are mostly dry now but there are some spots that refuse to dry so be careful.
The fields still have loads of berries in them. Be choosy though, there are some less than desirable ones out there - if you pick one of those, just discard it on the ground - it is fine. (squishing it is even better).
We will be open tomorrow (Easter Sunday) as well - 1pm to 5pm.
Good Friday 4/10 ---- Good Morning! It is going to be a great day - I hope you are ready!
A little storm did roll through yesterday afternoon. It huffed and it blew and it ...... sputtered. A little rain did fall, just enough to wet things down a bit but not enough to make any mud. There are spots in the field that refuse to dry out from our last soaking so the fields are mostly dry with wet spots.
The fields are loaded with berries some of which are damaged from Sun, Rain and decay. No one has had any problem finding all the berries desired - just be choosy when in the field.
The Farm is open 8:30 to 5:30 today and tomorrow, 1pm to 5pm on Sunday.
Thursday morning 4/9 --- Good Morning, the sun is out and the birds are singing this morning. Todays forecast calls for a sunny morning, high of 85 and then a chance of rain in the afternoon.
Strawberries: lets be honest, this has been a tough growing year. The fields are loaded with berries ..... but not all good ones. Folks need to be picky, don't worry if you end up picking a berry and find it is less than desirable - just toss it on the ground please don't put it back in the plant. Yesterdays intense sun scorched an awful lot of berries, plus there are quite a few overripes coupled by a good bit of decay from a very wet spring and you find yourself sorting through the plants to find the good ones. Now is a good time to head to the larger plants that have the leaf cover to protect the berries underneath. Don't worry, you can still find loads of good berries - just be picky.
The fields have dry spots and wet spots - come prepared for both.
Tuesday morning 4/7 --- It's a great morning! I am not particularly fond of the dew on the grass but temperature wise it is wonderful. The Sun is peaking out of the low clouds and I see some clearing skies. No rain today and a 90 degree forecast. If it does get that hot and the sun comes out in brilliant form we are sure to have some sun scalded berries. Don't worry though because there is plenty of berries to choose from. Instead of picking a box in 15 minutes - it might take ......... 18. The Strawberry aisles are drying up some - today we will have dry spots and muddy spots, come prepared. Let's look at this situation as the glass is half full!
Monday morning 4/6 --- Gooood morning1 It is going to be a great day and wo
nderful week ahead. I hope you are ready for awesomeness!
The Farm will remain open through all of this. According to Walmart's new policy of 5 people per 1000 square feet - we can have 350 people in the Strawberry patch at the same time. I am pretty sure we are not getting close to that number in the entire day and of course ..... we don't have any walls out here.
Lots of Strawberries to pick and the weather is getting a little more agreeable. No rain today, some sun this afternoon with a high of 77. Prepare for some mud between the rows.
Sunday morning 4/5 --- Good morning! The Farm is open today 1pm to 5pm. There is lots of freshly washed berries to pick. The rain has stopped and the forecast for today is cloudy with a high of 67. Today will be very hard to keep your shoes from getting wet/muddy. The berries are plentiful and will not be hard to find, this will help minimize the amount of the mud you encounter because it won't take much of a row to find all the berries anyone wants.
Between the rains the goats are feasting on all of this lush green grass. It does a heart good to see your animals in knee deep grass - they are as round as a ball!
Saturday morning 4/4 --- This has been a wet Spring and it continues to rain as we speak. The Farm is open today and there is lots of berries to pick ..... by boat. Not only is it actively raining at the minute, it is cold! "Feels like" temperature is 41 degrees (my toes say 32!)
November 28 Afternoon -- While this rain is beneficial to grow the strawberries, it is not beneficial to ripen berries. They need the sunshine and warmer weather. We will have few, if any, strawberries for the remainder of the day and tomorrow. We will remain open with fun activities for the family until 5 today and 11-5 tomorrow. Berries this time of year are new to us. There are more on the plants to ripen if we can keep them from freezing this coming week. We will post here and on our facebook page if/when we will have additional berries to pick in December.
November 26 3pm -- Wow! A lot of Strawberries were picked today! Those berries were gorgeous and a tasty treat for a time of the year we don't normally have them. The ripe berries have pretty much been picked for a few days. The Farm will be open through Sunday for Thanksgiving activities but very few Strawberries will be available for harvest. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend.
November 26 --. Happy Thanksgiving! It has been a beautiful morning and we have had a nice turnout to pick Strawberries. While there is still lots in the field at 11:30am - I think supply will start to dwindle soon - something to keep in mind. We here at the farm have SO MUCH to be thankful for, one of which is the best customers ever! Enjoy your holidays.
November 22 --- Well well well.... look what we have here.... STRAWBERRIES! That's right, we have a variety that is producing some ripe fruit right now. Not usual for this time of year, but the absence of freezing weather has provided us with some great berries out in the field waiting for you to pick! The strawberries are $2.89 per pound and 75 cents for the box. We'll be open today, Thanksgiving, Friday, Saturday and next Sunday for our thanksgiving festivities and strawberry picking. Strawberries will be limited so come on out and get them while they’re hot.
Monday Afternoon 11/16 --- Thanksgiving is a beautiful time to come visit the farm! We'll have 2 mazes, the jumpy thing, sand art, paint-a-pumpkin, stuff-a-scarecrow, hayride, barrel train, and our signature Texas Maze. We also have our traditional turkey scavenger hunt where you try to find 14 wooden turkeys that are hidden around the farm. For those that like a challenge we also have 2 stuffed turkeys lurking around. The flowers died last night in an unexpected freeze, so we won't be cutting any more flowers. Don't forget to join us in the Spring for our next flower season: tulips!! Come on out for some good clean family fun during your Thanksgiving break!
Monday Morning 11/9 --- We are now open for Thanksgiving Holiday Hours! We will be open Thursdays thru Sundays 11:00 am to 5:00 pm (closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays) November 12th thru November 29th with most of our fall activities. Click here for a list of our activities. We will even be open Thanksgiving Day for a fun activity for your family to do this holiday season. We hope to have you out in our extended holiday hours!
Friday Afternoon 11/6 --- This weather is great! Now is the perfect time to visit the farm. If we had a crowd-o-meter we would be in the green (no very many folks out) from here on out. This weekend will be a fun time on the farm. After this weekend, we will close down on Monday-Wednesday and reopen Thursdays thru Sundays for some extended fall fun through the end of November. We call it our Thanksgiving Celebration. We'll have most of the activities you love (berry bounce, sand art, pumpkin painting, scarecrow stuffing, barrel train, hayride, Texas Maze, and barnyard maze.) Flowers will go until the first freeze! So they are hanging in there. The extended forecast doesn't have a freeze in sight, so flowers will go on.... for now. We look forward to having you out this weekend or for the Thanksgiving Celebration. See ya soon!
Sunday afternoon, 11/1 --- Yesterday and Today have been picture perfect days! The weather has been incredible and the customers too. The Farm attendance has dropped off considerably now and I expect it to stay that way until we close for the year. Now is the time to come enjoy a relaxing Farm outing.
Flowers: whew! we barely missed a freeze two nights in a row! I had 34 degrees last Thursday and Friday morning. We all know it can frost at 37 in clear no wind nights - luckily we did not get a frost and the plants are still hanging on. The blooms are much smaller now but still make a nice vase. WE expect the flowers to continue to bloom until we do get that freeze.
Strawberries: all planted. We purchased 132000 plants but not all of those were viable so we ended up planting about 128,000. After planting we will lose some plants that fail to get established, especially this year since we haven't had any rain, so I imagine we have about 124,000 live plants for this crop. That is a MESS of plants! I shudder to think about how many Strawberries they will produce. We plant several varieties each year because invariably, one variety will produce better than another. Even the same variety does well one year and not the next. Most of that is attributed to temperatures after planting in the ground but there is a whole host of things that can influence production. This is the one of the reasons California is so good at raising Strawberries - the weather is mostly consistent from year to year. Our weather can have wild dramatic changes from year to year so everything is a guessing game when trying to plan. Overall, the plants seem to be in pretty good shape and we are excited about next years potential crop.
Wednesday, 10/28 --- Wowzers!! The sun came out today and it is wonderful!! The next few days should be amazing with Sunny skies and highs in the 60's and low 70's. The Farm looks very good. A tiny little bit of rain to settle the dust and a fresh batch of Pumpkins has all excited. The Farm seems to be running smoothly and I can't think of anything to hold you back.
So far our Flower field looks great. We will have to watch tomorrow night, Friday morning to see what the temperatures do.
Saturday evening 10/24 --- It was a glorious day! Tomorrow should be fantastic weather too! Remember: the Farm opens at 11am on Sundays. I believe tomorrow will be a busy day, There will be lots of folks with masks and lots without masks. To enjoy the Farm in a less attended weekend, come next Sunday or the following weekend. Regardless of the day, we will be here waiting for you.
Friday evening 10/23 --- Oh yes!! I broke a sweat this morning and was right cold this evening! The Front came through about 1pm. It was a dry front but the temperatures are awesome. Tomorrow will be fantastic: High near 71, sun in the afternoon, lots and lots of pumpkins, flowers, and fun to be had. The Farm is running good, nothing to stop anyone from coming out. It will probably be a busy weekend - the earlier the better.
Flowers: showed me! Those plants are turning out some beautiful flowers and lots of them too!! The cutting should be good this weekend.
Pumpkins: We have loads of them waiting for you.
Wednesday afternoon 10/21 --- Still going great! The season is moving right along and we have harvested lots and lots of fun! Don't worry, there is still plenty of fun left for everyone.
Temperatures: we seem to be on a temperature roller coaster, Tomorrow should be upper 80's, Friday and Saturday - upper 70's low 80's = wonderful!!
Scarecrow stuffing: the Scarecrow store has been restocked. We will have plenty of clothes for the remainder of this year. ALTHOUGH, it was fun letting folks bring their own clothes so we are going to sell the tickets both ways. $10 if you have your own clothes, $17.99 using our clothes.
Flowers: more blooms are popping out every day. They are not quite as big as in the beginning of the season but I have seen some very nice bouquets. The plants are at least waist and sometimes chest high, it is like cutting flowers at eye level (well, maybe for the shorter folks). There should be plenty to pick through Saturday. Sunday could be a little iffy. Please remember to put water in your vase as soon as you finish cutting the blooms. It is best to put water in first but a lot of people don't like to carry the vase with water in it. We have water bars just inside the entrance.
Observations so far:
Come early, the earlier the better.
Weekend pony rides have a wait, normally between 11 am to 3pm waiting occurs.
Don't buy all your tickets at once. There is plenty of spots to purchase tickets if you find something you wish to do.
The Candy Corn Maze is the easiest, Barnyard medium, Texas is more adult oriented.
Flowers are $5 per vase, several people can pick into one vase.
Saturday evening 10/17 --- Better and Better, the people and atmosphere just keep getting better and better. This was a busy day and if history proves correct, tomorrow and next weekend will be big too. To avoid any crowds while still experiencing everything the Farm has to offer, come November 1 - 8. It was cooler weather today and I could visibly see a much greater portion of folks wearing masks. 89 for a high tomorrow is creeping back up in the warm range though.
Finally!! we have cleaned out the Scarecrow clothes store. We will restock next week but if coming tomorrow, bring some clothes. We have the heads and all the supplies to build it - you just need to bring a shirt and pants. The ticket will only be $10 if you bring your own clothes.
Flowers - how can there still be any? I am not sure but I talked to the last customer to leave and she said there is still a lot down at the ends of the rows. She had a very nice bouquet. Should you purchase a ticket and find there is not enough to satisfy you. We will exchange the ticket for another activity of similar value but we can not do refunds.
Wow, this was a satisfying day for us as we saw lots and lots of smiling faces. Remember: open 11am to 5pm on Sundays.
10/13 --- Please remember the Farm is closed on Wednesdays. Don't come tomorrow, please. Thursday morning we will have the Farm freshened up a bit and waiting for you. Did you see the temperatures for Friday and Saturday?! Yes, a little Fall weather is heading our way!
We were able to sneak in and plant a few more Strawberry plants today. Little by little we will get this job done. Seems like we made a few extra beds so we ordered a few more plants to get us up to 130,000. That's a lot of plants and makes me shudder to think about all those berries needing to be picked - everyone start telling all your friends and neighbors now to be ready for berries in March 2021.
10/11 --- After todays temps, a predicted high of 87 tomorrow will be wonderful! We are always open on Mondays, even tomorrow, Columbus day. Historically Columbus day is a big day so be prepared. All of our activities will be running, even pony rides. The Pumpkin grille will not be open so bring a picnic lunch if you intend to eat.
The Flower field is hanging in there! There will be Flowers to start the day for sure. Not sure what they will look like by the end of the day though. Luckily there is many many more buds coming for next weekends cutting.
Ye haw, it has been a great Fall season so far. It seems like we are still missing some customers - is it you? If so, well come on out, we're waiting for you!
10/10 --- Hey Hey, what a wonderful day! It did get a little toasty this afternoon. Normally, when I myself get hot and sweaty I get a little testy ---- not our customers though, they were still awesome! Tomorrow is predicted to be a little warmer than today, maybe even reaching close to 100 degrees. Come prepared and everything will be good. I saw a lot of people bring umbrellas for some instant shade, which seemed like a great idea.
All the activities are going great guns! Our Flower field is looking a little picked from a distance but when you get in amongst the plants you will see there is still a lot to choose from.
The Farm is open Monday for Columbus day. It will be nice if the lower predicted temperatures come true. Hope to see you soon.
10/9 ---- Here comes the Holiday weekend and the Farm is ready. I want to be honest with you - it will be busy. There is room to get away from folks but it is inevitable that occasionally you will find yourself within six feet of others and they may or may not be wearing a mask. Most of the time it looks busier that it is. Most folks will arrive between 10am to 2pm .
It is going to get warm in the afternoon. If you have lived in Texas very long then you have a pair of Fall Shorts (normal summer shorts you wear in the Fall but to make them special you call them Fall shorts because many years our Fall is not too Fallish). We allow folks to bring in Food and Drinks (non alcoholic). The grille will be open this weekend too and we have plenty of water for purchase.
The Flower field is loaded with blooms to start the day. I 'think' there will be plenty to last all day. Tomorrow evening I will put up an update for Sundays picking.
All the activities are running well. The three difficulty levels of Mazes have turned out to be fun. The Candy Corn is the easiest (although we did get a call from someone wanting help getting out). Normally the Candy Corn Maze takes about 15 minutes to run in, ring the bell and run back out. The Barnyard Maze is a little more difficult - taking about 20 minutes. The Texas Maze is the most difficult and it might take an hour or so to completely finish.
Yipee, here we go. Hope to see you soon!
10/7/20 -- The Farm is a little dry but looking good. The afternoons are getting a bit toasty. We were able to freshen things up a bit on our closed day (today) to get ready for folks tomorrow.
We are open Monday (Columbus Day) with all the activities - even pony rides.
10/5 --- Another great day today, and past weekend too! This weather is just amazing! a little warm in the afternoons because the sun is so intense, we have some farmhands getting sunburns! The mornings seem very pleasant - if planning a trip I would recommend mornings and the earlier the better (we open at 8:30am).
Last weekend was pretty big. Saturday saw a good size crowd and Sunday not quite as much. Today (Monday) was not as busy and I don't expect Tomorrow to be very big either. To avoid folks - come on Monday or Tuesday.
After crying about being wet two weeks ago, I am crying about it being dry now. Ha, I admit I am a hard to please, temperamental farmer:). The Mazes are looking a little peaked. The Sorgum is drying out and looking very thirsty. We gave the Candy Corn, School group and Barnyard Mazes a trim last week, which they needed badly. 'Texas' got a very quick trim but needs a little more - maybe tomorrow. I already see new pathways being cut. Oh well, that is just part of it. It is a little easier than before but is still a pretty good challenge.
Our Flower patch was worked over pretty hard too last weekend. Luckily, they like this warm weather and will be putting more blooms on. I think we will have plenty to begin with Saturday morning but not sure if they will last the entire day.
Strawberries - we were able to get a good many planted today. Still lots to go but we will just chew off little pieces and eventually the whole pie will be planted.
This has been a fantastic Fall season so far. Lots of wonderful happy folks have been out and we have enjoyed everyone of them. If you haven't made it out, come on, we are waiting for you!
10/1 --- Whew, it is starting to get a little warm in the afternoons and a little dry too. The Farm is starting to show a little wear from foot traffic - my once beautiful lawn I worked on all summer is now a little peaked. Ha!
The Farm is looking good and all the activities are doing well. Pony rides will add to the mix tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.
The first 25000 Strawberry plants are in the ground. It seems like we are taking forever to get started on this job but little things keep popping up. Don't worry, we will eventually get it done. Hope to see you soon!
9/26 --- What a beautiful day and customers! All I saw was smiles and smiles.. The weather was just wonderful today - tomorrow might be a tad warmer than today so shorts might be good attire. The wind is supposed to pick up so that might help keep us cool. Open 11am to 5pm on Sundays. The Farm looks great, come out and see us. No entry fee, no parking fee - just pay for the activities and pumpkins. Folks can spend a little or a lot - it is up to you.
9/24 Thursday evening ---- The sun came out this afternoon, yay. The Farm is now in great shape and waiting for Harvesters of Fall Fun. I suppose there might be a few wet spots down on the end of the flower rows but that is about it. We hope these 80 degree temperatures continue! Now is a great time to come see us.
We were able to get into the Texas Maze the other day and put a shine on it. We are very happy with the way it is looking. So far, not a lot of new trails have been blazed so it is still pretty hard. I think we will have to put up a "Don't mess with Texas" sign though because we found quite a few water bottles that had been discarded in the cane.
Hope to see you soon!
9/22 --- Tuesday evening ---- The rain has finally stopped (did I really just say that?). Luckily the past two days have just been off and on rain so we didn't get too much overall. It is a good thing we are closed tomorrow for some 'dry' time. I suspect we will have some muddy spots on Thursday, even less Friday and by Saturday we should be dried out.
We certainly cannot complain about these incredible temperatures. Wow, these 80's are so very nice. Low 80s for Thursday and slowly creeping up to upper 80s by Saturday.
The first 30,000 Strawberry plants arrived today. I don't know how or when but somehow I would like to get them planted before the next batch of 70,000 arrive next week. The last batch of 28,000 are running a little late which is ok because we will be ready to plant them when they arrive around the 7th of October. It sure would help if we can dry out a little so we can get into the field.
9/19 Saturday evening --- What a great way to start the 2020 Harvest of Fall Fun! The weather was wonderful and so were the folks that came out. O how we have missed seeing happy smiling faces, it is good to be open again! What a joy to see folks having a old fashioned good time. The grounds have mostly dried out now (still a few wet spots in the flowers tho). Our forecast for tomorrow is 82 degree high, increased clouds and a 10mph north wind! Awesome weather! I hope October is this cool too, wouldn't that be wonderful. Open at 11 am on Sundays.
We did have a complaint today that there were too many people, some were not wearing a mask and we misrepresented how open it was on this webpage. Please know, there is no way we can keep you from interacting with other people from time to time. We want folks to be as comfortable as possible. Mondays and Tuesdays are the least attended days. 10am to 2pm seems to be the busiest time of Saturday and Sunday can be all busy.
9/18 ---- We are ready to officially open tomorrow!!! yay and the weather is going to be awesome! With a high forecast of 84 and a North wind it should feel wonderful. It did rain the past two days, today has been good to dry things out but there will still be a few mud puddles for little Johnny to find tomorrow. I would wear old shoes if going through the mazes or picking flowers, everywhere else is just fine. We hope to see you soon!
9/14 --- Wednesday evening. My 4 yr old granddaughter taught me a saying that I have been using quite a bit lately - "you get what you get and don't throw a fit". I have been crying all summer about all these showers all around us and not getting any on us. Well, today a cell popped up right on top of us and only on top of us. About 7 tenths of an inch. It was a great rain for sure but a little inconvenient when trying to unload pumpkins and get things ready for opening weekend. Well, we won't throw a fit and just keep pushing to get ready :).
Everything is coming together great for a full farm opening this weekend. We will be open tomorrow for Cut your own flowers, Barrel Train, Texas Maze and the Barnyard Maze. I recommend old shoes as there might be some wet spots in the Maze and between the flowers. We have a chance of rain tomorrow too - keep an eye on the sky if coming tomorrow.
9/13 ----- Sunday morning. Whew, the temperature only went to 90 yesterday but it was like a steam bath when the sun came out. I think today will be a little more comfortable. Open at 11 am for Texas maze, Barnyard maze, Barrel Train and Flower cutting.
Next weekend the entire farm opens up. My amazing mom, Elaine and Diane have done an incredible job on the Hayride route. Scarecrow village has expanded!! There is now a carnival going on and even a beauty pageant. Sorry but the gym is closed due to the year. The hayride continues to be one of our signature events. I don't think anyone in the United States has a hayride like ours and it is all due to the creativity, passion, work of our 80+ Granny. She is an example that none of us should ever give up or let age suppress our productivity.
9/11 --- Friday evening --- We are loving this weather!!! I hope October is as cool as it was yesterday and today. Tomorrow the forecast calls for mostly sunny and high of 88. I think early in the morning will be cool but humid. To me, about 10 am is very comfortable. It will be a great day on the farm to do the Texas Maze, Barnyard Maze, Barrel Train and Cut your own flowers.
We cleaned up Texas and the Barnyard mazes this morning. They are freshly hedged and a tad soft in places but it really good shape for travel.
'Texas' is a very challenging Maze, it is easy to get in and out of but very hard to find all the 'parks signs' - in fact, I don't think anyone has found all of them yet. To explain: we surveyed the perimeter of the State of Texas into a field. We then plant "Texas" to a Haygrazer grass that gets up to 10 feet tall (not all of Texas is that tall though). The result is a 4 acre field that looks exactly like Texas from the air. Signs representing real places in the State of Texas are put into their respective spots in our Texas. We then cut pathways to and fro which all connect creating a labyrinth. The object of the game is to find all the places in Texas, each marked with said sign and a hole punch to mark your gamecard. Each year the signs have a theme. This year the theme is the 2020 Mega Maze, 20 parks in Texas to find. We have a map at the entrance so you can see where each park is located. Be sure to take a picture so you can get an idea of which way to head after finding one. If you get stumped, come out and take a look at the map, get your bearings and head back in. Texas runs $8 per person 6 and up. Under 6 is free but must be accompanied by an adult. Paying Pedestrians receive a free water upon exit.
'The Barnyard Maze' is the same general concept but it is just a rectangle with pathways creating another labyrinth. We have lost some of our animals and we are relying on the kids to go in and find them to see if they are ok. There is no hole punch, just find the Cow, Pig, Chick, and Sheep and come on out. The Barnyard maze is $2.75 per person. I am guessing it will take about 15 to 20 minutes to find them.
9/10 -- Thursday evening - Tomorrow is going to be a good day on the Farm for Flower Picking and Texas Maze going. The weather should be fantastic and the grounds have mostly dried out. Open at 8:30 hope to see you soon!
Thursday 9/10 ---- If I would have know "opening'" would cause it to rain - we would have done it in July, ha. This is the wettest 3 inches of rain I have seen. The rain has been very welcomed and refreshing. The Farm is open rain or shine so we will be here for the Texas Maze and Cut your own flowers. It is wet, flower picking won't be so bad but the Maze is sure to be muddy. Scattered showers are in our forecast, maybe a little drying tomorrow, by Saturday things might be looking a little drier.
The Sweet Berry Express Barrel train and a new maze, the Barnyard, are ready and should be open this weekend too. Sweet Berry Express Barrel train is a bunch of barrels on wheels pulled by a tractor through a bunch of spools painted like animals. Too me, it is the most boring thing ever but to my granddaughter it is 'Wow!' At 3 years old she wouldn't get off and might go five trips back to back. Seems like smaller kids enjoy it the most.
The Barnyard maze is a little harder than the Candy Corn Maze (not open yet). We need your help finding our four lost animals, go in and see if you can find a pig, cow, duck and sheep and then come back out. Tickets to the Barnyard are $2.75.
With this rain, we should be able to plow our last plot of Strawberry ground and build those beds soon. I can't wait to get those beds in and turn our attention to the next project - planting the plants. Yikes! the plants will be arriving in two weeks! Somehow this will all get done, just gotta keep pushing.
Monday 9/7 ---- What a great way to start the Fall season! It was a very good day! There was soooo many blooms that you can't even tell they were picked. The flower patch is looking spectacular, we are very happy with the way the plants are growing. Folks should be able to cut their own flowers all the way up to the first freeze (it has been so hot - I can't even imagine a freeze!)
Noone that I know of found all the locations in the Texas Maze. I thought it was going to be hard and ....... it is. Before long there will be some new renegade pathways that should make it a little easier. Normally pedestrians "win" a free water when they find all the locations - now we just give them one. I am anxiously awaiting an aerial picture from some of my friends with airplanes. We survey it every couple of years. This was a year to get it back in 'shape' and boy was I way off in places so now it should look very accurate from the air.
The Farm is divided by a road. The Texas Maze and Flower picking are on one side. The Barrel Train and Barnyard Maze are on that side as well. As soon as we get those two events ready, we will open them too. Hopefully by this weekend. Granny is diligently working on the Hayride route - who knows, maybe it will open up soon too?
Friday 9/4 --- Well, well, well...... at least the temperatures fell .......... but not a drop of rain did. This weather is like an experience my brother had the other day. He had been mowing the farm all day in 100+ degree weather and was ready to go home. Of course he had worked up a tremendous thirst for which he grabbed a bottle of water out of the cooler to take home with him. On his way home he opened the water to find the neck of the bottle was frozen solid. He said he was in misery because here he wanted a drink so bad but the ice was preventing any liquid from coming out. The cool refreshing water was just right there but he couldn't get to it. That is the way the rain has treated us the last few days. Travel 20 miles in any direction and you will find wet ground. I was so sure that it was going to rain that I even turned off the water sprinklers. Well, those sprinklers are on now for sure! This is not a good time to have a weather radar app on the phone - it just torments me even more! We are blessed and I am convinced it is for our own good. I am soo glad we were able to build most of the Strawberry beds. One little shower some day and we can knock out the rest in just a few hours.
My crew worked on Texas the Maze today! I have the inclination that it is going to be very hard to find all the locations - at least until new paths are made straight to the signs. East, South and the north part of West Texas have grown a foot or two over my 6' head. which makes it very hard to get your bearings. It seems we have a swath right down the middle of chin high grass. This actually might be a blessing to get a little more air flow when pedestrians are in there.
The field of flowers is just amazing!!!! The plants have started putting on the first blooms and are simply beautiful! I expect to see awesome bouquets coming out of the field in two weeks.
Granny has outdone herself again on the Scarecrow Island Hayride route. She always pushes forward and not satisfied with the status quo so she has added a few new scenes. There are lots of pumpkin patches but there are NONE that have a hayride like this one - all because of my 80+ year old mother is so creative and refuses to stop. She doesn't like the heat anymore so she would be out here at 6am for a few hours every day but Sunday. What an incredible example she is to everyone who meets her. The Hayride is one of our signature events and she is entirely responsible for its' success.
The girls are super busy putting the finishing touches on everything. The guys do the grunt work and the girls come behind and make it better.
The Harvest of Fall Fun is two weeks away! The farm looks great and will be ready!
Friday 8/28 --- Awesome, simply awesome! We couldn't buy a rain with a million dollars the last few months, everyone around us was getting showers but not here on the farm. Well, last Saturday we were smiled on and received a glorious inch of rain. Monday - tractor is running all day plowing, Tuesday - spread some Fertilizer, Wednesday - more cultivation. Thursday - lets rock and roll and build some Strawberry beds (we are running out of moisture now), so yesterday we built block A and C - about 5.3 miles = SWEET! Run the tractor till Midnight last night, build B and D today - this time 6 miles worth of beds --- YES! This is a huge job that stresses me out every year and to knock out most of it in two days is wonderful, even if it was 200 degrees out there. I am not even upset that the tractor ran over and destroyed my phone again (it is hard to be angry with my favorite tractor). I am very happy with how the plastic pulled, how full the beds are, how much dirt we have covering the sides and how straight they are, all things that are extremely important in bed building - well, not the straight part because you can get more plants on a crooked row but it is a matter of pride thing. Next week we have a chance of rain, and if it doesn't rain we can sprinkle, so we should be able build the last 2.5 miles easily in one morning. You know, building the beds is not a super big thing but it is just one of those things that bugs me to death and when it is done I am sooooo relieved. All in all we should have about 14 miles of Strawberry beds ready to hold the 126,000 plants on order.
The daughters have been diligently at work with their crew doing a whole bunch of I don't know what. I think they have 12,000 or so popsicles made, who knows how many jars of jam and I am pretty sure they are working on a couple thousand Ice Cream cups. All that coupled with getting signage up, doing HR and a whole host of little things that make the farm run like ........................ a well oiled tractor of course.
The flowers are all in the ground and growing. Most of them are even putting on their first blooms. Looks like we will have a good crop for cutting this fall.
The Mazes have grown well over my head now. The past few weeks have been all about water application in the unbearable heat wave. Wow, has it ever been hot and dry for us.
Anywho --- the farm looks great and we are full steam ahead heading toward the "Harvest of Fall Fun" (is it imaginable that the temperatures will lower and we will have a Fall?)
Monday 8/3 ---- Welp, nothing to do but smile and remember God is in control. He must not think we need any of that rain that fell ALL AROUND but not ON the farm this afternoon. The last few weeks there have been showers within 45 or less miles and we have yet to get any. I tell you, as soon as we throw the Open sign out - we will be in the bullseye :). Oh well, at least we won't have anything preventing us from planting the second 20,000 flower plants tomorrow. There is a silver lining in every cloud and it is up to all of us to find it. I am sure every profession is the same but being a farmer seems like a good way to look for silver linings. We have four good strong wells - they might as well be gold plated because in this kind of dry weather they are worth their weight in gold.
The two main things growing right now are the Mazes and Flowers. Both of which look to be in pretty good shape and moving right along.
The ladies are busy with their chores. When it is cool in the morning they work on Scarecrows for the Scarecrow Island Hayride, afternoons they retreat to the commercial kitchen to make Jam/Ice Cream and Popsicles. I think they have been working on signage as well and office work.
My crew and I: had a weedeater going, worked on irrigation, worked on the lawnmower, moved water and started getting flower plants ready for planting tomorrow.
Thursday 7/30 ---- The Farmhands have been busy getting ready for the Fall season. Even though it is a hundred, or what seems like a thousand, degrees outside - things have to get done.
Mazes:
"Texas" is about waist high, the pathways have been cut and it is looking great. This will be the year of the Texas Mega Maze - find 20 Texas Parks across Texas. Get your map out and start studying now, you will be looking for these State parks: Village Creek, Hueco Tanks, Possum Kingdom, Balmorhea, Alibates Flint Quarries, Big Bend, Mother Neff, Devils River, Caprock Canyons, Fort Boggy, Resaca De La Palma, Falcon, Copper Breaks, Mission Tejas, Lake Tawakoni, Palmetto, Choke Canyon, Brazos Bend, Enchanted Rock and Big Spring (whew). This Maze is hard and recommended for 14 and up.
"Candy Corn" - has been reshaped a bit. The entrance will now be on the left side of the Berry Bounce. So far, I like the change and it looks good to me. We drive the Barrel Train in this area in the Spring and man o man was the ground hard to break. We just couldn't get any rainfall to loosen the soil so we could cultivate. Anyway, it is done now and the pathways are about to be cut. This Maze is always a hit with the little kids and hopefully this year will be no different. For young kids - 4 to 14.
"The Barnyard" - in years past this was a school group Maze. This year we decided to plant a new school group maze and turn this into a very mild "find the animals" version of the Texas Maze. The grass looks great, the pathways have been cut. We are excited about offering this as a new Maze.
The new School group Maze is giving me a few fits but nothing we can't get worked out. This means the entire School group area will be moving just a bit. It needs a little work - School groups are a big question mark this Fall so this is a good year to give us time to fix the problems.
Flowers:
The 'cut your own flower' plants are going in the ground. There is 40,000 to plant, I suppose we are 10,000 into them. So far they look great. Grow babies, Grow.
Put on top of this Jam making, Popsicle making, Sign making, mowing, fence building, shed building, etc and you have enough jobs to keep 13 people busy full time. Since we are closed to the public at this time, it is hard to see the money go out :) but hopefully we will be able to open this Fall and see a return on our labor. Oh I forgot Ice Cream, I think I heard the girls say they are going to start next week on their goal of 20,000 cups.
Monday 6/22 -- Thank you to all our customers! We enjoyed the season! Even though we are closed that doesn't mean we get to take off. We'll be here working the fields and getting ready for fall. I'll update sporadically to let y'all know what we're up to! See you soon!
Friday 6/19 -- The strawberries have now run their course. Today was our last day picking. We are now closed for the summer to cultivate the fields and transform the farm into our Fall paradise. A HUGE thank you to all of our guests this Spring. Y'all are the best! See you in the fall!
Tuesday 6/16 -- Berries are getting harder and harder to find (Trust me, we've been looking) Open today, closed tomorrow, open thursday and friday! Friday will be the last day to pick strawberries for this year. We will close for the summer and re-open in late september for our awesome pumpkin patch. If we don't see you this spring, we will see you this fall!
Monday 6/15--- We still have a few berries in the field. It is hard picking, but if you want berries, this is your FINAL chance to get them fresh for the year. Berries this time of year are better put into recipes rather than eating off the vine. The heat makes the skin hard and seedy, not compromising taste, but texture while eating fresh. We're open for berry picking only today, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Hope to see you soon in our final days for the season.
Friday Morning 6/12 -- Well, well, well! What do I know? There are still lots of berries in the field! I feel confident that you'll go away with the amount of berries you want today! I picked a box (5.46lbs.) in about 25 minutes this morning! The trick is to move all the leaves around to find the berries underneath. We'll have the barrel train, bounce, sand art and paint-a-pot running today and tomorrow. Goats are always hungry so come by and say hey! We still have ice cream and popsicles to enjoy as well! What a great strawberry season we're having! I never thought we would be open this long, but here we are!
Tuesday Afternoon 6/9 -- The last good day for strawberry picking will be Thursday. (Closed Wednesday) It is going to start getting hard to pick Friday and Saturday. Saturday will be our last day for activities. Berry picking will continue through June 19th with the strawberries getting slimmer and slimmer each hour. As of June 20th we will be completely closed for summer. We will open back up in late September for our Harvest of Fall Fun Pumpkin Patch!
Monday 6/8 -- What a good weekend.... for me! We are usually closed this time of year with strawberries so I planned a weekend on the coast to celebrate my daughter's birthday. That's why I haven't updated since Friday. Anyway.... of the 8 varieties that we planted only 3 are still producing. Strawberry supply is still good in the fields that are still producing. Strawberries are winding down fast now especially with this heat! Come prepared for a hot summer day of fun berry picking! Farmer Dan doesn't want to put an end date just yet, but I would come now before it is too late. We are going to update our business hours: Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8:30-5:30. Closed Sundays and Wednesdays. All our activities will be open during business hours. We still have delicious ice cream and popsicles to cool you down! See you soon!
Friday 6/5 -- Well, well, well.... we have made it to another day in June! We picked quite a few berries yesterday! Today berry picking will be good in the morning, and get harder and harder throughout the day. It is getting very warm, so bring stuff like sunscreen and hats. We are mostly dried out now, so you don't have to worry too much about mud. We have fresh strawberry ice cream and popsicles. (I'm about to eat my morning cup of ice cream now. Who needs coffee when you can have ice cream?) The goats are hungry for attention and food (like me) So come on out. ALl activities open. no pony rides. Open 8:30-5:30 today!
Thursday 6/4 -- Strawberries are looking good. Today is probably the last good day for berry picking. Berry supply is going to start dropping dramatically with the hot weather. So hurry out for the last berries of the season. We have homemade ice cream and popsicles (ALWAYS made with our strawberries. NEVER made with artificial flavorings.) The activities will be open (berry bounce, sand art, paint-a-pot, and barrel train) Goats are hungry. The only thing that's missing is you! See You soon!
Monday Afternoon 6/1 -- Man these strawberries are like the energizer bunny, they just keep on going! We love that we still have berries in the field! And it is still taking folks 30-45 min to get 6 pounds of berries!!! However, all varieties are now putting out "daughter plants." That means the "mother plants" are now not interested in making fruit but multiplying. Strawberries are pretty cool because they have 2 methods of reproduction - seeds on the fruit and a daughter plant! SO cool. Anyway, that means berry supply will start dropping dramatically! Hurry out while the picking is good. Just made some fresh strawberry ice cream for the freezers that will be ready to eat tomorrow and all weekend long. Come out to see us for a great day in the outdoors!
Sunday Morning 5/31 -- We will be open today! From 1-5. We will have still lots of berries to pick. It is taking about 30 - 45 minutes to get about 6 pounds of berries! The strawberries sure are putting on a show for the last of the season, but get them before they are gone! We are only seeing about 1 more week of green berries left in the field. Best berries will once again be in the muddy spots today. It's gonna be a good one, and we hope to see you soon!
Saturday Morning 5/30 -- I don't think the strawberries know that it is the end of May! We have great looking berries in the field... with just one problem... you have to go through mud to get to them. I'm talking the kind of mud people get their tractors stuck in. I cannot stress this enough, bring rain boots. They are the most effective picking shoe there is. So come prepared for a fun day of mud and berry picking. (We don't charge for the mud.) There are some dry spots with average berries to pick, if you aren't trying to be hard core or if you aren't trying to take a piece of Marble Falls home with you. Last day for Pony Rides for the season! So come on out to get on them ponies. We're running low on ice cream (probably my fault) but we have lots of popsicles to enjoy! Everything is open for a bright and shiny day!! See ya soon!
Friday Morning 5/29 -- We still have a good number of strawberries in the field! We are still a bit muddy in between the strawberry rows, so come prepared for that.... Pony rides will be here today and tomorrow! Horray! We have all activities open, ice cream, and goats to feed. Come on out for a good day of fun!
Thursday Morning 5/28 -- After a rather large rain shower last night, we are muddy in the strawberry rows. Strawberry supply will be good for today! So come on out while they are here. My advice: wear rain boots, look under leaves, come as early as possible for best supply of berries. We will have berry bounce, barrel train, sand art and paint-a-pot open today. The goats are here waiting for visitors to the "goat-tel". I've already had my morning cup of strawberry ice cream, and it tastes sooooo good. Today looks to be a beautiful day on the farm.
Tuesday Morning 5/26 -- We got quite the shower this morning! We are very very wet today! Good thing, because berry picking won't be great today. Wait till Thursday to come pick berries. The plants need some time to ripen up berries after the loads of strawberries that were picked this past weekend. Bring rainboots if coming out today. You will get very dirty today, so bring an extra pair of shoes so you can get back into your car, and a trash bag to put your muddy shoes in. No barrel train today, it's just too wet. Berry Bounce, sand art, paint-a-pot are open, goats are hungry, and ice cream is waiting for you.
Monday Morning 5/25 -- Good Morning! We will be open this Memorial Day from 8:30-5:30. We did get some rain last night. There is mud in the strawberry fields, so bring rain boots or old shoes that you don't mind getting dirty. You will get dirty visiting the farm today. All of the easy berries have been picked. You'll have to walk to the end of the row and move that strawberry bush around to find the red berries underneath the leaves. We will have all activities open today: Sand art, barrel train, berry bounce, paint-a-pot, and pony rides! We will be open at least until next Sunday the 31st. We may be open after that, it just depends on the strawberry plants, and their production. Keep checking the fresh news if you are wanting to come out after the 31st.
Sunday Evening 5/24 (5:25pm) -- What a hot day! Someone fire the weatherman... we didn't get a drop of rain today. All of the easy berries have been picked. For tomorrow, you'll have to walk to the end of the row and move that strawberry bush around to find the red berries underneath. Like I said this morning no blooms and the green berries are slim, but we are committed to picking every last berry in the field! This heat is going to stop production quickly, so if you are in the mood for strawberry picking THIS IS IT!! Don't put it off! We are forecasted for heavy rain this evening, so bring mud boots tomorrow. Have a great night everyone! See you in the morning!!
Sunday Morning 5/24 -- Good morning! It's a great day this morning! We will be open rain or shine today from 1-5. The ponies won't be here today because of the iffy weather. (Saddles and water just don't mix.) But we will have all the other activities going! Sand art, paint-a-pot, barrel train, and berry bounce. Goats are always hungry. Strawberry supply is going to be good at 1 and get progressively worse throughout the day. This is the last of the ripe berries. There are a few green berries, and no blooms so that means strawberry season is going to be over pretty soon, so come out while you still can! So far, no mud between the rows even after last night's shower. We hope to see you soon!
Saturday Afternoon 5/23 -- Just now able to get on the computer today. We are having a good crowd out today. Strawberries aren't as plentiful as they were this morning, but if you are determined to get berries there are berries in the field. I would say it is now taking folks about 45 minutes to an hour for 6 pounds of berries. A good tip is to look under the strawberry plant leaves, and you'll find some other people missed. Pony rides are here today, and weather permitting tomorrow! We're here waiting on you! Come out for a good time!
Friday Afternoon 5/22 --- Wow! We STILL have full boxes coming out of the field! Picking is great for today and tomorrow! It is taking about 30-45 minutes to fill up a box, so bring water and sunscreen with you 'cause it's hot!!
Tomorrow doesn't look like rain... I'll post again in the morning to give you a warning on the weather.
Friday Morning 5/22 -- No rain last night, and it looks like the rain is going to miss us today too! (now that I've posted this the weather will change. keep an eye on the sky.) We will be open regardless of weather today 8:30-5:30. We have lots of berries in the field today! It is taking about 30-45 minutes to fill up one box, so keep that in mind when visiting today. We have our homemade ice cream and popsicles to eat today, and lots of activities for the kids! Pony rides, sand art, goats to feed, paint-a-pot, and barrel train are all open today! It's gonna be a beautiful day for strawberry picking!
The strawberries look like they are putting on one last hurrah before the end of the season. I'm not seeing many blooms or small green berries in the field so my **prediction** is that we will be open for at least one more week for berry picking.
Thursday Afternoon 5/21 -- We still have berries in the field! Picking will be great for tomorrow! Open from 8:30-5:30. No rain so far today, and chances look slim to none for tomorrow.
Thursday Morning 5/21 -- After a beautiful day off yesterday, the strawberries look great for picking today! The best supply will be this morning so come as early as you can. We will open regular business hours rain or shine today! We don't expect much rain... just enough to get wet. We were able to make our homemade strawberry ice cream yesterday, so we will have plenty for the whole family today! Activities are open (sand art, paint-a-pot, berry bounce, and barrel train) pony rides will be here tomorrow (5/22). We hope to have you out for a great day on the farm!
Monday right after afternoon, right before evening 5/18 -- It is getting hot! But the berries are still out there! Berry supply tomorrow will be okay. You will have to look under the leaves, and go through some mud to get to the good ones. If you can wait until Thursday... wait until Thursday. Picking will be best Thursday morning. Don't forget sunscreen, a hat, and to pace yourself when you visit. The weather is getting hot fast!! We will have all children's activities (with the exception of pony rides) open tomorrow. Pony rides will return Friday and stick around until Monday (memorial day). We picked a fresh supply of berries today to make into ice cream tomorrow, so no strawberry ice cream until Thursday. We will have our delish strawberry popsicles tomorrow for your sweet tooth. Goats are always hungry (they have three stomachs), and the horses love to hear how pretty they are. Please come tell our horses how pretty they are, they won't get to hear it over the summer when we close. We will be open through Memorial Day (5/25) with our kid's activities. it LOOKS like we should have berries but things can always change. Keep checking here for the latest updates on the strawberry supply.
Sunday Evening 5/17 -- What a great day we had! We had a lot of good pickers today! Translation: Ripe berries are still in the field, but for the next two days you will have to search for them. It may take going to a few different rows to get a good box of berries. Gone are the days of 15 minute - 5 pound boxes. !!Remember!! Move the leaves around to find the berries hiding under them! A great way to entertain little ones: Hide and Seek - Berry Edition. If you are looking to make plans for this weekend... my crystal ball is broken. All jokes aside-- we will be open through Memorial Day (5/25) with our kid's activities. it LOOKS like we should have berries but things can always change. Keep checking here for the latest updates on the strawberry supply. Tomorrow will be another good weather day, we will have berries to pick, the berry bounce, sand art, paint-a-pot, barrel train and goats to feed! Come on and join us for a day on the farm.
Sunday Mid-Day 5/17 -- We're still going! I was out walking the fields a few minutes ago, and we still have red berries to pick today! While the farm is mostly dry after yesterday's beautiful weather, there is still some mud between the strawberry rows. You know what that means... Bring old shoes or rain boots to pick in today. The best berries will be in the mud, because, for some reason, folks don't like to get dirty. I wonder what it's like to not to get dirty for a whole day..... mmm... I can't imagine it. We will have ice cream, lemonade, pony rides, sand art, berry bounce, barrel train, paint-a-pot, pony rides, popsicles, and goats to feed today. Lots of stuff to do today! Open 1-5.
Saturday Morning 5/16 -- We will still be open today 8:30-5:30. The farm is in good shape considering the wind storm we had last night. We are going to be wet today, so that means to get to the best strawberries you will have to deal with some sticky mud. Wear old clothes and rainboots, and don't forget an extra pair of shoes so you can get back into your car! Strawberries are looking good for this time of year!! If you're wanting to pick now is the time. I only see enough green berry supply to get us maybe two more weeks of berry season. No pony rides today, they couldn't get out of their pasture this morning, but we expect to have them tomorrow (5/17). The bounce is open, the goats are hungry, and it should be a beautiful day after the storm last night. See y'all soon!
Friday Morning 5/15 -- Whaaatt?? We have strawberries??!?! After doing the ole walk-about, I am pleasantly pleased with the amount of berries in the field! We will have a great supply of berries through the weekend and into next week. Things to remember when berry picking this time of year: look under the leaves of the plants for the best berries, go where other folks don't like to walk, we will have smaller than usual berries, you'll have to go to many different rows to get a full box. No pony rides today due to the weather, but all other activities are open and waiting for ya.
Thursday Morning 5/14 -- The farm is looking great this morning! I got here right after the sun came up and holy moly what a sight. There's really no way to explain why or how your heart gets full of peace looking over the crops as the sun is coming up with no one around but the Lord. Beautiful. Speaking of beautiful the berries look great today. Who knows how long they will last, just depends on the crowd. Overall, we are dry, but there is a good bit of mud in between the strawberry rows. Wear shoes you don't mind getting dirty, and a back up pair so that you can get back into your car without getting it muddy. As usual, we'll have all our children activities going on and lots of fun to have! We're looking forward to having y'all out today.
Tuesday Morning 5/12 -- Oh baby! Some rain! Doesn't the weather know that it's May?! Someone needs to check on that! We are glad for the rain to give us and the plants a break from the heat. We will still be open rain or shine 8:30-5:30! Now's a good time to show off those fancy rainboots y'all got. Our grounds are still very passable, but as the day goes on we will get some mud between the berry rows. Berry supply will be good today. Closed tomorrow.
Monday 5/11 -- Strawberries are looking decent for this time of year! Come on out for a few pounds, just don't expect to 'load up'. We'll have a good supply tomorrow and Thursday. Picking tips: look underneath the leaves for red berries. Strawberries don't ripen after you pick them so the redder the better!! We have our children's activities open (Sand Art, Barrel Train, Paint-a-Pot, and Berry Bounce) all week. Pony rides will be here Thursday thru Sunday.
Sunday 5/10 -- Open today for Mother's Day our usual hours 1-5! With a high of 80 today, it is gonna be a great day to be outside!! Berry supply will be best right at 1, and then it will decrease steadily as the day goes on. we will still have all of our children's activities open today so come out for some fun!
Saturday morning 5/9 -- Berry supply is limited as expected this time of year. Come out for the spirit of the hunt, but berries will be hard to find today. We will have our Strawberry Lemonade flowin', popsicles in the freezer, and all of our children's activities open! We hope to see you soon for some fun!
Tuesday morning 5/5 --- Nope - not many berries to pick today, Yep - lots of smiles, Ice Cream, Popsicle's, Sand Art, Berry Bounce, and Barrel Train riding to do. We will be here with smiles!
Every Spring is unusual ...... and this one is no exception! After a hot day yesterday (97), we are looking at a high of 78 today! I don't see any rush of berries coming. Going by green berries, it looks like we will continue to have a trickle of berries for at least two weeks - maybe a hundred or two pounds available per day. Some days less if the previous day was picked really hard. or more if the previous day was slow. .
Sunday evening 5/3 --- I don't know where they came from but folks ended up picking 330# today of Strawberries .... and a lot of those were ripe. Higher temperatures ripen them up in a hurry. I think these next two weeks will be about the same, a hundred or two pounds a day. Thursday mornings will become the best day to pick. Saturday mornings on the weekend. I heard we had a guy come out of the field today with a box of ripe berries. When asked where he found them he replied "I had to work for them so I'm not telling!" with a big grin on his face.
Picking for Monday - probably about 150 pounds scattered through the fields. Sunny skies, a little warm in the afternoon. SandArt, Barrel Train and Berry Bounce. Pony rides come back Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Lots of Smiles, Ice Cream and Popsicles. Hope to see you soon.
Sunday morning 5/3 --- Good Sunday Morning! It is a bright and shiny day here at the farm. The forecast calls for sunny and a high of 94.
The ripe Strawberry supply will be very slim today, the fields were picked clean yesterday. If coming today, come close to opening which is 1 pm to find any berries at all. The additional children's activities will be open today and the Ice Cream, lemonade will be flowing. We'll be waiting for you!
Friday evening 5/1 --- It was another good day on the Farm. It is getting a little warm in the afternoons, mornings are a little more comfortable. The Children seemed to love the fact that most of the activities have opened up. I like it too because if there aren't enough berries to pick, the kids still have a great time.
To pick berries - mornings are definitely the best nowdays. I saw about 200 of ripe berries pounds go out today ..... and another 200 not as ripe as I would like. Tomorrow will be just about the same. The fields are mostly dry but bring boots so you can get in those stubborn wet spots where not as many people have picked.
Regardless of berry supply, we will welcome you with Homemade Ice Cream, Popsicle's, Lemonade, Jam smiles on our faces and gratitude in our hearts that you took time out of your day to come see us. Smiling faces on the kids and adults alike make this all worth it.
Thursday evening 4/30 - Another great Thursday! I was surprised at how many berries were picked this morning. They weren't the best berries we have ever had but they still taste good. By about noon the berries coming out of the fields were not quite as ripe. By late afternoon they were getting very hard to find. Some berries will ripen overnight. We should have about 200 pounds to pick in the morning that will require looking. 200 pounds sound like alot to me but it takes some effort to find them when you spread that many over ten miles of Strawberry bed. It all depends on how many pickers come out as to how long they last. It looks like Saturday will be about the same amount of picking. Sundays have been tough picking, I expect this Sunday to be a good outing and fun with the events with very few berries to pick.
Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday we will be having Pony Rides (8:30 - 4), Sand Art, the Barrel Train, and the Berry Bounce open. We feel like we can control these events and keep them safe for patrons. Maybe late next week we will be able to open up Paint a Pot.
Regardless of berry supply, we will welcome you with Homemade Ice Cream, Popsicle's, Lemonade, Jam and smiles on our faces with gratitude in our hearts that you took time out of your day to come see us.
Wednesday evening 4/29 ---- A little wet now. We had about 7 tenths of an inch this morning. The fields were getting dry so a lot of that was soaked up quickly. The low spots will still have water in them so come prepared. The main grounds will be in great shape and easily passable without mud. Tomorrows forecast call for an 86 high and bright sunshine.
As for berries - tomorrow morning will be the best day of the week to pick. This time of the year our Strawberry production greatly decreases. Gone are the days of loading up on berries - now it is more of a hunt to find them. By Saturday morning some of the stubborn wet spots will dry up and there might be some berries there. We also hope to soon open up some of the children's activities.
Regardless of berry supply, we will welcome you with Homemade Ice Cream, Popsicle's, Lemonade, Jam and smiles on our faces with gratitude in our hearts that you took time out of your day to come see us.
Monday evening - It was a slow warm day today - good! Did I just say that? We want you to have the best possible picking experience when you come out - a couple of slow days is what we need to ripen up some berries.
Tuesday is not going to be a good Strawberry picking day. I do see some green berries on the plants. I think they will continue to dribble in for 3 more weeks. Thursday mornings or, if you need to come the weekend - Saturday morning - are the best times to come for berries. We are hoping to open up some of the children's activities, in a reduced capacity, later this week - that will be Sand Art, the Barrel Train, Pony rides and possibly the Berry Bounce. Regardless, we will welcome you with smiles on our faces and gratitude that you took time out of your day to come see us.
Monday 4/27 --- written Sunday night ---- Well,,,,,,,, my singing to the plants has not made them produce any more berries and maybe they have gone the other way! The fields are cleaned out at the moment, it will take a few days for them to put more berries on. Even then, production is going to be a fraction of where we were a month ago. We are on the downside of our Strawberry season, the season has been a long one since it started in the first of February. I think we have about 3 weeks left, maybe 4 if the weather cooperates.
The farm will be open Monday, we will have smiling faces, Goats to feed, Horses to pet, open spaces, homemade ice cream and popsicles but NOT many ripe berries to pick. The best day to get berries this week will be early Thursday morning.
Sunday (as written Saturday late afternoon) --- The fields are picked out. I wish we could put berries on the plants but there just aren't any ripe berries to pick. Remember: 1pm to 5pm on Spring Sundays. The girls are concentrating on making fresh Strawberry lemonade so I am not sure what the supply of homemade Ice Cream will look like tomorrow. I know they have lots of homemade Strawberry Popsicles.
Folks seem to be having a good time just letting the kids frolick through the fields, feeding the goats, petting the horses (little hands and big mouths don't mix though, so watch out there). The weather is supposed to be sunny with a high of 85, throw those shorts on and work on your tan while here.
Ripe Strawberries - the next best time to pick (still not great) will be next Thursday morning. We'll be here with smiles on our faces should you come on out.
Saturday morning 4/25 --- This morning was a squinter - the sun had me squinting all through the field. The forecast calls for an 80, a welcome relief from yesterdays upper 90's!
The berry forecast for today is slim pickings. It is going to be a good day for sure, just not many Strawberries to pick. As for the future of the Strawberry season -- I can only guess. Even after growing Strawberries for 30 years - it is nothing more than a guess. We do have some green berries on the plants. It looks like berries will continue to trickle in for the next three weeks. I suspect the longer days and increased temperatures will have the plants shut down by late May.
Friday morning 4/24 ---- Another stunning morning! Our forecast calls for sunny but Hot (97!) today. That is quite a change considering it is 54 now. Strawberry plants do not like the heat.
The fields are picked out of ripe berries, picking today will take a lot of diligence to find only a few berries. We will be here with smiles on our faces, hungry goats, wide open spaces and ice cream in the freezer. Look at it this way, without many Strawberries to pick - the cost of the visit is much less.
It looks like we will have a small increase in production by next Thursday, until then the picking is going to be slim.
Thursday morning 4/23 --- Good morning! It's a nice crisp sunny morning here on the farm. Beeeeeutiful! The weather forecast for today is sunshine and 88 degrees for a high. The fields are 95% dry now - only wear boots to venture where no one has gone before.
Strawberries - I see more red today than anytime this week. Folks will still have to search for them but there is some out there. More green berries seem to be popping up every day, I think there is hope that production will make a little come back in a 10 days or so.
This will be a great day to have a cup of Strawberry Ice Cream (is there ever a bad day for Ice Cream), pick a few berries and feed the goats.
Tuesday 4/21 --- Good morning! A cool morning with a gentle breeze is wonderful. Ripe Strawberry supply is very slim for today .... but the weather is great and it is a good day to enjoy a outing.
Monday morning 4/20 ---- Good morning!!!! It is a fine day for sure! Our forecast calls for sunny skies with an 89 degree high. The Farm looks great and we will be here with smiles on.
Strawberries - as I walked through the fields today, I saw NO ripe berries to pick. We have some vetch growing among the Strawberry plants in a couple of spots, normally noone will look under this harmless viney clover like looking plant - I couldn't even find a ripe berry there. There are some green berries that will be turning in the next few days. Of all the days in this week, I would say Thursday will be the best. I don't think we will ever get back to the high production of mid March but it does look like we will have a trickle of berries through mid May.
We have lots of open spaces to run, goats to feed, horses to pet, homemade ice cream, homemade Popsicles, homemade jam and homemade strawberry lemonade. We'll let you look for berries, since folks only pay for what you pick - it might be your cheapest outing yet!
Sunday morning 4/19 --- Good Sunday morning! As I write this, the skids are cloudy and it is misting. By the looks of it, we did not get any rain last night. The grass and roads are wet from the mist. Only the stubborn wet spots have mud in them, the rest of the fields are dry. Our forecast calls for sunshine and a high of 89 this afternoon.
Ripe Strawberry supply is very slim. Today is not a good day to pick many Strawberries. Come out to have some fun, eat some ice cream and see the goats. We will be here with smiling faces
I can't tell when the next best time to pick Strawberries is because we are keeping them picked pretty close. I would say next Thursday morning if I was to guess. We are closed on Wednesdays so they will have a full day to ripen some up with no one picking them.
Saturday morning 4/18 - Good Morning! It is going to be a fine day! Our weather forecast is calling for cloudy skies and a high of 64 today, a chance of rain tomorrow morning with a high of 89 - what a difference.
Unfortunately, the ripe Strawberry forecast is not good. I see very few berries in the fields for picking. The Farm is open rain or shine and we will be here with smiling faces to greet you but ....... come for fun, not for berry picking. The goats are always happy to see folks (just pull some green grass to feed them) and the Horses love to be petted (little hands and big mouths don't mix - please don't feed or get hands close to their mouths).
Thursday afternoon 4/16 ---- And just like that 'the fields are picked clean". It's going to take a couple of days for the plants to put on some more berries. These last few days have been absolutely incredible weather - where was this weather 3 weeks ago when the plants had gobs of berries on them? Oh well, sometimes you hit it right and sometimes you don't - all you can do is smile. "Thank You" to the folks that have come out lately and enjoyed the outdoors without a lot of berries to pick.
Tomorrow, Friday 4/17 - will not be a good Strawberry picking day. It will be a great day on the farm regardless of berry supply. The goats are sure to be hungry and the horses always want attention (but remember: big mouths and little hands do not mix). We open up at 8:30 am, tomorrow it will be especially important to come early. Once again, it will be especially important, if coming tomorrow, to come early (hint).
There is a chance of rain in the forecast for us tomorrow afternoon and Saturday. The Farm is open rain or shine so we will be here with smiling faces regardless.
Thursday morning 4/16 --- Good morning! What a fantastic one it is! The Sun is brilliant, the air crisp, the Farm looks great. I just came out of the fields and ..... I wish the Strawberries were there but ..... the picking is going to be tough. After the first string of four beautiful growing days of the Spring, the plants are beginning to come alive, unfortunately the berries are not there to come alive too. There are still stubborn spots in the fields that will not dry out - those spots have the most berries - bring some boots so you can get to them. Sooooo, today will be a wonderful day to enjoy the outdoors picking a few berries and eating ice cream.
The early varieties are starting to put a few blooms on and I do see a few green berries so there is some coming but as a whole, I believe we are on the backside of the production curve.
Wednesday 4/15 --- We are closed on Wednesdays and that stinks because it is such a nice weather day but since it is a Wednesday, we are closed. Wednesdays we are closed so we can mow. We also like to weedeat on Wednesdays so we close the gates. The Port O Potties get cleaned on Wednesdays - not many folks want to be around that - so it is a good day to close. I don't understand it but most of the Farmhands want a day off during the week, so we close the gates on Wednesdays (but wait a minute ........ who's doing the mowing? ahhh, seems like most of the women folk are taking the day off - hmmmmm). It is a beautiful day, I hope you are enjoying it. The Farm will open wide in the morning for Strawberry picking. Seems like we are on the downside of the production curve now - be prepared to look harder for your berries.
And what about high 30 degree temps this morning! I know, whaaaaat?
Tuesday 4/14 --- A little nippy this morning! Good morning! Yesterday was a bit cold and today is starting out the same. The forecast for today calls for some clouds and a high of 59 - wowzers. Don't put that jacket away yet. The goats sure were loving it this morning, even the older ones were jumping and playing.
The Farm is open today and we will be waiting with smiling faces. The berries are becoming harder to find. Move those leaves around and you will find them.
Monday 4/13 ---- Good, wow it's a little chilly, morning! Pull that jacket out because that breeze has a bite to it! The sun is out in brilliant form, what a lovely day it is going to be! If only berry supply was going to cooperate!
Let's be honest - the picking is going to be tough today. There is some berries out there to pick but folks are going to have to dig for them. Every year is a challenge and this year is no exception. The fields are half wet and half dry. If you had a choice of which day to come this week - Thursday morning would be best. Let the fields dry out today and tomorrow, closed Wednesday so Thursday would be the best.
In a normal year - we would pick heavy through April, drastically drop off the first of May and finish up late May. It looks to me like we are about two weeks ahead of that schedule. I don't see a whole lot of berries coming.
Today's forecast calls for sunny skies and a 64 high.
Sunday 4/12 --- Good morning! It is a super special day for my family. The Farm will be open for Strawberry picking this afternoon, 1pm to 5pm.
A pretty strong storm passed through about 6am. It sounded like a rock'em sock'em storm for sure but it must not have been too bad because all the port o potties are still standing upright. It did dump a lot of rain. At 9am the sun is out in brilliant form, it is breezy, the air is amazingly clean, the grass is super green and it will be wet between the Strawberry rows. Today is a mud boot kind of day. Happy Easter!
Strawberry supply is ...... well, lets put it this way ..... The fields have lots of berries in them ..... seems like everyone has gotten all the berries they want ....... but there is some less than desirable berries amongst the good ones ...... be choosy, toss that bad berry on the ground and pick another - we want you to go home with a box of good berries. There are 8 acres of Strawberry plants out here, look around and you will find those good spots.
4/11 -- Good morning, Happy Saturday! At 8am, It is a lovely morning here on the farm. The skies are mostly cloudy, the temperature is 62 degrees. The weather forecast calls for a chance of rain beginning about noon. The Farm is open rain or shine. The fields are mostly dry now but there are some spots that refuse to dry so be careful.
The fields still have loads of berries in them. Be choosy though, there are some less than desirable ones out there - if you pick one of those, just discard it on the ground - it is fine. (squishing it is even better).
We will be open tomorrow (Easter Sunday) as well - 1pm to 5pm.
Good Friday 4/10 ---- Good Morning! It is going to be a great day - I hope you are ready!
A little storm did roll through yesterday afternoon. It huffed and it blew and it ...... sputtered. A little rain did fall, just enough to wet things down a bit but not enough to make any mud. There are spots in the field that refuse to dry out from our last soaking so the fields are mostly dry with wet spots.
The fields are loaded with berries some of which are damaged from Sun, Rain and decay. No one has had any problem finding all the berries desired - just be choosy when in the field.
The Farm is open 8:30 to 5:30 today and tomorrow, 1pm to 5pm on Sunday.
Thursday morning 4/9 --- Good Morning, the sun is out and the birds are singing this morning. Todays forecast calls for a sunny morning, high of 85 and then a chance of rain in the afternoon.
Strawberries: lets be honest, this has been a tough growing year. The fields are loaded with berries ..... but not all good ones. Folks need to be picky, don't worry if you end up picking a berry and find it is less than desirable - just toss it on the ground please don't put it back in the plant. Yesterdays intense sun scorched an awful lot of berries, plus there are quite a few overripes coupled by a good bit of decay from a very wet spring and you find yourself sorting through the plants to find the good ones. Now is a good time to head to the larger plants that have the leaf cover to protect the berries underneath. Don't worry, you can still find loads of good berries - just be picky.
The fields have dry spots and wet spots - come prepared for both.
Tuesday morning 4/7 --- It's a great morning! I am not particularly fond of the dew on the grass but temperature wise it is wonderful. The Sun is peaking out of the low clouds and I see some clearing skies. No rain today and a 90 degree forecast. If it does get that hot and the sun comes out in brilliant form we are sure to have some sun scalded berries. Don't worry though because there is plenty of berries to choose from. Instead of picking a box in 15 minutes - it might take ......... 18. The Strawberry aisles are drying up some - today we will have dry spots and muddy spots, come prepared. Let's look at this situation as the glass is half full!
Monday morning 4/6 --- Gooood morning1 It is going to be a great day and wo
nderful week ahead. I hope you are ready for awesomeness!
The Farm will remain open through all of this. According to Walmart's new policy of 5 people per 1000 square feet - we can have 350 people in the Strawberry patch at the same time. I am pretty sure we are not getting close to that number in the entire day and of course ..... we don't have any walls out here.
Lots of Strawberries to pick and the weather is getting a little more agreeable. No rain today, some sun this afternoon with a high of 77. Prepare for some mud between the rows.
Sunday morning 4/5 --- Good morning! The Farm is open today 1pm to 5pm. There is lots of freshly washed berries to pick. The rain has stopped and the forecast for today is cloudy with a high of 67. Today will be very hard to keep your shoes from getting wet/muddy. The berries are plentiful and will not be hard to find, this will help minimize the amount of the mud you encounter because it won't take much of a row to find all the berries anyone wants.
Between the rains the goats are feasting on all of this lush green grass. It does a heart good to see your animals in knee deep grass - they are as round as a ball!
Saturday morning 4/4 --- This has been a wet Spring and it continues to rain as we speak. The Farm is open today and there is lots of berries to pick ..... by boat. Not only is it actively raining at the minute, it is cold! "Feels like" temperature is 41 degrees (my toes say 32!)
Hours:
Thursday: 8:30-5:30 Friday: 8:30-5:30 Saturday: 8:30-5:30 Sunday: 11:00 - 5:00 Monday: 8:30-5:30 Tuesday: 8:30-5:30 Wednesday: CLOSED Phone: (830)-798-1462 E-mail: info@sweetberryfarm.com |
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Address:
1801 FM 1980 Marble Falls, Texas 78654 |