Monday 11/29 --Thank y'all so much for a wonderful fall season! We loved every minute of it. The farm is now closed for winter so we can focus on farming and transitioning the farm from Fall to Spring. We wish you all the best in the upcoming holiday season, and we will see you soon for Tulips and Strawberries in late February or early March!
Sunday 11/28 -- What a beautiful day today! The sun is shining, and the farm has dried out nicely. You will still find a little mud in the strawberry field but it is not bad! Strawberry supply is great for our LAST day open of the fall season. Come on out, we will be here till 5!
Saturday Morning 11/27 — We are open today rain or shine! 8:30-5:30 Make the “sweetest” memories and come on out to pick berries (there are plenty in the field) and have fun.
Friday Morning 11/26 -- We're open this weekend for our final weekend of berry picking and fall activities! Berry supply looks great! The flowers did get kissed by a frost early this week, so we will not have flower picking. No entrance fee! Pay only for the activities that you would like to participate in.
Activities available this weekend: Berry Picking, Berry Bounce, Sand Art, Stuff-a-Scarecrow, Texas Maze, and Barrel Train. We will be open tomorrow rain or shine.
Sunday Morning 11/21 -- Well, I'm shocked! We still have berries in the field! Picking will be decent today as well! Closed Monday thru Thursday for Thanksgiving break, and we will reopen Friday thru Sunday for even MORE strawberry picking and fall activities. Berry picking so far looks great for next weekend. See y'all soon!!
Saturday Morning 11/20 -- Picking will be good thru the day today! Beautiful berries have been coming out of the field. Berries are a product of nature, and the farmhands here can't make more. Around here, the early bird gets the berry. Tomorrow I predict slim pickings. We will be open next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with berry picking and our fall activities. We are loving the cool not cold temps. Can't wait to see you soon!
Thursday Morning 11/18 -- The strawberry supply has replenished! I predict good picking for tomorrow (11/19) and Saturday (11/20). This cold weather that we will have for the next 24-48 hours will delay the ripening process on the berries so Sunday will more than likely be slim picking. No freezes are forecasted so berries will continue to produce for our last weekend in November. I will continue to keep you updated, and I hope to see you soon!
Sunday Evening 11/7 -- Winding down on our first official day strawberry picking, and it was a good one.... we were able to pick 300 pounds out of the field today, and there are more on the way for the upcoming weekend! Remember, now that we are in November we are only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. We will be covered in strawberries Friday 11/12. Come on out to pick berries and to do those fun fall activities! Can't wait to see ya!
Saturday Night 11/6 -- Tomorrow the farm is open from 11-5. We've got the hayrides, mazes, ponies and..... guess what?! We'll be picking strawberries tomorrow, too! The strawberries will be $3.25 per pound. Come on out pick some fresh fall berries and enjoy fall activities all at the same time! After tomorrow, the farm will be closed for everything Monday thru Thursday, and open again Friday-Sunday for berry picking and limited fall activities. We expect to be picking berries until the first hard freeze of the winter season. Thanks and see you BERRY soon!
Friday 11/5 -- WOW! Today is going to be a fantastic day! I was able to see the sunrise over the strawberry plants (something I haven't seen in 3 days - that is how I know it will be a good day). The farm is drying up nicely. Very little mud in flower field and mazes today. The sun will be shining, and the ice cream always tastes better on cooler days. This cooler weather will slow down strawberry production, but we are still on track to open up for picking later on in the month! Stay tuned for up-to-date farm info!
Thursday Morning 11/4 -- After a rainy day yesterday the farm is .... surprisingly not that wet! I was walking around this morning, and I have no mud on my shoes after visiting the pumpkin patch and sand art. It will be colder than usual today, so bring warm clothes. The flower field looks great (lots of blooms), but you'll need some rainboots or old shoes to walk around in there. All in all the farm looks good; and if you're into fall weather, now is the time to visit! No crowds today, and we're all here with smiles on our faces. Can't wait to see you here!
Friday evening 10/29 --- Talk about windy! Wow, the last three days have been off the charts windy. Thankfully the winds are supposed to be calm this weekend with highs around 80 - very nice!!!! Since we have not had a freeze, the flowers are still blooming and the Mazes are still green. All the activities will be running full steam. Pumpkin availability is not as great as it once was but there is still plenty for those folks looking for a last minute Jack. Historically this is a pretty calm weekend, somewhat busy but not crazy like the last two. It is going to be an awesome weekend, hope to see you soon if we haven't already.
Wednesday morning 10/27 --- Remember: we are closed on Wednesdays.
That was a rock'em sock'em storm this morning! We had just at nine tenths of an inch - very nice. Ten portopotties blew over, but that is not bad considering we have 51. Speaking of: yes, our restrooms are port o potties here at the farm but I will say, they are the cleanest port o potties you have ever seen (but the are still port o potties). I am assuming we will have to do a little work in the Mazes cutting the stalks that fell over from the wind and rain but that is not a big deal.
The Strawberry plants are in the ground!! Yay! I thought I ordered too many but ended up about a 1000 short. Doesn't matter because we should have around 130,000 in the ground! And guess what? We will have some berries to pick off the early planting starting about mid November. Keep an eye out for an announcement around November 20. If this weather holds up and nothing drastic happens, there should be a decent little Fall Strawberry picking window.
The Sun is brilliantly shining now. A 65 degree temperature and a light wind is wonderful. The forecast for the remainder of this week looks great. There will be a little mud in the Flower patch tomorrow. Other than that, it should be an awesome time to come out to the farm.
Friday afternoon 10/22 ---- Our forecast for Saturday and Sunday is Partly Sunny skies with a high of 85 Saturday and 89 Sunday = sweet! Partly Sunny is good because even though it was only 85 today, the sun was pretty intense. The grounds are dry now, no one should need to worry about mud unless we spring a water leak somewhere. The Flower field is not quite back to it's formal glory but there are plenty of flowers for everyone to pick. All of the activities seem to be running wonderfully, nothing to prevent folks from coming out and having a wonderful time.
Oh! We are one of the six Farms in the United States chosen by the Hallmark Channel to have a special display and photo op. There will be a professional photographer giving away free pictures in front of their display Saturday and Sunday. Last I saw, they also had a little goody bag they were giving away and ........ rumor has it that they are randomly giving away a special prize too (can't say what that is).
And to really get you excited (me anyway) ........ we finished planting the Strawberry plants on the Farm side of the road! Yay! roughly 24,000 more to go over in the school group area but we should easily be able to knock them out in a day or two next week. Yes sirree - I have no idea how we have been able to accomplish what we have but somehow it all worked out. Hope to see you soon!
Monday evening 10/18 --- And this amazing weather continues! The temperatures the last few days have been marvelous! and it looks like they will continue to be in the 80's all week.
The grounds are drying up nicely. Only a few muddy spots remain in the Flower patch and they are quickly disappearing. Comfortable shoes and shorts are a great choice when coming out. The Mazes have enjoyed the rainfall last week and are looking pretty good. The Hayride is still awesome and the list goes on and on.
Speaking of the Flower patch - more blooms are coming on fast! There are still plenty to pick but a fresh batch is about to bust forth. I expect the whole patch to be a blanket of flowers again by this weekend.
I am so excited that we might be able to get back to planting Strawberry plants tomorrow. We were able to get the first batch planted on time but this second batch is running a little late getting in the ground. We have 80,000 to plant and if we push hard we should be able to plant them in 4 or 5 days. The problem is that something always happens and we have to stop. Let's hope for few distractions. That first batch ......... is sporadically blooming! Last year we were able to pick some berries for Thanksgiving. Yepper, I am pretty sure we will have some berries this year too - assuming we don't have a freeze sneak up on us.
Saturday evening 10/16 ---- What an amazing day!! Could you ask for prettier weather? I couldn't. And it looks like tomorrow will be equally as gorgeous with partly cloudy skies and a high of 73. We are sooooo blessed in sooooo many ways. One of the ways is by having the best customers in the world. A lot of folks came out today and we were pretty busy but everyone I encountered was just as happy as could be. If you lose hope in humanity, just come out to the Farm.
Here is the skinny for tomorrow - it is going to be another big day! The grounds are in good shape other than a few muddy spots in the flower field. There is a ton of pumpkins to choose from and all the activities are going wonderfully well. The only thing I am a bit concerned about is the flower supply. Every single person should be able to pick plenty of flowers but those giant blooms have been taken. The blooms might be smaller but they are still very pretty.
Thursday evening 10/14 --- After an overcast misty morning the weather turned into a beautiful afternoon. We still have a few puddles of standing water to avoid tomorrow and there is sure to be some mud between the flower rows. Other than that - the Farm is looking good! Tomorrow should be a great day to come out to the farm....... and did you see the forecast temperatures for Saturday? a high in the low 70's!!!!!!!! Wow!
Thursday morning 7:15am --- Right at an inch out of last nights storm. Todays forecast is clearing skies which will be good to help us clean up and dry out. The sun is not up yet but I could tell the grass in the Barnyard maze was laying over a little and needed trimming. Sooo, I suggest waiting until this afternoon or tomorrow to visit the farm just to give things a chance to dry out a little. Those fashionable rain boots might be a good choice if you are coming today. Wahoo, we are about to get some Fall temperatures!
Tuesday night 10/12 --- remember: the Farm is closed on Wednesdays.
Scattered little showers through the day were quite annoying. Some rain but not enough to do anything other than make folks run for cover. So far, the grounds are still in great shape. We do have a strong chance of rain the next two days and maybe a heavy downpour. We will keep an eye on the sky and update here daily.
Ok, we need to have a talk:
To the individual that was upset and reported Jack the Donkey as being grossly obese and about to founder - Thank you for your concern, it is good to keep us in line. Jack is a miniature cross back Donkey bred to be a pack animal. They naturally are very wide and have a very wide flat back characterized by the thin dark streak running down the center of the back with a perpendicular line across the shoulders creating a "cross" (I was told that when Jesus rode the donkey a 'cross' appeared on its back). Our veterinarian is very aware of his shape. I am glad Jack did not hear you or he might have become offended.
To the individual that was going to report us to every agency they could think of because we were severely neglecting our goats by providing them an undersized water bucket. Once again, thank you for your concern. We need that input to keep us in check. Let me explain how a float works. As animals drink water down, the float drops allowing fresh water into bucket pushing float back up to stop the incoming flow. Therefore the bucket never runs out of water. Also, the goats were laying down because they had been fed a lot on that busy day. Don't worry, they are in great shape.
To the boys washing some mud off of the bottoms of their shoes with the Flower water - you were standing in your socks in a puddle washing the shoes that were in your hands. Folks, we are a farm and there is a very good chance you will get mud on the bottoms of your shoes after a rain. We don't provide a place to wash your shoes. If concerned, please bring a bag to put shoes in after your visit. The spray nozzles at the Flower patch are to put water into your vase ........... only.
Let's all keep an eye on the weather. We hope to see you again as soon as the weather allows.
Tuesday morning 7:20am --- Hey! Where did this moisture come from? It is misting a little here now. According to radar app, it looks like a few spotty wet spots in the vicinity. I don't see a line of showers or anything like that, just some stuff moving through. Our forecast calls for a 60% chance of showers before 1pm. We will be here with smiling faces rain or shine.
Monday morning 7:50am --- Oh yes!! Just right! 2 tenths of an inch of rain last night was perfect to settle the dust and freshen up the farm. I don't see any mud but I am sure the kiddos can find a puddle to get into if left unattended. The rain was accompanied by some strong winds, we will have some hay leaning over in the Texas Maze but the pathways I walked on were not slick or muddy at all. Today will be a great day on the Farm, hope to see you soon!
Sunday evening 10/10 --- It has been a great Fall season and we are hoping it continues. The Farm is open Monday Columbus day, everything will be running (including pony rides) except the Grille (your welcome to bring your own munchies).
Regarding the rain chances we have for tonight ----- I hope we get some! The Farm is getting dry again and a shower sure would be nice. Here at 9pm I see a thin line of rain coming from the North. By the look of the radar, it doesn't look like we will get much if any. Tomorrows forecast is Sunny, high of 85 with light wind - that's going to be nice! IF we get enough rain to affect the grounds or your visit, I will post an update by 8:30am. Be sure to 'refresh' the page every time you come to it. NO update = everything is great! Hope to see you soon!
Friday afternoon 10/8 ---- Getting ready for an awesome weekend! Our forecast for Saturday is Sunny with a high of 90 with a breeze, Sunday is Sunny, high of 94 and gusty winds. We will be open Monday Columbus day but the weather predictions vary so we will wait until Sunday to update you about next week.
The grounds are in great shape - comfortable clothes/shorts are a good idea. The sun is pretty intense in the afternoons so be prepared. We sell water or you can bring your own, same with lunch too. There are lots of shaded picnic tables to use but no cooking or alcoholic beverages please.
To me: the flower patch continues to be the star of the show. Last weeks rains did wonders for the Mazes. The Hayride is fun, Barrel Train is boring but a favorite for little kids, we have 3 jumping pillows now to tire the kids out before going home and lots more activities. No entrance or Parking fee, just pay for the activities you wish to do or pumpkins you want to take home. Hope to see you soon!
Tuesday evening 10/5 ---- Remember: Closed Wednesdays, please don't come out tomorrow. (this is the day we do all the work without worrying about running over anyone with a tractor).
Wow, what a great start to the Fall season! "Thanks" to everyone that has come out so far. I know it is Fall because some leaves keep 'falling' on me when I drive the Hayride but these high temperatures are slowly creeping back up toward the 90's. The grounds are all in great shape so wear comfortable cool clothes and try to come in the mornings. All activities are going on wonderfully. The Flower patch is still the star of the show, with the Crowville Hayride right behind. In case you didn't know: the Hayride runs out through the woods where there are hundreds of stuffed non scary scarecrows in a myriad of 'scenes'. I think granny told me there were somewhere around 328 scarecrows on the route. We always say if someone falls off the trailer they turn into a scarecrow --- well, evidently lots of people have been falling off.
The Candy Corn Kid Maze and Barnyard intermediate Maze look marvelous, the Texas Maze is struggling. When the grass got over 6 feet tall we were not able to water it and it began to starve for water. The rain last week did wonders to perk it back up. Currently the Candy Corn is taking about 10 to 15 minutes, Barnyard 15 - 20 minutes and Texas about 45 minutes to complete.
Saturday 11:10 am - It's an amazing day so far. No rain last night or this morning. It started partly sunny but it seems the clouds have moved in. Currently, I don't see any rain on the radar heading our direction or within 60 miles of us. We still need to keep an eye on the sky but my feeling is that today will be awesome all the way through. The majority of the grounds have dried up, there are a few puddles for little Johnny to find but he is going to have to search for them. Folks are getting a little mud/sticky dirt on the bottom of their shoes in the Texas Maze and the aisles between the Zinnia rows. Hope to see you soon but if you can't make it out - we hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Friday afternoon --- Lookin good! Last nights rain sure was needed and really made the farm look better to me. Most of the puddles have dried out, walking around the farm is mud free and the Mazes are passable. The aisles between the Zinnias are a little slick. It has turned out to be a wonderful day.
Our forecast has changed a bit, it is calling for a 20% chance of rain today and tonight bumped up to 50% after 10am tomorrow (Saturday) with no chance of rain Sunday. I think it will be a stellar weekend with a high in the mid 80's and hopefully only a passing shower. We will be here rain or shine with smiling faces on. Hope to see you soon!
Friday morning 8:40am --- about 1.5 inches last night - the farm looks pretty good considering. The rain seems to be generally moving off to the East but I'm not sure if more will develop this afternoon.
All the grassy areas and parking lot are in great shape - no mud. The Hayride and Barrel Train will run just as planned. The areas that will be a little muddy at first will be the aisles between the flower rows and maybe some parts of the Texas Maze. We won't have Pony Rides today as their area will get muddy after just a little use. The grounds were very dry so I expect this to dry up pretty fast and hey, it is supposed to be a bit cooler today!!!
Thursday afternoon 9/30 ---- No rain so far. The Farm has dried out nicely and at the moment everything is just right. We have a 50% chance tonight and tomorrow morning. The Farm is open rain or shine so we will be here waiting for anyone. One thing I have learned here at the Farm, never change my plans according to the forecast. Off and On little showers should not create a problem - we will just have to keep an eye on the sky. We will try to update tomorrow morning as well.
Wednesday afternoon 9/29 ---- Perfect! Just Perfect! Last night we had 3/4 inch of wonderful rain! Yes! It settled all the dust, washed us off, freshened up the farm and made it just right for tomorrows guests. Almost all the rain has been soaked up. High temperatures in the 80s and a very small chance of rain will make tomorrow a great day to come out to the farm.
The forecasters are still calling for rain on Friday so we will have to keep an eye on the sky. We'll post another update tomorrow afternoon concerning Friday. Hope to see you soon!
Tuesday 9/28 ---- whew! The first 50,000 Strawberry plants are in the ground and the first 10 Semi loads of Pumpkins have been put out. In the next few weeks we should plant another 82,000 plants and, if the season goes as it should, we will put out another 10 loads of Pumpkins.
The Farm is operating really well, just about as smooth as it can go. I have only had two tractors break down on the Hayride (actually one tractor originally and again after "I fixed it").
Rain - we sure could use some on the grounds and the Mazes are desperate for it. It looks like we have some in the forecast. And that's just it - it is 'predicted'. We will just have to wait and see what/when it falls. An inch or two and we are golden. Four or five inches could be problematic for a few days. We will try to update often this week to give folks an idea of what things look like.
To me, the Zinnia patch and the Hayride are the stars of the show so far. Here comes October - yes!!!! Hope to see you soon!
Friday evening Sept 24 ---- It is going to be a great weekend! All the events are running well and we are loaded with Pumpkins. The Flower field is stunningly beautiful, wow! The Texas Maze is fun but looking a little ragged from our current dry spell. Folks are loving the music aspect (see the Maze page under "Activities/Cost" link). Crowville has had a population explosion - ride the Hayride to see all the new Scarecrows. That sheep continues to be hard to find in the Barnyard Hayfield Maze, families are spending 20 to 30 minutes in there looking. The Barrel Train has to be the most boring ride out here but little kids sure do get a kick out of it. Little artists continue to enjoy painting pumpkins while families enjoy together time stuffing a Scarecrow. There is just something about riding a pony kids love. The Candy Corn Hayfield Maze is the best looking one of them all and a little harder than most folks expect, he he. To tire the kids out so you can get that coveted "the kids are sleeping" on the drive back - put them on one of the three Berry Bounces. And then there is the myriad of Pumpkins available for purchase. A good Jack must start with a good stem and we are pleased to have some of the best stems around!
Weather wise: Mornings are wonderful! Afternoons too but the sun is pretty intense, upper 80's feels like 90's. Comfortable clothes/shorts and walking shoes are a good idea. Ye Haw, Fall is getting started! Hope to see you soon.
Tuesday evening September 21 ---- My daughters told me not to do updates in the evenings anymore because my tiredness comes out in the writing. Well! Reckon they are calling me old?! Ha Ha.
The Farm is doing great! We are very happy with the way things are going. A little moisture and cooler weather sure would be nice for me. Today a cool front came in and cooled us down a bit - it was/is much appreciated. Upper 80's, low 90's will feel cold compared to the last two weeks. I believe the cooler morning temperatures will really get us in the Fall spirit. Perhaps we have turned the corner and these hot days are behind us?
I do believe the Flower patch is about as beautiful as I have ever seen. The assortment of colors and size of the field really do make a gorgeous sight. Wow! Every year one thing (event) seems to be better than the rest - so far, I would say the Flower patch is the winner.
The first 50,000 Strawberry plants came in today. With any luck we will get to planting them in the next few days. They look pretty good after their trek from Canada. We were sure to say "Welcome to Texas" to every tray as we unloaded them.
I would still recommend visiting the Farm in the mornings until these temperatures really do come down. Shorts and comfortable clothes will be just fine to keep you cool.
Saturday morning September 18 ---- Ye Haw, we are all the way open now! It was a bit busy yesterday trying to get ready but not as bad as years past, I had time to go to the High School Football game last night. After 21 years, maybe we are starting to get the hang of it? Not so fast Charlie!
Now we just need some cooler weather! Wear shorts and comfortable clothes if coming out over the next few days. Early mornings and late afternoons are not too bad but the middle of the day is pretty toasty! And speaking of toast, the dry spell we are in is causing the Mazes to suffer. Some years the grass looks better than others - this is going to be an 'other' year if we don't get a little moisture soon. They are still plenty fun and plenty hard, just not healthy and green like normal. The Candy Corn kid Maze is super tall, I am sure to a little kid it feels like they are amongst skyscrapers. I thought it was going to be too hard so I sent my daughters in ---- 9 minutes! Hmph! Well, one of my hands got 'lost' for 30 minutes - hmmmmm.
Better go ...... hope to see you soon! Happy Fall Ya'll (I think next Wed we are supposed to get to the 80's, yes!!!)
Wednesday evening September 9/8 ---- Hey! reckon this heat has broken just a bit? Monday and Tuesday we had a little rain so it was humid, hot and hard for even me to work in. Today it was hot in the middle of the afternoon but plenty bearable. It seems to me that early in the morning I am feeling a little bit of crispness to the air, a clear indication Fall is on the way. The forecast has low 90's in it and wind too so it should not too bad out here. Still come prepared though. The Zinnias are doing wonderful! They are beautiful! The Barnyard Maze, Hayride and Barrel Train are looking good. The Texas Maze is looking a little worn from a wind storm we had last week but still hard.
Monday evening September 4 --- It was a good opening weekend! A little toasty in the Texas Maze though. On these sunny days a umbrella sure is nice to keep the sun off your head! The Zinnias were (are) beautiful, the Hayride was (is) entertaining, the Barrel Train was (is) boring (but for some reason little kids love it!), the Barnyard Maze was fun (lots of folks couldn't find the Sheep - Danny says it is a Himalayan Sheep: Him-must-be-a-layin over here or there). The Barnyard was hot but it only takes 20 or 30 minutes. Texas was a chore for most people. Early in the morning is not to to bad, 12 to 3 is horrible and 4 to 5:30 is bearable. If you are used to the heat, wear shorts or something cool then give Texas a go. Otherwise, wait until the temperature goes down a little or a windy day.
Edder and I have been hard at building Strawberry beds and we are almost finished. A rain shower came up this evening and stopped us 6 beds from completing!
Wednesday evening September 1 --- Getting closer to opening! We are excited, and we hope you are too! We had a request for which towns/songs are in the Texas Maze - oh no, it's a surprise! Ha Ha. Here is a little glimpse - some of the 'towns' to find will be Texarkana (Texarkana Baby by Eddie Arnold) and Beaumont (Prettly Little Lady by George Jones). Other towns to search for will be Abilene, Galveston, Temple, Amarillo, Brownsville, Dallas, El Paso, Huntsville, Laredo, Lubbock, Luckenbach, San Angelo, San Antonio, Terlingua and the only rock song - La Grange.
The Zinnias are looking fabulous! Wow, I almost don't want anyone to pick any because the field looks so beautiful. They do need to be picked though so the plants will put on more.
Granny says the Hayride route is finished for now. I haven't seen it all but what I have seen has been very cute (can a farmer say 'cute' without hurting my man card?). These are the Happiest Scarecrows you have ever seen and the Village just keeps growing! We are all super proud of the Hayride.
We finished a block of Strawberry beds yesterday, now 4 more to go. We are a little stressed because here we are getting ready to open when I want to capitalize on some ground moisture and build Strawberry beds. Oh well, we will get it done one way or the other.
note: it is getting pretty hot in the afternoons, remember that if making a trip out to the farm soon. We do allow folks to bring in Non alcoholic beverages or we have water to purchase.
Monday morning 8/30 ----- the countdown to opening is on! and the Farm is almost ready! Some rain the last few days have been a blessing!
Flowers --- The Zinnias are starting to put on a show, there will be nice flowers to cut this weekend. The plants are a little small yet but the blooms are not. The more flowers cut from the plant, the more the plants put back on. Cutting them now will be good for the plants. We supply scissors and plastic vases. We just need to put out the water bars to fill vases and it will be ready.
Texas Maze -- We are 'Jazzed' about the 2021 Texas Maze. 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 actual 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 2021 'Singin across Texas" Maze, Game players will be looking for 17 towns in Texas that have a song written about them. Scan the QR code at each town to hear the song! It will be a load of fun (warning, lots of the songs are old fashioned but my daughters say that "some young people are starting to listen to old country"). At the beginning of the year before a lot of rouge pathways get made, it can be pretty hard. I cut the pathways and it still took Edder and I almost two hours to put all the city signs out - yikes! The pathways need a fresh mowing, a little trimming and cleanup and it will be ready.
Barnyard Maze --- The pathways are cut and the 'lost' animals are put out. The object: find our lost animals and come on out. It is only about an acre but I do believe it will be harder than it looks - maybe 20 to 30 minutes. We still have a little cleanup to do and it will be ready.
Barrel Train - a little cleanup and it will be ready. Currently there are goats in the Barrel Train area that will need to be kicked out but a rattle of the feed bucket will take care of that.
Scarecrow Island Hayride - I did some work on the route today to repair wash outs from the recent rains. My mom, Granny (going on 84) is in charge of the decorating and we would ALL be good to work like her. She has a great imagination and the Scarecrow "scenes" are delightful. Who knows how many funny Scarecrows she has on the route - last year it was over 300! Folks might find other Pumpkin Patches but NO ONE has a hayride like this one. A little work on the entrance, get Tractors/trailers ready and purchase some square hay bales and this will be ready.
Hey now - we better get to work!
Tuesday 8/24 ---- Are you ready? After being closed for the summer, the Farm is opening back up Saturday September 4 on what we call the House side of the road that cuts through the middle of the farm. I know, whaaaaaaaaaat?! Lets see: Flowers - check, still a little small but growing like weeds. Texas Maze - check, need to do some work cleaning up the pathways but should be OK. The Barrel Train - check, need to replace the electronics on one tractor but two are ready to go. The Hayride - check, granny is feverishly working to finalize all the scenes. The Barnyard Maze - check, need to hedge the pathways and clean up the entrance but it should be ok. Signage - almost a check, a couple of days and it should be done.
It is getting super busy on the Farm. We are all very excited and nervous at the same time, even in our 21st year. We hope to see you all soon!
Monday 8/1 --- Working hard to get ready for ...... Fall? Yep, before you know it Fall will be upon us. The four Mazes are growing nicely and between 4 and 6 feet tall. So far they are growing well, let's hope they keep on this pace. The flowers are being planted as we speak. The flower patch should be a hair bigger than last year. Granny and Elaine are diligently getting the Hayride Scarecrows set up. That sure is a big job and we are sooooo blessed to have someone as creative as Granny leading the show. The Strawberry fields are being worked up in preparation for bed building in the end of this month. There is more than enough to keep us busy dawn to dusk but it is a labor of love because this is what makes us happy. Get ready everyone - Fall is coming! Despite what the front page says, we hope to open the Flowers, Texas Maze, Barnyard Maze, Barrel Train and Hayride the first part of September. Ye Haw!
Monday 7/5 -- Thank you to all who came out to support our very first sunflower season! We sure do appreciate you! The farm is now closed for summer so we can focus on prepping the fields for zinnias and strawberries, and to convert the farm into the Harvest of Fall Fun coming up soon in September. We'll be open again soon!!
Thursday 7/1 -- The sunflowers are still in bloom for our last weekend! We have about a little less than half of the field in bloom. Come clear the field with our 7/4 sale! $5 entry per person (ages 2 and under free) and $0.74 per flower! Goats are always hungry and the popsicles are always cold! Can't wait to see you this weekend!
Monday 6/28 -- We will be open for sunflower picking through the week! We are starting the downhill slope towards the end of the season, but good pictures and flowers are still to be had. We are loving sunflowers and will be sure to plant them again next year!
Friday 6/25 -- uhh.... Where did the week go? I swear I updated this page yesterday..... oops. That was monday! Sunflower field still looks good! We are not in peak season anymore but we have about 30 varieties still in bloom. You can still get great pictures and AWESOME sunflowers! We are THE most affordable sunflower farm in the area, so come on out! $5 per person (2 and under free) and $2 per flower. You are not required to pick the flowers, so if you just want to come look, then come on! No kid's activities but there are goats to feed and pet! They sure do love our customers! (We do too!!!)
Monday 6/21 -- Sunflowers are still going strong! We are going to wrap up the season anytime between June 30th and July 4th. Hurry on out if you are looking for the best pictures. Peak season won't last much longer!
Saturday 6/19 -- WE ARE AT FULL BLOOM! Now is the time to come! We have about 40,000 sunflowers in bloom right now! The field is just stunning. The sunflowers will last until Farmer Dan tells us we have to rip the sunflowers out and start prepping the field for our fall flowers: Zinnias. We're thinking anywhere from June 30th to July 4th. We're so excited about these sunflowers! Just visit us to find out why!
Tuesday 6/15 -- The fields are looking gorgeous! We are just about at full bloom! We have TONS of flowers to pick! Bring things like sunscreen, bug spray, and hats and glasses. Stay cool out there! You'll take a left before you get to the main gate of Sweet Berry Farm as if you are going to the white house. Park, and come on out for your flowers! We've got goats to feed and sunflowers to pick. Our other children's activities are closed.
Saturday 6/12 -- Good morning! It will be a great day for sunflower picking! Just remember: it's hot! Bring all the things to stay cool! After entering, head down to the how to pick sunflower guide, then stop by to see our farm hands for snips. We provide snips for adults to cut the sunflower. After you've got all that you want, return your snips, and head up to our wrapping stations and grab a popsicle too! We can't wait to see ya!
Friday 6/11 -- I swear more sunflowers bloomed overnight! The field is stunning. If you come in a bad mood, you will have to try hard to stay in a bad mood. Something about these sunflowers has me whistling and smiling all the live long day. It has been 5 long years since we were able to plant sunflowers, and this year with it being the year of the sunflower, we thought we should do it again and let them have their very own season.
$5 admission and $2 per flower.
Things to Bring:
-Bug spray (have you seen the mosquitos lately?!)
- Sunscreen
-Things to keep cool
-Closed toe shoes that can get muddy. Our fields have yet to dry out.
- Gloves (not required but helpful)
- A bucket to put your flowers in for the ride home.
Thursday 6/10 - The sunflowers are coming on strong! We currently have about 35% of our field blooming with more and more blooming everyday! We will operate sunflower picking like our tulip picking at $5 entry fee and $2 per flower. The season will last anywhere from 10-25 days so come on out as fast as you can! We have fun new flavors of popsicles to try! We have a refreshing tart lemonade, pineapple, spicy pineapple (pineapple with chile) and a sunbutter pop that is milk based and made with sunflower seed butter! We are ready to open tomorrow! Remember: It is hot outside! Please drink water, wear hats, and keep cool.
onday 6/7 -- That's right folks, we are ready for Sunflowers! Opening June 11th for Sunflower picking! Open regular spring hours. The price is $5 entry and $2 per flower you pick. The season will last anywhere from 10-25 days!
Things to Bring:
-Bug spray (have you seen the mosquitos lately?!)
-Closed toe shoes that can get muddy. Our fields have yet to dry out.
- Gloves (not required but helpful)
- A bucket to put your flowers in for the ride home.
Hope to see you soon!
Sunday Evening 5/30 --- Aand that's a wrap on strawberry season! Thank you to everyone for visiting our family's farm this strawberry season. We hope to have you back for Sunflower picking! Starting anywhere from June 5th- June 13th. The cost will be $5 entry and $2 per flower. Just like tulips. When visiting us for Sunflowers you will park on the left side of the highway or by the white house! Be sure to bring some gloves, the sunflower stems are a bit prickly. We will provide cutting tools for adult use only. We accidentally planted the flowers verrryyy close together... so it might be a bit jungle-esque. Perhaps some long sleeves will be good? I know it will be hot! We're so excited to have a whole field of sunflowers!! See y'all soon!
Monday morning 8/30 ----- the countdown to opening is on! and the Farm is almost ready! Some rain the last few days have been a blessing!
Flowers --- The Zinnias are starting to put on a show, there will be nice flowers to cut this weekend. The plants are a little small yet but the blooms are not. The more flowers cut from the plant, the more the plants put back on. Cutting them now will be good for the plants. We supply scissors and plastic vases. We just need to put out the water bars to fill vases and it will be ready.
Texas Maze -- We are 'Jazzed' about the 2021 Texas Maze. 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 actual 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 2021 'Singin across Texas" Maze, Game players will be looking for 17 towns in Texas that have a song written about them. Scan the QR code at each town to hear the song! It will be a load of fun (warning, lots of the songs are old fashioned but my daughters say that "some young people are starting to listen to old country"). At the beginning of the year before a lot of rouge pathways get made, it can be pretty hard. I cut the pathways and it still took Edder and I almost two hours to put all the city signs out - yikes! The pathways need a fresh mowing, a little trimming and cleanup and it will be ready.
Barnyard Maze --- The pathways are cut and the 'lost' animals are put out. The object: find our lost animals and come on out. It is only about an acre but I do believe it will be harder than it looks - maybe 20 to 30 minutes. We still have a little cleanup to do and it will be ready.
Barrel Train - a little cleanup and it will be ready. Currently there are goats in the Barrel Train area that will need to be kicked out but a rattle of the feed bucket will take care of that.
Scarecrow Island Hayride - I did some work on the route today to repair wash outs from the recent rains. My mom, Granny (going on 84) is in charge of the decorating and we would ALL be good to work like her. She has a great imagination and the Scarecrow "scenes" are delightful. Who knows how many funny Scarecrows she has on the route - last year it was over 300! Folks might find other Pumpkin Patches but NO ONE has a hayride like this one. A little work on the entrance, get Tractors/trailers ready and purchase some square hay bales and this will be ready.
Hey now - we better get to work!
Tuesday 8/24 ---- Are you ready? After being closed for the summer, the Farm is opening back up Saturday September 4 on what we call the House side of the road that cuts through the middle of the farm. I know, whaaaaaaaaaat?! Lets see: Flowers - check, still a little small but growing like weeds. Texas Maze - check, need to do some work cleaning up the pathways but should be OK. The Barrel Train - check, need to replace the electronics on one tractor but two are ready to go. The Hayride - check, granny is feverishly working to finalize all the scenes. The Barnyard Maze - check, need to hedge the pathways and clean up the entrance but it should be ok. Signage - almost a check, a couple of days and it should be done.
It is getting super busy on the Farm. We are all very excited and nervous at the same time, even in our 21st year. We hope to see you all soon!
Monday 8/1 --- Working hard to get ready for ...... Fall? Yep, before you know it Fall will be upon us. The four Mazes are growing nicely and between 4 and 6 feet tall. So far they are growing well, let's hope they keep on this pace. The flowers are being planted as we speak. The flower patch should be a hair bigger than last year. Granny and Elaine are diligently getting the Hayride Scarecrows set up. That sure is a big job and we are sooooo blessed to have someone as creative as Granny leading the show. The Strawberry fields are being worked up in preparation for bed building in the end of this month. There is more than enough to keep us busy dawn to dusk but it is a labor of love because this is what makes us happy. Get ready everyone - Fall is coming! Despite what the front page says, we hope to open the Flowers, Texas Maze, Barnyard Maze, Barrel Train and Hayride the first part of September. Ye Haw!
Monday 7/5 -- Thank you to all who came out to support our very first sunflower season! We sure do appreciate you! The farm is now closed for summer so we can focus on prepping the fields for zinnias and strawberries, and to convert the farm into the Harvest of Fall Fun coming up soon in September. We'll be open again soon!!
Thursday 7/1 -- The sunflowers are still in bloom for our last weekend! We have about a little less than half of the field in bloom. Come clear the field with our 7/4 sale! $5 entry per person (ages 2 and under free) and $0.74 per flower! Goats are always hungry and the popsicles are always cold! Can't wait to see you this weekend!
Monday 6/28 -- We will be open for sunflower picking through the week! We are starting the downhill slope towards the end of the season, but good pictures and flowers are still to be had. We are loving sunflowers and will be sure to plant them again next year!
Friday 6/25 -- uhh.... Where did the week go? I swear I updated this page yesterday..... oops. That was monday! Sunflower field still looks good! We are not in peak season anymore but we have about 30 varieties still in bloom. You can still get great pictures and AWESOME sunflowers! We are THE most affordable sunflower farm in the area, so come on out! $5 per person (2 and under free) and $2 per flower. You are not required to pick the flowers, so if you just want to come look, then come on! No kid's activities but there are goats to feed and pet! They sure do love our customers! (We do too!!!)
Monday 6/21 -- Sunflowers are still going strong! We are going to wrap up the season anytime between June 30th and July 4th. Hurry on out if you are looking for the best pictures. Peak season won't last much longer!
Saturday 6/19 -- WE ARE AT FULL BLOOM! Now is the time to come! We have about 40,000 sunflowers in bloom right now! The field is just stunning. The sunflowers will last until Farmer Dan tells us we have to rip the sunflowers out and start prepping the field for our fall flowers: Zinnias. We're thinking anywhere from June 30th to July 4th. We're so excited about these sunflowers! Just visit us to find out why!
Tuesday 6/15 -- The fields are looking gorgeous! We are just about at full bloom! We have TONS of flowers to pick! Bring things like sunscreen, bug spray, and hats and glasses. Stay cool out there! You'll take a left before you get to the main gate of Sweet Berry Farm as if you are going to the white house. Park, and come on out for your flowers! We've got goats to feed and sunflowers to pick. Our other children's activities are closed.
Saturday 6/12 -- Good morning! It will be a great day for sunflower picking! Just remember: it's hot! Bring all the things to stay cool! After entering, head down to the how to pick sunflower guide, then stop by to see our farm hands for snips. We provide snips for adults to cut the sunflower. After you've got all that you want, return your snips, and head up to our wrapping stations and grab a popsicle too! We can't wait to see ya!
Friday 6/11 -- I swear more sunflowers bloomed overnight! The field is stunning. If you come in a bad mood, you will have to try hard to stay in a bad mood. Something about these sunflowers has me whistling and smiling all the live long day. It has been 5 long years since we were able to plant sunflowers, and this year with it being the year of the sunflower, we thought we should do it again and let them have their very own season.
$5 admission and $2 per flower.
Things to Bring:
-Bug spray (have you seen the mosquitos lately?!)
- Sunscreen
-Things to keep cool
-Closed toe shoes that can get muddy. Our fields have yet to dry out.
- Gloves (not required but helpful)
- A bucket to put your flowers in for the ride home.
Thursday 6/10 - The sunflowers are coming on strong! We currently have about 35% of our field blooming with more and more blooming everyday! We will operate sunflower picking like our tulip picking at $5 entry fee and $2 per flower. The season will last anywhere from 10-25 days so come on out as fast as you can! We have fun new flavors of popsicles to try! We have a refreshing tart lemonade, pineapple, spicy pineapple (pineapple with chile) and a sunbutter pop that is milk based and made with sunflower seed butter! We are ready to open tomorrow! Remember: It is hot outside! Please drink water, wear hats, and keep cool.
onday 6/7 -- That's right folks, we are ready for Sunflowers! Opening June 11th for Sunflower picking! Open regular spring hours. The price is $5 entry and $2 per flower you pick. The season will last anywhere from 10-25 days!
Things to Bring:
-Bug spray (have you seen the mosquitos lately?!)
-Closed toe shoes that can get muddy. Our fields have yet to dry out.
- Gloves (not required but helpful)
- A bucket to put your flowers in for the ride home.
Hope to see you soon!
Sunday Evening 5/30 --- Aand that's a wrap on strawberry season! Thank you to everyone for visiting our family's farm this strawberry season. We hope to have you back for Sunflower picking! Starting anywhere from June 5th- June 13th. The cost will be $5 entry and $2 per flower. Just like tulips. When visiting us for Sunflowers you will park on the left side of the highway or by the white house! Be sure to bring some gloves, the sunflower stems are a bit prickly. We will provide cutting tools for adult use only. We accidentally planted the flowers verrryyy close together... so it might be a bit jungle-esque. Perhaps some long sleeves will be good? I know it will be hot! We're so excited to have a whole field of sunflowers!! See y'all soon!
Sunday 5/30 -- Today is the last day for strawberry picking!
Picking is slim today, so be prepared to hunt for berries. There are still some mud patches so bring shoes for that. We’ve got the berry bounce, sand Art, paint a pot, and goats to feed today. If you can’t find berries in the field you will be able to find berries in our freezer in the form of ice cream and popsicles! See you from 1-5!
Saturday 5/29 -- WOW! What a storm, huh? Open today 8:30-5:30! We are wet again. Navigating the strawberry fields will be difficult and increase the time that you are going to be picking. My guess is today it will take about an hour to find 5-6 pounds of berries. You will be trekking through some mud, so be sure to bring rainboots/shoes that can withstand some mud. Look under those leaves and you'll find some berries. Kids Activities today will be Paint-a-Pot, Sand Art, Berry Bounce, and goat feeding. The barrel train will be closed today and tomorrow due to the amount of rain we have received. The sunflowers did get whipped around pretty good with the wind, but they have big stalks for a reason! They are looking fine, and as far as I can tell, haven't sustained any damage. With all this rain maybe we will have 30 ft sunflowers? Ha! Wouldn't that be something!
Friday 5/28 -- Good Morning, Good Morning!
Come out to pick berries before it is too late! Berry picking will be decent if you move the leaves around to find the berries underneath. Picking is still at about 30-45 minutes for 5-6 pounds. Open today and Saturday 8:30-5:30. Sunday open 1-5! Sunday will be the last day of Strawberry season. We will close the gates Sunday evening and keep them closed until the Sunflowers bloom. They should be just around the corner so stay tuned!!
Thursday 5/27 -- Patience is key when picking berries today! Move the leaves around to find the berries underneath. Most of the grounds have dried out pretty good, so navigating the field will be much easier today! Still bring some old shoes in case you find the muddy spots. 5-6 pounds will take about 30-45 minutes. We have the berry bounce, sand art, paint-a-pot, barrel train, and goat feeding today! Don't forget to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air when you get here! See ya soon!
PICKING UPDATE 5/25 - Berry picking is decent right now. Moving the leaves around and patience is key. It is taking about 30-45 minutes to get a good 6lbs. We are still wet, but open till 5:30! Come on out for some berries while they are still in season! Sunday May 30th will be the last day of berry season. We will close the gates until the Sunflowers bloom (It SHOULD be anywhere from June 3rd - June13th!)
Sunday 5/23 -- We are wet again, but we will be open for berry picking from 1-5 today. Kids activities that are open today: Goat Feeding, Berry Bounce, Sand Art, and Paint-a-Pot. The Barrel Train arena is too wet to operate. Bring some rain boots or old shoes and come pick some berries this afternoon. It will take some patience today navigating the wetness, but move those leaves around to find the berries hiding underneath. Can't wait to have you making sweet memories at the farm!
Saturday Morning 5/22 -- Good Morning! We got a little shower this morning, but not enough to make things re-mudded. Farming Tip: Don't trust the weather forecast. Trust the radar. Find a radar app for your phone and check out marble falls. That's how you'll know what the weather is like on the farm today. Open rain or shine! 8:30-5:30! Come on out for berries before they are gone.
Friday Evening 5/21 -- We have dried up considerably today. Tomorrow will be a great day to come out. We will have good berry picking (move the leaves around to find the berries underneath), barrel train, sand art, paint-a-pot, goat feeding, and the berry bounce going 8:30-5:30. Come on out and try the homemade ice cream and popsicles while you're here too!
Friday 5/21 -- Berry supply is still good for this time of year! We have dried out a little after yesterday's warm and sunny weather, but there is still mud in between the strawberry rows. Bring an extra pair of shoes if you are visiting us today. Per usual, the farm is open 8:30-5:30 rain or shine, all the time, during our seasons. The barrel train area is still too wet to drive on, but hopefully we will be able to get out there tomorrow. We've got Sand Art, Paint-a-Pot, Goat Feeding, and the Berry Bounce going on today too. Hope to see y'all soon!
Thursday 5/20 -- We still have berries! They are out there, just hiding under the berry bush. We have about 3-4 berries per bush, quite a decrease from peak season, but enough berries to easily get you however many you want. It is all about the time you have and how much patience you have. We did get some rain, so we do have some mud in between the berry rows. Bring some old tennis shoes or rain boots and the picking will be good! The picking should be good through the weekend. Keep checking here before you come out to get the best picking information.
Sunflowers are growing growing growing! They are still on track for an early June opening. Can't wait to have y'all out!
Monday 5/17 --- Picking is still good, but you will have to get through some mud to get to the berries. We have the perfect weather now after a downpour around lunchtime. I'm not too sure how much longer the berries will hold on. While the picking is still good today the on and off wetness and heat is not good for the berries. We will be open through the weekend, and after that it will be a day by day basis. UP NEXT: Sunflowers! They are coming on strong and we are thinking that they will be ready by early June for picking. Will the strawberries hang on till then? Find out on the next episode.....
Sunday 5/16 -- We are open today from 1-5. Picking looks about the same as yesterday! It will take about 20 minutes to find around 5 pounds. We have delicious homemade ice cream and popsicles, and the kids are sure to have a good time. Hope to see you out on the farm! We have planted some sunflowers and they are growing! This will be the first sunflower crop since 2016. We are very excited to bring back these beauties. We are hoping for an early June opening, but like everything on the farm, we will have to wait and see what the weather does and how the sunflowers like the soil. Blooms are sure to be stunning once they get here!
Saturday Morning 5/15 -- Gooood Morning! We've got strawberries in the field still! Berry picking looks good for today. Gone are the days when you see strawberries just walking down the row. You'll have to look under those big strawberry leaves to find the berries underneath. Once you do that you will have no problem picking a basket in 20 minutes or so. Check out the video on our facebook page if you want to see exactly how I do it. No pony rides for the rest of the season, but we still have the berry bounce, paint-a-pot, sand art, and barrel train going on today.
Thursday evening 5/13 ---- And what a beautiful day it was. A little cloudy and cool in the morning but by afternoon the sun was out gloriously. Tomorrows weather forecast looks much the same.
We saw some very nice boxes of Strawberries come out of the field today. There are still plenty for tomorrow. All the children activities will be going (no pony rides though) and the ice cream is sure to be awesome. Hope to see you soon!
Thursday morning 5/13 ----- It's going to be a good day! Partly cloudy high of 73 with a light wind. Only a little rain fell on the Farm the last few days so there is very little mud to deal with. The majority of the field is dry, the grass and trees have greened up and there are Strawberries to pick.
Strawberries: There are plenty of berries to pick with a little effort to find them. They are hiding down under the leaves waiting for someone to find them. I don't think they are going to produce much longer.
Monday afternoon 5/10 --- No rain yet, it is in the forecast but we haven't seen it. Todays Strawberries were so-so. We saw a few full boxes but mostly 3/4 full. I do think there will be a tad more berries available for Tuesday but Thursday will be the best day of the week to pick.
Saturday evening 5/8 --- What a glorious, although windy, day. Lots and lots of happy pickers were out today (well, one couple was not too happy with the berry selection but then at the end of the day a different couple came out with a full box of gorgeous berries and they were all smiles).
For Sunday, Mothers Day: The Farm is open 1pm to 5pm. I just finished scanning the fields and there are not many berries to pick. Gone are the days of calling the berries to your box with a few whistles. Tomorrow will be more of a treasure hunt. Some folks will find those "honey spots" and others will give up. The plants have grown up enough that the berries are hiding down under the leaves so it will take a little effort. Because of slim pickings, we are going to give each family only one box when you arrive (don't want to cause any fights amongst the kids so if you must have two - just say so). If you fill that box and need another - send the kids back for the second one. Remember: you only pay for what you pick, so it could be a inexpensive outing or you could just buy more ice cream while letting the kids wear themselves out on the activities.
For next week: We have a good chance of rain Monday and Tuesday, closed Wednesday so Thursday will probably be the better day of the final two weeks.
Friday evening 5/7 --- Another beautiful day! Today we had a mix of sun and clouds in the afternoon which made it just right, not too hot like yesterday. Tomorrow will be much the same, very nice weather for a visit to the farm.
With each passing day the fields dry out more and more. Still a few stubborn wet and slick spots but with a little caution they will be easily avoided.
Strawberries, still going! Seems like everyone today found all they wanted. Tomorrow should be decent picking too. We just have to see how much picking pressure before we can talk about Sunday. I suspect there will be plenty of berries on Sunday but a little harder to find.
Come on out, take a deep breath and just enjoy the farm, we will be waiting for you.
Thursday evening 5/6 ---- Still going. I am happy with the way the Strawberries looked today. They are not jumping in the box like before but with just a little diligence everyone found all the berries they wanted. Tomorrow will be another good day. The field is mostly dry now but still a few wet spots so you can't let the kids run on their own just yet. Tomorrow and Saturday should be good days. The Pony Rides and Barrel Train will be running Friday, Saturday and Sunday too. Hope to see you soon!
Wednesday 5/5 --- remember, we are closed on Wednesdays.
The fields are drying out nicely, still some mud in areas but you should be able to avoid those spots. Berry supply is dwindling fast. A combination of upper 90's three weeks ago and 4 days of rainfall have put the brakes on Strawberry production. The upper 90's shifted the plants from blooming to vegetative production so not many green berries coming ripe now. The extended wetness turned a lot of ripening berries to mush. By this time of the year the plants have grown fairly large. Some of those older leaves, especially ones the winter storm killed, are laying at the base of the plant soaked in water. Berries laying on those leaves tend to get too wet, soft and decayed. We still have one variety of 26,000 plants that are producing nice berries - this is where we are mostly picking now. These plants were behind in growth when the winter storm hit so they don't have that mat of dead leaves at their base.
Tomorrow, Friday and Saturday morning should be decent picking, depends on picking pressure as to how Saturday afternoon and Sunday look regarding Strawberry supply.
Tuesday morning 5/4 --- I am of the age when the original Star Wars was a big thing, so I just have to say "May the 4th be with you" (sorry, but I am a little jazzed I can still remember that far back).
Where did that storm come from last night and this morning? Wow! It was boiling up and lightening all around us and we just got a few drops of rain - whew. Still dry and muddy spots. The picking is only so so, its not going to get any better though so now is the time to come get some before they are gone.
Monday evening 5/3 --- Drying out but still plenty of muddy spots. The fields are drying quickly, plenty of places to pick without getting muddy or if you prefer - plenty of muddy spots too. The Berries are still hanging in there. They are not jumping in the box like before but everyone seems like they have had no problem finding all they want. I feel like this weekend will be the last pretty good picking weekend. It is super hard to tell, after 30 years of growing Strawberries all I know for certain is that I really don't know what I thought I knew.
Sunday morning 8:15am --- Well, well, well. That was a rainy event. Yesterday morning we had received 1.5 inches, another 1.5 inches between 2 and 4:30pm and a final 1.4 inches between 6pm and this morning. So, no getting around it - even though the sun will be out, the Farm will be super wet today. It will take a few days for it to dry out. Today we will not have Pony Rides or the Barrel Train operating.
The Strawberries do not like this much rain over 3 or 4 days. When picking, be sure to inspect the berry for water logging (mush on the bottom) before putting it in your box. Luckily there are plenty of berries to pick and finding a box full of good ones should not be a problem.
The Farm is open today 1 to 5. Old shoes or rubber boots will definitely be the proper attire as the aisles between the raised Strawberry beds are sure to have water/mud in them. We will be here with smiles on waiting for you. One thing for sure - the Strawberry Ice Cream will be amazing!
Saturday afternoon 2pm --- It just started raining here and it is a pretty good shower too. By the looks of the radar, we are in for an hour or so of rain. I think I would suggest not coming to the farm today. We will be here no matter but mud is one thing, picking in the rain another - the latter is not too fun.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the forecast calls for partly sunny skies with a high near 87. Sooo at least the rain will have moved off and some sun will be peaking out. There will still be mud in the aisles between the Strawberry rows - it will take a few days for the field to dry out. Strawberries - there will be plenty to pick for but diligence will be required as you do so. Strawberries do not like water on them, you are going to find berries that look great on one side and water logged on the other. No problem, just toss that berry on the ground and go for another.
Saturday morning 8am --- Wellllllll, the Strawberries are nice and clean. The Strawberry plants are grown on raised plastic covered beds to keep the berries out of the dirt and water. Some water might accumulate on top of the bed, you don't want to pick the berries laying in that water as they might be water logged. For the most part the berries just get a washing off which makes them glisten and glow and even more enticing. The aisles between the rows are pretty wet this morning so there will be some mud to contend with today. The areas outside of the Strawberry fields are grass covered and not muddy. Please remember we do not have a wash station for your shoes (or little Johnnies body). If you don't have one, we will give you a bag for your shoes if you so desire for the trip home. Today's forecast calls for more rain. One thing I have learned, never trust a rain forecast - just use it as a general guide. Currently it is partly cloudy and breezy - I do see rain south of us on the radar though. We will be here rain or shine with smiles on our faces waiting for you. What's a little mud? Just think of the stories you will be able to tell the grandkids "back in the day we had to pick Strawberries in the ..........."
Friday morning 9:30am --- it is a bit drier this morning, not real muddy but still enough to stick to the bottom or your shoes. Currently there is nothing on the radar heading our way but you never know about pop up showers. The folks here now are bringing in over the top boxes. It is a bit cool this morning so wear a light jacket. Hope to see you soon
Thursday evening --- It drizzled a good part of the day today so not much drying took place. Tomorrow we have another chance of rain mid afternoon. We will be here with smiles on, it is not too bad - just a little muddy between the rows. I think the biggest problem is keeping little Johnny out of the puddles. We don't have a wash station to for bodies or shoes but we will give you bags to put the shoes in for the way home. The berries are wonderful and plentiful. A little mud is not going to stop you from getting the best Strawberries in the country is it? Hope to see you soon.
Thursday morning 8am ----- Only a quarter of an inch of rain fell last night, just enough to settle the dust and make the grass wet. It will take a few hours for it to completely soak in. At the moment, the aisles between the Strawberry rows are slick and a little mud will stick to the bottom of your shoes. Currently there is nothing on the radar heading our way but you never know about a pop up shower.
The Strawberries are clean and glistening red, they look so fresh and inviting. Strawberries are such a wonderful fruit, we just love them. Come on out and get some, we will be here with smiles on our faces.
Wednesday afternoon 4/28 --- So here's the deal, we still have lots of beautiful berries in the field ready to be picked but we have to watch the weather..
According to most of the forecasts we have seen, there is a very good chance we are going to get a soaking shower tonight and early in the morning. The Farm needs the rain and it will be good to wash the berries off. The Farm is open rain or shine. If it does rain, it will create some mud between the Strawberry rows. The main areas of the farm are grassy and should be just fine. Just bring some old shoes or rubber boots. We will update around 8:30ish tomorrow.
Strawberry supply: is awesome! I just came out a field full of beautiful red ripe Strawberries. I ate as many as I could and decided to leave the rest for pickers. They are on a downward production trend now. The picking will be fabulous through this weekend and first of next week. It will still be good the May 8th weekend. I would say by the 15th of May the picking will become more difficult.
On a side note: I have this app on my phone called PictureThis. I really enjoy it. You can take a picture of a plant unknown to you and it will identify it. It is a lot of fun to play with if you like that sort of thing. So far, I think it has been correct on everything I have tried - and I have tried it on a lot. I believe it cost me like $20 for a year but since this is down my alley it was an easy spend. I use it on weeds, trees, shrubs everything. Unfortunately I am not part of their team or get anything from recommending it (please don't blame me if it doesn't work for you) - I just thought you might like it, it is pretty cool.
Sunday morning 10am ---- Still loaded! Today will be a wonderful picking day. The field conditions are great and the plants are loaded with berries. Open 1pm to 5pm on Sundays. Beyond today, this entire week looks like great picking. Hope to see you soon!
Friday evening 6pm ---- Looks like all the rain missed us. We had a few drops to settle the dust but nothing to make any mud. There are no showers on the radar heading our way, in fact, right now the sun is shining bright.
Saturday and Sunday will be glorious picking! The grounds and berry supply will be outstanding plus Sunny with a high near 82 ---- the only way it could get any better is if you would come visit us!
Friday morning 8:20am - Foggy and misty with a pretty heavy dew this morning. No rain so far to speak of. The Strawberry plants are wet and the grass is wet. No mud. The radar looks clear at the moment. I think we are in good shape so far, especially when this fog lifts. One thing I have learned (and continually relearn) is never go by a rain forecast. Hope to see you soon!
Thursday evening --- still dry and loads of berries to pick. Tomorrow will be fantastic picking. We have a chance of rain tomorrow, mostly in the afternoon - check your radar app before coming out. We will also update here IF any rain starts to fall. The forecast for Sunday weather and berry wise looks wonderful.
Thursday noon 4/22 ---- It's cloudy, a little cool and the picking is fantastic. Currently the fields are nice and dry. We have not received any rain so far today and there is just a small chance this afternoon. I would expect the rest of the day to be equally as fantastic. There is a good chance of rain predicted for tomorrow, especially in the afternoon. I will update again this evening and tomorrow should we get some precipitation.
Strawberries: I have NEVER seen the plants produce Strawberries like they are doing right now. I thought we had peaked out last week but nope, this might be the peak. Gimminy crickets, the berries are everywhere. This is truly the time where you will have to slow yourself down to keep from picking too much too fast. We love it when the Strawberries are this thick because we know everyone will get plenty no matter what time they arrive.
For Saturday: be sure to check here Friday night concerning field conditions. The Farm will be open regardless 8;30 to 5;30 Saturday, 1 - 5 on Sunday. If it does get a little wet - no problem, it seems we have been an outlet for folks to wear some of the designerish fancy rubber boots I have ever seen.
Monday evening 4/19 ---- Still going! Those Strawberry plants are still putting out good berries. The picking will be great all this week. Tomorrows forecast is 78 for a high which is just right!
Did you see tomorrow nights predicted low? 38 for us! wow. The plants are not blooming now because of the upper 90's ten days ago, I hope this will encourage them to put a few blooms on so we can have berries through May. We will see.
Sunday evening 4/18 --- I do believe today was even fantastic-er than yesterday. The sun came out and made for a glorious cool day with plenty of berries for everyone to pick. It makes me feel good to see folks bring out a blanket and plop down out in the grass and enjoying the day. We do have lots of picnic tables to use but some prefer the old fashioned way.
Strawberries - still lots to pick! This coming week will continue to be excellent picking. The fields are dried out now except for two stubborn spots - keep an eye on little Johnny. It is hard to say exactly but it looks like toward the end of this month we will begin to see a slow down in production. Historically we pick berries through mid May at least, last year to the first of June, we'll just have to see how the weather holds up.
Saturday evening ---- What a fantastic day, a little weird weather wise but the customers were awesome. Sooooo many smiling faces today made a long day go fast.
Strawberries: Amazing! just hold your box down low and go to whistling and they will jump right in. Even after a busy Saturday the fields are still loaded with berries. Tomorrow and next week will be awesome picking. The fields are mostly dry now, I just walked through them and don't have any mud on the bottom of my shoes. Come on out, it is the peak of the Strawberry season.
Saturday morning 9am update: looking great! The berries are super abundant and the grounds are drying quickly. Still a little mud in some places but nothing to worry about. The Parking lot and greenbelts are in great shape. Hope to see you soon!
Friday evening ----- Tomorrow will be great picking! The berries are everywhere! I expect it to dry some tonight but I believe we will still be dealing with slippery rows in the morning, the longer we go through the day the more drying will take place. Old shoes is preferable and expect some mud to stick to the bottom. We don't have a wash station so bring a plastic bag or ask for one at the checkout to put your shoes in. Hope to see you soon!
Friday morning 9:40 am ----- A little bit of rain fell yesterday evening and last night. Now it is overcast with an occasional drizzle. At the moment there is nothing on the radar heading our direction but we do still have a 50% chance of rain this morning. My forecast calls for clearing skies this afternoon. Today is a good day, it is a little wet, the grass is wet and the soil is wettish and a little slippery. Not mud but wet enough to stick to the bottom of your shoes. We will be here until 5:30 with a smile on our face. No pony rides today.
Saturday and Sunday - Partly cloudy, 20% chance of rain, highs in the mid 60's, plentiful strawberries = awesome picking! Most of this wetness will dry up but expect a few stubborn wet spots. I recommend old shoes. I don't expect it to be muddy but if you want to wear your designer rubber boots, bring them on. Berry supply will be outstanding all day so you don't need to rush out - the afternoons might even be better to let some of the dew burn off.
Thursday 5:30 pm 4/15 ----- Perrrrrfect! We had a good hard shower at 1:30 and a little shower late afternoon. The hard shower did good washing the dirt out of the air and off the berries, the little shower helped settle the dirt. Currently the field is a little damp, if we don't get any rain tonight it will be just right for tomorrows picking. The plants are loaded with berries so the picking will be great.
I will post again tomorrow morning if anything changes. Hope to see you soon!
Thursday afternoon 1:45pm ------ We just had a shower roll through. It was nice to smell the rain again. The berries needed a washing and this shower will surely help. I will update in an hour or two about field conditions. We were so dry that I believe it be absorbed quickly. The Farm will remain open until 5:30 today and open up again tomorrow at 8:30. Berry supply is wonderful.
Wednesday 4/14 ---- No rain here - yet. We do have a chance tomorrow and Friday so keep an eye on the sky. An update will be posted here IF it does rain. The Farm is open rain or shine so we will be here regardless. It is very dry so a little shower would be nice to wash off the berries and settle the dust.
Speaking of Strawberries: LOTS! The plants are still putting on a show. We expect the picking to be excellent through the weekend. But as always, check here just before you come out to make sure everything is ok. It looks to me like we might start seeing a drop off in production toward the end of this month.
Tuesday 4/13 ---- Wellllll, a rain shower popped up this evening just to the northwest - it was headed straight for us and then played out maybe 15 miles away. Oh well. We could use a little shower to settle the dust and clean the berries off a bit - I would like to put in an order for about half inch of rain at 8 am on Wednesday morning - or mid day would work too. :) I think I will order some cooler weather too. It was hot today and put me in a cranky mood. The Strawberry plants do not like this warm weather. We will have to wait to see how this affects May berries. The forecast is calling for 70's the remainder of the week - that will be awesome!
The Strawberry plants are recovering from the weekend quickly. There are plenty of berries out there to pick. Supply will continue to ramp up every day this week.
The Spring Flowers are pretty much done for the season. They were a lot of fun and beautiful too. We enjoyed them and will do them again next year, bigger and better.
Monday 4/12 ---- Ooops, I forgot to update last night - sorry. Hey, Hey we still have berries! The plants are producing great. This week will be another good week to harvest Strawberries. The farm is starting to get a little dry and the plants pretty dirty from blowing dust. There is a small chance of rain this week - a little shower would be good to freshen up the place. The Farm is open rain or shine, we will be sure to update daily this week. Hope to see you soon!
Saturday evening 4/10 ---- Another fantastic day! There were so many happy smiling faces today, it was just great. I love it when folks can pick a full box at the end of the day. We would much rather have too many berries than not enough.
Strawberries: still plenty! Tomorrows picking will be very good (we open at 1 on Sundays). There will be more than enough Strawberries for everyone to pick. The best places to pick are the far edges of the fields, and the far end of the rows. Folks cleaned off the front portion of the rows today, don't even bend down until you get at least half way down the row.
Flowers: sorry, they are picked out. Ranunculus are cooler weather plants, we believe the last few days will probably end their season.
Friday evening 4/9 ----- Whew, it was a liiitttttttle toasty today, 96 in the shade!! But relief is on the way!!!! Forecast of 82 tomorrow is going to be wonderful! and highs staying in the 80's!
Saturday, Sunday and next week will be phenomenal picking. There is plenty of berries for all day every day so you don't have to worry about getting here early. Since all the fields are loaded, there is plenty of room for everyone to spread out. If you happen on a spot that doesn't have a lot available, walk around a little and you will find'em. The fields are dry and the grounds are in good shape. I don't see anything to prevent folks from having the best picking of their life.
Thursday evening 4/8 --- What a great day! A little breezy and hot in the late afternoon but still good. I would prefer these hot temperatures hold off another couple of weeks but oh well. Some of the super exposed berries might have a little sunburn, just look under the leaves to find those unaffected by the heat/sun.. Strawberry picking should last through mid May weather permitting.
Strawberries: There are soooo many ripe berries now that you have two problems ........... stopping the harvest and picking too fast. I like these problems. Remember, each box will be about $25 full. I certainly don't mind if you want 4 or 5 boxes as long as you keep in mind the cost. If you get too many, you can get a ton of goodwill by gifting some fresh Strawberries to someone and just think of the Joy you will be spreading. Problem #2: unless you live down the road you might pick quicker than the drive to the farm. Just take your time and be selective, there are plenty of berries available and it is not necessary to pick every red one you see. All the children's activities will be going Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon or just bring a ball and enjoy the outdoor space.
Flowers: the Alliums are pretty much picked so they are over. There are a good many Iris blooms and a medium amount of Ranunculus. I am not sure there will be many for Saturday but we will let you know here. My daughter thinks this heat will do a number on them so we are not sure how much longer they will last.
Easter Sunday evening 4/4 ---- Another great Easter weekend in the books. Thank You to all of the wonderful folks that came out.
The Strawberries are just getting started. Give them a day or two to recover from the weekend, by Thursday the field will have turned red with ripe berries. Thursday through Sunday should be excellent picking. The fields are dry and no rain is in the immediate forecast.
Of the next two days, Tuesday will be better. I expect tomorrow to be very slow with little picking pressure.
Easter Sunday afternoon 12:32pm ----- hey! it is drizzling a little off and on - not getting anything really wet just annoying. The Drizzle appears to be moving generally away. The Fields are dry, and the berry picking will be decent. There are red berries to pick but it will be an Easter Egg hunt to find the ripest ones. With a little diligence, folks should be able to find a box or two. Happy Easter!!
Saturday afternoon 5pm --- Even though it was a bit cold (where did that come from?) and cloudy today we still had a pretty good lazy day. The fields needed a easy day after yesterdays heavy picking.
For Easter Sunday: Only a few sprinkles fell here so the grounds are in good shape. The colder weather and rain south of us kept quite a few people away sooooo I think the picking will be decent tomorrow. The berries that are pink today will be mostly red tomorrow, especially since we don't open on Sundays until 1pm. The forecast calls for mostly cloudy with a high near 72 and light wind = just right. Whether we see you tomorrow or not - Happy Easter!
Saturday morning 8am --- Whaaaat? where did those clouds come from? and the sprinkles? I just looked at the radar and it is raining just south of us stretching over into Austin. It looks like we are just going to catch the side of the rain so I don't expect. The Farm is open rain or shine.
Friday 4/2 --- Well! what a GOOD Friday! This is historically a very big day for the farm and today was no exception. This morning was fantastic picking (the first picker out today came back with eyes as big as saucers and complaining that he couldn't pick them all) but by noon I could see some pink tint to some boxes and by 2:30ish it was tough picking.
The Flowers were equally as amazing today, simply beautiful! I can't believe they lasted most of the day with the turnout but they did. It is going to be a few days before the plants are going to be able to put more blooms on.
Tomorrow (Saturday): We will be open with smiling faces. The first customers of the day will pick some decent Strawberries. I definitely don't recommend coming after 11am for berries. Fun outdoors time yes, berries no. As mentioned earlier, the Flowers are done for a few days. I guarantee we have lots of Ice Cream (Yay!) and hungry goats!
Thursday afternoon 4/1 ---- The days keep getting better! if that is possible. Not too hot and not too cold - just right. I spend all day just amazed at the beauty. Folks were very happy and no one had to search for berries. This is a good day to lift everyone's spirits.
Strawberries: Wow! they look great! Tomorrow will be wonderful picking. In the morning it is going to be super easy to find berries, maybe a little more of a search by late afternoon. My feeling is that we will have a good supply of berries on Saturday but just in case, check here tomorrow evening. The same goes for Sunday as well. Berry supply will go through the roof next week. Don't fret if you can't make it this weekend because production is going to get even better for the next three weeks (weather permitting).
The Flower field is beautiful and there are lots to pick for tomorrow, we just have to wait a little before we predict Saturday and Sunday.
The Fields look dry except three stubborn wet spots, watch out for them. The overall grounds look great, can we freeze them this way for the rest of the year?
Looks like fresh Strawberry lemonade will be added to the menu tomorrow. I was asked about smoothies and, after looking at my belly, decided we should hold off another week before we start making them (oh boy, they are soooo good.)
Wednesday afternoon 3/31 ---- What a beautiful day! The Sunshine is out but ..... is it going to freeze tonight? Yikes. The predictions I watch are for mid 30's! The farm is in a bit of a low spot so it has a tendency to get a couple of degrees than surrounding areas. The Mesquite and Pecan trees are starting to put out which is normally a sign we are finished with freezing weather. I don't expect it to freeze so we are not going to cover up the Strawberries, I hope I'm right! (I don't think a dip to 32 for an hour or two would hurt - 30 and below is what we don't want).
Strawberries: they are looking very good! Tomorrows picking will be excellent! There are berries almost every where but here is some hints to find the best, most abundant ones.
DO: just look at the sky as you walk to the FAR end of the row you choose to pick on and then pick back toward the front. If you look down you will never make it to the good stuff because you will start picking and have a full box just before getting where you need to be. The last ten feet of the row will have as many berries as the first 40 feet.
DON"T pick on the front of rows 3 - 10. everyone else just picked there.
DO: go to the far corner of the field. Same premise as before. Folks get too excited and start picking too soon. Down Yonder is where you want to start picking.
DON'T pick every red berry you see. There is plenty to choose from so be picky. They ripen very little after harvest so get them red or mostly red. Our saying "The Redder the Better". A common problem pickers have is filling their box too quickly. Take your time and enjoy!
DO: another place folks tend to miss - the outside of row 1. It is something about having a row on each side of you or lets get further into the patch but row 1 often goes unnoticed.
We will post again Thursday evening to let you know how it looks for Friday.
Tuesday morning 3/30 ---- Every day a few more berries ripen. I expect today will be a slow day and closed Wednesdays so Thursday morning the field will be even more loaded. If the light customer flow continues then Friday morning should be very good picking. The field is 99% dry, we have a few stubborn wet spots for little Johnny to find so better keep that in mind. It feels good to be back in the berries.
Believe it or not, we have a prediction of around 35 degrees tomorrow night! It's the normal Easter cool down I guess. That's a little closer to freezing than we like. At this point, I do not think we are going to cover the fields but we will keep a very close eye on the forecast. Assuming the weather behaves, we hope to be picking into mid May. It would be fantastic to go beyond that but history says that will be tough.
Sunday Afternoon 3/28 ---- Ta Da!!! It's Strawberry time! Wahoo!! Those luscious red plump juicy pockets of tasty sweet delicacy are coming on fast. This is the first of the season so don't expect to be swimmin in Strawberries just yet. Good Friday is historically a big day here on the farm, I think the picking will be great in the morning and perhaps most of the day. It will be important to check here often concerning berry supply and don't forget to 'refresh' to get the latest update.
The flower field looks gorgeous. We are having a lot of fun with the Alliums, Ranunculus and Iris.
Thursday Morning 3/25 --- We’re a little wet from the storm last night, but fortunately we can’t see any damage to the plants. We’ll be open today for activities 8:30-5:30. No pony rides today, but the barrel train, berry bounce, sand art, and paint-a-pot will be open. Hoping to see you on the farm soon!!
Sunday evening 3/21 --- It was a BEEEEAUTIFUL weather weekend full of beautiful people and beautiful fun. It was activities only this weekend and will be Monday, Tuesday and until we start picking Strawberries .................... which might not be too long from now! We hate to tell you an actual date until we see/taste them ourselves but I suspect we might have a surprise for customers later this week.
Thursday evening 3/18 -- A beautiful but windy day today. These last two weeks have been super windy. Last week we were all leaning to the North, after yesterday and today, we are all leaning to the South.
It was good to see kids having fun again! If only we could harvest some of the energy spent out here... The activities went over well and it seemed like everyone was enjoying their selves. We will stay open with activities only until the Strawberries get here and then things will be back to normal. Speaking of berries, they are coming along nicely. I think we are two weeks out at the most! When they start they are going to start big. Will we have 10,000 pounds available for Easter weekend? I don't think so but ....... If you are planning on that weekend, shoot for picking on Good Friday.
Monday evening 3/15 --- and just like that - the Tulips are done! What an incredibly short season (12 days!). It was a very unusual season for sure, it should have lasted longer, we expected it to last longer but the plants did not listen to us. This is a good example of Farming, no two years are the same. and can be drastically different.
. Soooo, we are still going to open up Farm activities Thursday through Sunday but there will be NO Tulips and NO Strawberries (should start picking them the first of April)
Strawberries are coming! just not yet. The blooms and green fruit were frozen in the February winter storm - unbelievably the plants began blooming again shortly thereafter. Those blooms should have transformed into ripe berries by April.
Saturday Evening 3/13/21 -- Wow! Another awesome day of tulip picking! Blooms are picked out for now. Tomorrow will be slim pickings. The weather forecast calls for rain in the morning. We will be open Rain or Shine from 1-5 tomorrow afternoon. The tulip season is almost over, and will be hit or miss for the next week and a half.
Opening Thursday (3/18) for Spring Activities only. NO STRAWBERRIES (they should be ready in the first part of April).
Saturday Morning 3/13/21 --- Open rain or shine today until 5:30! We have not gotten much rain. Wear old closed toe shoes out in our field to protect your feet and your clean white shoes. Still lots of good blooms in the field today! If it does rain you can mark out picking tulips in the rain off of your life to-do list. See you soon!
Thursday Morning 3/11/21 -- Now we're back to blooming and the flowers are looking good this morning! The weather is nice.... except for this wind! (Isn't that what we always say?) Come on out for good photos and a beautiful bouquet. We will be opening Spring activities on Thursday March 18th : Berry Bounce, Barrel Train, Sand Art, Paint-a-Pot, and Pony Rides. Remember: there are no strawberries to pick right now. Strawberries are coming soon, we're looking at the first part of April. Hope to see you soon!
3/9/21 --- We have more and more blooms on the tulips everyday! While we won't be covered in blooms on Thursday, there will be lots of flowers and tons of buds to pick. We have about 50,000 tulips that are right on the edge of blooming. If you are imagining a field full of blooming tulips with tulips blooming for miles, that isn't what is out there right now. Aka if you are only coming for pictures follow us on our facebook page for real photos of our current field so you can determine the best time to come. The best flowers to put in your vase are actually the budding flowers that haven't quite bloomed, but still have a bit of color on them. Those flowers will get you a long vase life and more bang for your buck. There are lots of tulips and some daffodils to pick right now, come for a beautiful bouquet. And last but not least the goats are always looking for some love and some food (not necessarily in that order.)
3/8/21 --- Tulips are currently in their "budding phase" if you want great quality flowers that will have a long vase life, come on out.
If you are looking for amazing pictures with thousands of tulips in bloom..... wait until we post that our field is full again. Keep following our page for the best updates, because things change daily around here. Can't wait to see you in the tulips!
Sunday evening March 7, 2021 ---- We need to frame this weather and hang it on the wall to look at when it is miserably hot or miserably cold - wow! Another busy day in the Tulip patch today. Even though there was a wait to get the Tulips wrapped (sorry) our customers had the best attitude -- ya'll are the BEST ever!
Tulips: at the moment - open blooms are picked. There are tons of buds - given the warm weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday, closed Wednesday = Thursday and Friday will be great picking, I suspect the weekend too. We will keep you informed here.
Strawberries: more and more blooms are popping out every day. We are confident we will still have a good crop, just later than normal. Hopefully we will start picking berries the very end of March, first of April.
March 6 , 2021 --- What an amazing day! After a brutal cold spell it was great to have a wonderful "open' day. The weather was just perfect and there was a field full of Tulips to start the day off. We were very fortunate to have a story on the news last night and that brought out a bunch of folks. Tomorrow (Sunday), the Farm is open 1pm to 5pm. While not near as full as this morning, there are still Tulips to be pulled. If you are coming from far away - wait until next Thursday. At the moment the field is not 'picture worthy", give it a few days. They will continue to bloom over the next 3 weeks weather permitting.
Strawberries: blooming, the plants are growing out of the freeze damage. We are hoping to start picking the first of April.
March 4, 2021 --- Wow! The tulip field sure does look beautiful! We are finally open with tulips! The tulips did survive the freezing temps, but we did not escape some freeze damage to some blooms and leaves. More and more tulips are blooming everyday! It is an impressive display of flowers out there today! if you don't believe me, head over to our facebook page for *current* pictures of our field. No spring activities yet (barrel train, bounce, paint-a-pot, sand art). Those will start up with the strawberry crop at the end of March. Things might change so keep checking in here for the up-to-date info! Just remember when visiting us for tulips that you will need to park by the white house on the left side of the highway. There is a $5 entry fee for everyone 3 and up. 2 and under is free to go into the tulip field. The tulips themselves are $2 each.
March 1, 2021 --- We've been looking at the tulips soo much that we started to dream about them, and our dream has finally become a reality! Opening for tulip season starting on Thursday. By Thursday we will have about 25% of our tulip field in bloom. More and more flowers will start blooming as time goes on, but hurry on out cause last year they were only in bloom for a month. We planted 82 different tulip varieties that bloom at different times. Come out multiple times this season to see different flowers in bloom!
February 24, 2021 --- The bees are a buzz!! You know what that means.... you need to BEE Ready for Tulips!
We will be opening for tulip picking in just about 2 weeks! We did not come out unscathed after the frost, but we are excited to have tulips coming soon! We will post an official opening date and hours next week.
Strawberries are delayed until the end of March when the current blooms on the plants can reach maturity. Did you know that it takes 30 days from a strawberry bloom to a ripe strawberry? Well, now you know! See you soon!
January 12, 2021 ---- We hope that your year is starting as good as ours. The Strawberry plants are growing and the Tulip bulbs have been planted. We are anxiously awaiting the start of the Spring season which hopefully will be in the first of March. If you find yourself fretting over the state of things, just think about putting a big ole luscious red plump juicy Strawberry in your mouth or picking a beautiful bouquet of Tulips - that should put a smile on your face. Stay warm and we hope to see you in a month or so. :)
Sunday 11/28 -- What a beautiful day today! The sun is shining, and the farm has dried out nicely. You will still find a little mud in the strawberry field but it is not bad! Strawberry supply is great for our LAST day open of the fall season. Come on out, we will be here till 5!
Saturday Morning 11/27 — We are open today rain or shine! 8:30-5:30 Make the “sweetest” memories and come on out to pick berries (there are plenty in the field) and have fun.
Friday Morning 11/26 -- We're open this weekend for our final weekend of berry picking and fall activities! Berry supply looks great! The flowers did get kissed by a frost early this week, so we will not have flower picking. No entrance fee! Pay only for the activities that you would like to participate in.
Activities available this weekend: Berry Picking, Berry Bounce, Sand Art, Stuff-a-Scarecrow, Texas Maze, and Barrel Train. We will be open tomorrow rain or shine.
Sunday Morning 11/21 -- Well, I'm shocked! We still have berries in the field! Picking will be decent today as well! Closed Monday thru Thursday for Thanksgiving break, and we will reopen Friday thru Sunday for even MORE strawberry picking and fall activities. Berry picking so far looks great for next weekend. See y'all soon!!
Saturday Morning 11/20 -- Picking will be good thru the day today! Beautiful berries have been coming out of the field. Berries are a product of nature, and the farmhands here can't make more. Around here, the early bird gets the berry. Tomorrow I predict slim pickings. We will be open next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with berry picking and our fall activities. We are loving the cool not cold temps. Can't wait to see you soon!
Thursday Morning 11/18 -- The strawberry supply has replenished! I predict good picking for tomorrow (11/19) and Saturday (11/20). This cold weather that we will have for the next 24-48 hours will delay the ripening process on the berries so Sunday will more than likely be slim picking. No freezes are forecasted so berries will continue to produce for our last weekend in November. I will continue to keep you updated, and I hope to see you soon!
Sunday Evening 11/7 -- Winding down on our first official day strawberry picking, and it was a good one.... we were able to pick 300 pounds out of the field today, and there are more on the way for the upcoming weekend! Remember, now that we are in November we are only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. We will be covered in strawberries Friday 11/12. Come on out to pick berries and to do those fun fall activities! Can't wait to see ya!
Saturday Night 11/6 -- Tomorrow the farm is open from 11-5. We've got the hayrides, mazes, ponies and..... guess what?! We'll be picking strawberries tomorrow, too! The strawberries will be $3.25 per pound. Come on out pick some fresh fall berries and enjoy fall activities all at the same time! After tomorrow, the farm will be closed for everything Monday thru Thursday, and open again Friday-Sunday for berry picking and limited fall activities. We expect to be picking berries until the first hard freeze of the winter season. Thanks and see you BERRY soon!
Friday 11/5 -- WOW! Today is going to be a fantastic day! I was able to see the sunrise over the strawberry plants (something I haven't seen in 3 days - that is how I know it will be a good day). The farm is drying up nicely. Very little mud in flower field and mazes today. The sun will be shining, and the ice cream always tastes better on cooler days. This cooler weather will slow down strawberry production, but we are still on track to open up for picking later on in the month! Stay tuned for up-to-date farm info!
Thursday Morning 11/4 -- After a rainy day yesterday the farm is .... surprisingly not that wet! I was walking around this morning, and I have no mud on my shoes after visiting the pumpkin patch and sand art. It will be colder than usual today, so bring warm clothes. The flower field looks great (lots of blooms), but you'll need some rainboots or old shoes to walk around in there. All in all the farm looks good; and if you're into fall weather, now is the time to visit! No crowds today, and we're all here with smiles on our faces. Can't wait to see you here!
Friday evening 10/29 --- Talk about windy! Wow, the last three days have been off the charts windy. Thankfully the winds are supposed to be calm this weekend with highs around 80 - very nice!!!! Since we have not had a freeze, the flowers are still blooming and the Mazes are still green. All the activities will be running full steam. Pumpkin availability is not as great as it once was but there is still plenty for those folks looking for a last minute Jack. Historically this is a pretty calm weekend, somewhat busy but not crazy like the last two. It is going to be an awesome weekend, hope to see you soon if we haven't already.
Wednesday morning 10/27 --- Remember: we are closed on Wednesdays.
That was a rock'em sock'em storm this morning! We had just at nine tenths of an inch - very nice. Ten portopotties blew over, but that is not bad considering we have 51. Speaking of: yes, our restrooms are port o potties here at the farm but I will say, they are the cleanest port o potties you have ever seen (but the are still port o potties). I am assuming we will have to do a little work in the Mazes cutting the stalks that fell over from the wind and rain but that is not a big deal.
The Strawberry plants are in the ground!! Yay! I thought I ordered too many but ended up about a 1000 short. Doesn't matter because we should have around 130,000 in the ground! And guess what? We will have some berries to pick off the early planting starting about mid November. Keep an eye out for an announcement around November 20. If this weather holds up and nothing drastic happens, there should be a decent little Fall Strawberry picking window.
The Sun is brilliantly shining now. A 65 degree temperature and a light wind is wonderful. The forecast for the remainder of this week looks great. There will be a little mud in the Flower patch tomorrow. Other than that, it should be an awesome time to come out to the farm.
Friday afternoon 10/22 ---- Our forecast for Saturday and Sunday is Partly Sunny skies with a high of 85 Saturday and 89 Sunday = sweet! Partly Sunny is good because even though it was only 85 today, the sun was pretty intense. The grounds are dry now, no one should need to worry about mud unless we spring a water leak somewhere. The Flower field is not quite back to it's formal glory but there are plenty of flowers for everyone to pick. All of the activities seem to be running wonderfully, nothing to prevent folks from coming out and having a wonderful time.
Oh! We are one of the six Farms in the United States chosen by the Hallmark Channel to have a special display and photo op. There will be a professional photographer giving away free pictures in front of their display Saturday and Sunday. Last I saw, they also had a little goody bag they were giving away and ........ rumor has it that they are randomly giving away a special prize too (can't say what that is).
And to really get you excited (me anyway) ........ we finished planting the Strawberry plants on the Farm side of the road! Yay! roughly 24,000 more to go over in the school group area but we should easily be able to knock them out in a day or two next week. Yes sirree - I have no idea how we have been able to accomplish what we have but somehow it all worked out. Hope to see you soon!
Monday evening 10/18 --- And this amazing weather continues! The temperatures the last few days have been marvelous! and it looks like they will continue to be in the 80's all week.
The grounds are drying up nicely. Only a few muddy spots remain in the Flower patch and they are quickly disappearing. Comfortable shoes and shorts are a great choice when coming out. The Mazes have enjoyed the rainfall last week and are looking pretty good. The Hayride is still awesome and the list goes on and on.
Speaking of the Flower patch - more blooms are coming on fast! There are still plenty to pick but a fresh batch is about to bust forth. I expect the whole patch to be a blanket of flowers again by this weekend.
I am so excited that we might be able to get back to planting Strawberry plants tomorrow. We were able to get the first batch planted on time but this second batch is running a little late getting in the ground. We have 80,000 to plant and if we push hard we should be able to plant them in 4 or 5 days. The problem is that something always happens and we have to stop. Let's hope for few distractions. That first batch ......... is sporadically blooming! Last year we were able to pick some berries for Thanksgiving. Yepper, I am pretty sure we will have some berries this year too - assuming we don't have a freeze sneak up on us.
Saturday evening 10/16 ---- What an amazing day!! Could you ask for prettier weather? I couldn't. And it looks like tomorrow will be equally as gorgeous with partly cloudy skies and a high of 73. We are sooooo blessed in sooooo many ways. One of the ways is by having the best customers in the world. A lot of folks came out today and we were pretty busy but everyone I encountered was just as happy as could be. If you lose hope in humanity, just come out to the Farm.
Here is the skinny for tomorrow - it is going to be another big day! The grounds are in good shape other than a few muddy spots in the flower field. There is a ton of pumpkins to choose from and all the activities are going wonderfully well. The only thing I am a bit concerned about is the flower supply. Every single person should be able to pick plenty of flowers but those giant blooms have been taken. The blooms might be smaller but they are still very pretty.
Thursday evening 10/14 --- After an overcast misty morning the weather turned into a beautiful afternoon. We still have a few puddles of standing water to avoid tomorrow and there is sure to be some mud between the flower rows. Other than that - the Farm is looking good! Tomorrow should be a great day to come out to the farm....... and did you see the forecast temperatures for Saturday? a high in the low 70's!!!!!!!! Wow!
Thursday morning 7:15am --- Right at an inch out of last nights storm. Todays forecast is clearing skies which will be good to help us clean up and dry out. The sun is not up yet but I could tell the grass in the Barnyard maze was laying over a little and needed trimming. Sooo, I suggest waiting until this afternoon or tomorrow to visit the farm just to give things a chance to dry out a little. Those fashionable rain boots might be a good choice if you are coming today. Wahoo, we are about to get some Fall temperatures!
Tuesday night 10/12 --- remember: the Farm is closed on Wednesdays.
Scattered little showers through the day were quite annoying. Some rain but not enough to do anything other than make folks run for cover. So far, the grounds are still in great shape. We do have a strong chance of rain the next two days and maybe a heavy downpour. We will keep an eye on the sky and update here daily.
Ok, we need to have a talk:
To the individual that was upset and reported Jack the Donkey as being grossly obese and about to founder - Thank you for your concern, it is good to keep us in line. Jack is a miniature cross back Donkey bred to be a pack animal. They naturally are very wide and have a very wide flat back characterized by the thin dark streak running down the center of the back with a perpendicular line across the shoulders creating a "cross" (I was told that when Jesus rode the donkey a 'cross' appeared on its back). Our veterinarian is very aware of his shape. I am glad Jack did not hear you or he might have become offended.
To the individual that was going to report us to every agency they could think of because we were severely neglecting our goats by providing them an undersized water bucket. Once again, thank you for your concern. We need that input to keep us in check. Let me explain how a float works. As animals drink water down, the float drops allowing fresh water into bucket pushing float back up to stop the incoming flow. Therefore the bucket never runs out of water. Also, the goats were laying down because they had been fed a lot on that busy day. Don't worry, they are in great shape.
To the boys washing some mud off of the bottoms of their shoes with the Flower water - you were standing in your socks in a puddle washing the shoes that were in your hands. Folks, we are a farm and there is a very good chance you will get mud on the bottoms of your shoes after a rain. We don't provide a place to wash your shoes. If concerned, please bring a bag to put shoes in after your visit. The spray nozzles at the Flower patch are to put water into your vase ........... only.
Let's all keep an eye on the weather. We hope to see you again as soon as the weather allows.
Tuesday morning 7:20am --- Hey! Where did this moisture come from? It is misting a little here now. According to radar app, it looks like a few spotty wet spots in the vicinity. I don't see a line of showers or anything like that, just some stuff moving through. Our forecast calls for a 60% chance of showers before 1pm. We will be here with smiling faces rain or shine.
Monday morning 7:50am --- Oh yes!! Just right! 2 tenths of an inch of rain last night was perfect to settle the dust and freshen up the farm. I don't see any mud but I am sure the kiddos can find a puddle to get into if left unattended. The rain was accompanied by some strong winds, we will have some hay leaning over in the Texas Maze but the pathways I walked on were not slick or muddy at all. Today will be a great day on the Farm, hope to see you soon!
Sunday evening 10/10 --- It has been a great Fall season and we are hoping it continues. The Farm is open Monday Columbus day, everything will be running (including pony rides) except the Grille (your welcome to bring your own munchies).
Regarding the rain chances we have for tonight ----- I hope we get some! The Farm is getting dry again and a shower sure would be nice. Here at 9pm I see a thin line of rain coming from the North. By the look of the radar, it doesn't look like we will get much if any. Tomorrows forecast is Sunny, high of 85 with light wind - that's going to be nice! IF we get enough rain to affect the grounds or your visit, I will post an update by 8:30am. Be sure to 'refresh' the page every time you come to it. NO update = everything is great! Hope to see you soon!
Friday afternoon 10/8 ---- Getting ready for an awesome weekend! Our forecast for Saturday is Sunny with a high of 90 with a breeze, Sunday is Sunny, high of 94 and gusty winds. We will be open Monday Columbus day but the weather predictions vary so we will wait until Sunday to update you about next week.
The grounds are in great shape - comfortable clothes/shorts are a good idea. The sun is pretty intense in the afternoons so be prepared. We sell water or you can bring your own, same with lunch too. There are lots of shaded picnic tables to use but no cooking or alcoholic beverages please.
To me: the flower patch continues to be the star of the show. Last weeks rains did wonders for the Mazes. The Hayride is fun, Barrel Train is boring but a favorite for little kids, we have 3 jumping pillows now to tire the kids out before going home and lots more activities. No entrance or Parking fee, just pay for the activities you wish to do or pumpkins you want to take home. Hope to see you soon!
Tuesday evening 10/5 ---- Remember: Closed Wednesdays, please don't come out tomorrow. (this is the day we do all the work without worrying about running over anyone with a tractor).
Wow, what a great start to the Fall season! "Thanks" to everyone that has come out so far. I know it is Fall because some leaves keep 'falling' on me when I drive the Hayride but these high temperatures are slowly creeping back up toward the 90's. The grounds are all in great shape so wear comfortable cool clothes and try to come in the mornings. All activities are going on wonderfully. The Flower patch is still the star of the show, with the Crowville Hayride right behind. In case you didn't know: the Hayride runs out through the woods where there are hundreds of stuffed non scary scarecrows in a myriad of 'scenes'. I think granny told me there were somewhere around 328 scarecrows on the route. We always say if someone falls off the trailer they turn into a scarecrow --- well, evidently lots of people have been falling off.
The Candy Corn Kid Maze and Barnyard intermediate Maze look marvelous, the Texas Maze is struggling. When the grass got over 6 feet tall we were not able to water it and it began to starve for water. The rain last week did wonders to perk it back up. Currently the Candy Corn is taking about 10 to 15 minutes, Barnyard 15 - 20 minutes and Texas about 45 minutes to complete.
Saturday 11:10 am - It's an amazing day so far. No rain last night or this morning. It started partly sunny but it seems the clouds have moved in. Currently, I don't see any rain on the radar heading our direction or within 60 miles of us. We still need to keep an eye on the sky but my feeling is that today will be awesome all the way through. The majority of the grounds have dried up, there are a few puddles for little Johnny to find but he is going to have to search for them. Folks are getting a little mud/sticky dirt on the bottom of their shoes in the Texas Maze and the aisles between the Zinnia rows. Hope to see you soon but if you can't make it out - we hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Friday afternoon --- Lookin good! Last nights rain sure was needed and really made the farm look better to me. Most of the puddles have dried out, walking around the farm is mud free and the Mazes are passable. The aisles between the Zinnias are a little slick. It has turned out to be a wonderful day.
Our forecast has changed a bit, it is calling for a 20% chance of rain today and tonight bumped up to 50% after 10am tomorrow (Saturday) with no chance of rain Sunday. I think it will be a stellar weekend with a high in the mid 80's and hopefully only a passing shower. We will be here rain or shine with smiling faces on. Hope to see you soon!
Friday morning 8:40am --- about 1.5 inches last night - the farm looks pretty good considering. The rain seems to be generally moving off to the East but I'm not sure if more will develop this afternoon.
All the grassy areas and parking lot are in great shape - no mud. The Hayride and Barrel Train will run just as planned. The areas that will be a little muddy at first will be the aisles between the flower rows and maybe some parts of the Texas Maze. We won't have Pony Rides today as their area will get muddy after just a little use. The grounds were very dry so I expect this to dry up pretty fast and hey, it is supposed to be a bit cooler today!!!
Thursday afternoon 9/30 ---- No rain so far. The Farm has dried out nicely and at the moment everything is just right. We have a 50% chance tonight and tomorrow morning. The Farm is open rain or shine so we will be here waiting for anyone. One thing I have learned here at the Farm, never change my plans according to the forecast. Off and On little showers should not create a problem - we will just have to keep an eye on the sky. We will try to update tomorrow morning as well.
Wednesday afternoon 9/29 ---- Perfect! Just Perfect! Last night we had 3/4 inch of wonderful rain! Yes! It settled all the dust, washed us off, freshened up the farm and made it just right for tomorrows guests. Almost all the rain has been soaked up. High temperatures in the 80s and a very small chance of rain will make tomorrow a great day to come out to the farm.
The forecasters are still calling for rain on Friday so we will have to keep an eye on the sky. We'll post another update tomorrow afternoon concerning Friday. Hope to see you soon!
Tuesday 9/28 ---- whew! The first 50,000 Strawberry plants are in the ground and the first 10 Semi loads of Pumpkins have been put out. In the next few weeks we should plant another 82,000 plants and, if the season goes as it should, we will put out another 10 loads of Pumpkins.
The Farm is operating really well, just about as smooth as it can go. I have only had two tractors break down on the Hayride (actually one tractor originally and again after "I fixed it").
Rain - we sure could use some on the grounds and the Mazes are desperate for it. It looks like we have some in the forecast. And that's just it - it is 'predicted'. We will just have to wait and see what/when it falls. An inch or two and we are golden. Four or five inches could be problematic for a few days. We will try to update often this week to give folks an idea of what things look like.
To me, the Zinnia patch and the Hayride are the stars of the show so far. Here comes October - yes!!!! Hope to see you soon!
Friday evening Sept 24 ---- It is going to be a great weekend! All the events are running well and we are loaded with Pumpkins. The Flower field is stunningly beautiful, wow! The Texas Maze is fun but looking a little ragged from our current dry spell. Folks are loving the music aspect (see the Maze page under "Activities/Cost" link). Crowville has had a population explosion - ride the Hayride to see all the new Scarecrows. That sheep continues to be hard to find in the Barnyard Hayfield Maze, families are spending 20 to 30 minutes in there looking. The Barrel Train has to be the most boring ride out here but little kids sure do get a kick out of it. Little artists continue to enjoy painting pumpkins while families enjoy together time stuffing a Scarecrow. There is just something about riding a pony kids love. The Candy Corn Hayfield Maze is the best looking one of them all and a little harder than most folks expect, he he. To tire the kids out so you can get that coveted "the kids are sleeping" on the drive back - put them on one of the three Berry Bounces. And then there is the myriad of Pumpkins available for purchase. A good Jack must start with a good stem and we are pleased to have some of the best stems around!
Weather wise: Mornings are wonderful! Afternoons too but the sun is pretty intense, upper 80's feels like 90's. Comfortable clothes/shorts and walking shoes are a good idea. Ye Haw, Fall is getting started! Hope to see you soon.
Tuesday evening September 21 ---- My daughters told me not to do updates in the evenings anymore because my tiredness comes out in the writing. Well! Reckon they are calling me old?! Ha Ha.
The Farm is doing great! We are very happy with the way things are going. A little moisture and cooler weather sure would be nice for me. Today a cool front came in and cooled us down a bit - it was/is much appreciated. Upper 80's, low 90's will feel cold compared to the last two weeks. I believe the cooler morning temperatures will really get us in the Fall spirit. Perhaps we have turned the corner and these hot days are behind us?
I do believe the Flower patch is about as beautiful as I have ever seen. The assortment of colors and size of the field really do make a gorgeous sight. Wow! Every year one thing (event) seems to be better than the rest - so far, I would say the Flower patch is the winner.
The first 50,000 Strawberry plants came in today. With any luck we will get to planting them in the next few days. They look pretty good after their trek from Canada. We were sure to say "Welcome to Texas" to every tray as we unloaded them.
I would still recommend visiting the Farm in the mornings until these temperatures really do come down. Shorts and comfortable clothes will be just fine to keep you cool.
Saturday morning September 18 ---- Ye Haw, we are all the way open now! It was a bit busy yesterday trying to get ready but not as bad as years past, I had time to go to the High School Football game last night. After 21 years, maybe we are starting to get the hang of it? Not so fast Charlie!
Now we just need some cooler weather! Wear shorts and comfortable clothes if coming out over the next few days. Early mornings and late afternoons are not too bad but the middle of the day is pretty toasty! And speaking of toast, the dry spell we are in is causing the Mazes to suffer. Some years the grass looks better than others - this is going to be an 'other' year if we don't get a little moisture soon. They are still plenty fun and plenty hard, just not healthy and green like normal. The Candy Corn kid Maze is super tall, I am sure to a little kid it feels like they are amongst skyscrapers. I thought it was going to be too hard so I sent my daughters in ---- 9 minutes! Hmph! Well, one of my hands got 'lost' for 30 minutes - hmmmmm.
Better go ...... hope to see you soon! Happy Fall Ya'll (I think next Wed we are supposed to get to the 80's, yes!!!)
Wednesday evening September 9/8 ---- Hey! reckon this heat has broken just a bit? Monday and Tuesday we had a little rain so it was humid, hot and hard for even me to work in. Today it was hot in the middle of the afternoon but plenty bearable. It seems to me that early in the morning I am feeling a little bit of crispness to the air, a clear indication Fall is on the way. The forecast has low 90's in it and wind too so it should not too bad out here. Still come prepared though. The Zinnias are doing wonderful! They are beautiful! The Barnyard Maze, Hayride and Barrel Train are looking good. The Texas Maze is looking a little worn from a wind storm we had last week but still hard.
Monday evening September 4 --- It was a good opening weekend! A little toasty in the Texas Maze though. On these sunny days a umbrella sure is nice to keep the sun off your head! The Zinnias were (are) beautiful, the Hayride was (is) entertaining, the Barrel Train was (is) boring (but for some reason little kids love it!), the Barnyard Maze was fun (lots of folks couldn't find the Sheep - Danny says it is a Himalayan Sheep: Him-must-be-a-layin over here or there). The Barnyard was hot but it only takes 20 or 30 minutes. Texas was a chore for most people. Early in the morning is not to to bad, 12 to 3 is horrible and 4 to 5:30 is bearable. If you are used to the heat, wear shorts or something cool then give Texas a go. Otherwise, wait until the temperature goes down a little or a windy day.
Edder and I have been hard at building Strawberry beds and we are almost finished. A rain shower came up this evening and stopped us 6 beds from completing!
Wednesday evening September 1 --- Getting closer to opening! We are excited, and we hope you are too! We had a request for which towns/songs are in the Texas Maze - oh no, it's a surprise! Ha Ha. Here is a little glimpse - some of the 'towns' to find will be Texarkana (Texarkana Baby by Eddie Arnold) and Beaumont (Prettly Little Lady by George Jones). Other towns to search for will be Abilene, Galveston, Temple, Amarillo, Brownsville, Dallas, El Paso, Huntsville, Laredo, Lubbock, Luckenbach, San Angelo, San Antonio, Terlingua and the only rock song - La Grange.
The Zinnias are looking fabulous! Wow, I almost don't want anyone to pick any because the field looks so beautiful. They do need to be picked though so the plants will put on more.
Granny says the Hayride route is finished for now. I haven't seen it all but what I have seen has been very cute (can a farmer say 'cute' without hurting my man card?). These are the Happiest Scarecrows you have ever seen and the Village just keeps growing! We are all super proud of the Hayride.
We finished a block of Strawberry beds yesterday, now 4 more to go. We are a little stressed because here we are getting ready to open when I want to capitalize on some ground moisture and build Strawberry beds. Oh well, we will get it done one way or the other.
note: it is getting pretty hot in the afternoons, remember that if making a trip out to the farm soon. We do allow folks to bring in Non alcoholic beverages or we have water to purchase.
Monday morning 8/30 ----- the countdown to opening is on! and the Farm is almost ready! Some rain the last few days have been a blessing!
Flowers --- The Zinnias are starting to put on a show, there will be nice flowers to cut this weekend. The plants are a little small yet but the blooms are not. The more flowers cut from the plant, the more the plants put back on. Cutting them now will be good for the plants. We supply scissors and plastic vases. We just need to put out the water bars to fill vases and it will be ready.
Texas Maze -- We are 'Jazzed' about the 2021 Texas Maze. 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 actual 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 2021 'Singin across Texas" Maze, Game players will be looking for 17 towns in Texas that have a song written about them. Scan the QR code at each town to hear the song! It will be a load of fun (warning, lots of the songs are old fashioned but my daughters say that "some young people are starting to listen to old country"). At the beginning of the year before a lot of rouge pathways get made, it can be pretty hard. I cut the pathways and it still took Edder and I almost two hours to put all the city signs out - yikes! The pathways need a fresh mowing, a little trimming and cleanup and it will be ready.
Barnyard Maze --- The pathways are cut and the 'lost' animals are put out. The object: find our lost animals and come on out. It is only about an acre but I do believe it will be harder than it looks - maybe 20 to 30 minutes. We still have a little cleanup to do and it will be ready.
Barrel Train - a little cleanup and it will be ready. Currently there are goats in the Barrel Train area that will need to be kicked out but a rattle of the feed bucket will take care of that.
Scarecrow Island Hayride - I did some work on the route today to repair wash outs from the recent rains. My mom, Granny (going on 84) is in charge of the decorating and we would ALL be good to work like her. She has a great imagination and the Scarecrow "scenes" are delightful. Who knows how many funny Scarecrows she has on the route - last year it was over 300! Folks might find other Pumpkin Patches but NO ONE has a hayride like this one. A little work on the entrance, get Tractors/trailers ready and purchase some square hay bales and this will be ready.
Hey now - we better get to work!
Tuesday 8/24 ---- Are you ready? After being closed for the summer, the Farm is opening back up Saturday September 4 on what we call the House side of the road that cuts through the middle of the farm. I know, whaaaaaaaaaat?! Lets see: Flowers - check, still a little small but growing like weeds. Texas Maze - check, need to do some work cleaning up the pathways but should be OK. The Barrel Train - check, need to replace the electronics on one tractor but two are ready to go. The Hayride - check, granny is feverishly working to finalize all the scenes. The Barnyard Maze - check, need to hedge the pathways and clean up the entrance but it should be ok. Signage - almost a check, a couple of days and it should be done.
It is getting super busy on the Farm. We are all very excited and nervous at the same time, even in our 21st year. We hope to see you all soon!
Monday 8/1 --- Working hard to get ready for ...... Fall? Yep, before you know it Fall will be upon us. The four Mazes are growing nicely and between 4 and 6 feet tall. So far they are growing well, let's hope they keep on this pace. The flowers are being planted as we speak. The flower patch should be a hair bigger than last year. Granny and Elaine are diligently getting the Hayride Scarecrows set up. That sure is a big job and we are sooooo blessed to have someone as creative as Granny leading the show. The Strawberry fields are being worked up in preparation for bed building in the end of this month. There is more than enough to keep us busy dawn to dusk but it is a labor of love because this is what makes us happy. Get ready everyone - Fall is coming! Despite what the front page says, we hope to open the Flowers, Texas Maze, Barnyard Maze, Barrel Train and Hayride the first part of September. Ye Haw!
Monday 7/5 -- Thank you to all who came out to support our very first sunflower season! We sure do appreciate you! The farm is now closed for summer so we can focus on prepping the fields for zinnias and strawberries, and to convert the farm into the Harvest of Fall Fun coming up soon in September. We'll be open again soon!!
Thursday 7/1 -- The sunflowers are still in bloom for our last weekend! We have about a little less than half of the field in bloom. Come clear the field with our 7/4 sale! $5 entry per person (ages 2 and under free) and $0.74 per flower! Goats are always hungry and the popsicles are always cold! Can't wait to see you this weekend!
Monday 6/28 -- We will be open for sunflower picking through the week! We are starting the downhill slope towards the end of the season, but good pictures and flowers are still to be had. We are loving sunflowers and will be sure to plant them again next year!
Friday 6/25 -- uhh.... Where did the week go? I swear I updated this page yesterday..... oops. That was monday! Sunflower field still looks good! We are not in peak season anymore but we have about 30 varieties still in bloom. You can still get great pictures and AWESOME sunflowers! We are THE most affordable sunflower farm in the area, so come on out! $5 per person (2 and under free) and $2 per flower. You are not required to pick the flowers, so if you just want to come look, then come on! No kid's activities but there are goats to feed and pet! They sure do love our customers! (We do too!!!)
Monday 6/21 -- Sunflowers are still going strong! We are going to wrap up the season anytime between June 30th and July 4th. Hurry on out if you are looking for the best pictures. Peak season won't last much longer!
Saturday 6/19 -- WE ARE AT FULL BLOOM! Now is the time to come! We have about 40,000 sunflowers in bloom right now! The field is just stunning. The sunflowers will last until Farmer Dan tells us we have to rip the sunflowers out and start prepping the field for our fall flowers: Zinnias. We're thinking anywhere from June 30th to July 4th. We're so excited about these sunflowers! Just visit us to find out why!
Tuesday 6/15 -- The fields are looking gorgeous! We are just about at full bloom! We have TONS of flowers to pick! Bring things like sunscreen, bug spray, and hats and glasses. Stay cool out there! You'll take a left before you get to the main gate of Sweet Berry Farm as if you are going to the white house. Park, and come on out for your flowers! We've got goats to feed and sunflowers to pick. Our other children's activities are closed.
Saturday 6/12 -- Good morning! It will be a great day for sunflower picking! Just remember: it's hot! Bring all the things to stay cool! After entering, head down to the how to pick sunflower guide, then stop by to see our farm hands for snips. We provide snips for adults to cut the sunflower. After you've got all that you want, return your snips, and head up to our wrapping stations and grab a popsicle too! We can't wait to see ya!
Friday 6/11 -- I swear more sunflowers bloomed overnight! The field is stunning. If you come in a bad mood, you will have to try hard to stay in a bad mood. Something about these sunflowers has me whistling and smiling all the live long day. It has been 5 long years since we were able to plant sunflowers, and this year with it being the year of the sunflower, we thought we should do it again and let them have their very own season.
$5 admission and $2 per flower.
Things to Bring:
-Bug spray (have you seen the mosquitos lately?!)
- Sunscreen
-Things to keep cool
-Closed toe shoes that can get muddy. Our fields have yet to dry out.
- Gloves (not required but helpful)
- A bucket to put your flowers in for the ride home.
Thursday 6/10 - The sunflowers are coming on strong! We currently have about 35% of our field blooming with more and more blooming everyday! We will operate sunflower picking like our tulip picking at $5 entry fee and $2 per flower. The season will last anywhere from 10-25 days so come on out as fast as you can! We have fun new flavors of popsicles to try! We have a refreshing tart lemonade, pineapple, spicy pineapple (pineapple with chile) and a sunbutter pop that is milk based and made with sunflower seed butter! We are ready to open tomorrow! Remember: It is hot outside! Please drink water, wear hats, and keep cool.
onday 6/7 -- That's right folks, we are ready for Sunflowers! Opening June 11th for Sunflower picking! Open regular spring hours. The price is $5 entry and $2 per flower you pick. The season will last anywhere from 10-25 days!
Things to Bring:
-Bug spray (have you seen the mosquitos lately?!)
-Closed toe shoes that can get muddy. Our fields have yet to dry out.
- Gloves (not required but helpful)
- A bucket to put your flowers in for the ride home.
Hope to see you soon!
Sunday Evening 5/30 --- Aand that's a wrap on strawberry season! Thank you to everyone for visiting our family's farm this strawberry season. We hope to have you back for Sunflower picking! Starting anywhere from June 5th- June 13th. The cost will be $5 entry and $2 per flower. Just like tulips. When visiting us for Sunflowers you will park on the left side of the highway or by the white house! Be sure to bring some gloves, the sunflower stems are a bit prickly. We will provide cutting tools for adult use only. We accidentally planted the flowers verrryyy close together... so it might be a bit jungle-esque. Perhaps some long sleeves will be good? I know it will be hot! We're so excited to have a whole field of sunflowers!! See y'all soon!
Monday morning 8/30 ----- the countdown to opening is on! and the Farm is almost ready! Some rain the last few days have been a blessing!
Flowers --- The Zinnias are starting to put on a show, there will be nice flowers to cut this weekend. The plants are a little small yet but the blooms are not. The more flowers cut from the plant, the more the plants put back on. Cutting them now will be good for the plants. We supply scissors and plastic vases. We just need to put out the water bars to fill vases and it will be ready.
Texas Maze -- We are 'Jazzed' about the 2021 Texas Maze. 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 actual 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 2021 'Singin across Texas" Maze, Game players will be looking for 17 towns in Texas that have a song written about them. Scan the QR code at each town to hear the song! It will be a load of fun (warning, lots of the songs are old fashioned but my daughters say that "some young people are starting to listen to old country"). At the beginning of the year before a lot of rouge pathways get made, it can be pretty hard. I cut the pathways and it still took Edder and I almost two hours to put all the city signs out - yikes! The pathways need a fresh mowing, a little trimming and cleanup and it will be ready.
Barnyard Maze --- The pathways are cut and the 'lost' animals are put out. The object: find our lost animals and come on out. It is only about an acre but I do believe it will be harder than it looks - maybe 20 to 30 minutes. We still have a little cleanup to do and it will be ready.
Barrel Train - a little cleanup and it will be ready. Currently there are goats in the Barrel Train area that will need to be kicked out but a rattle of the feed bucket will take care of that.
Scarecrow Island Hayride - I did some work on the route today to repair wash outs from the recent rains. My mom, Granny (going on 84) is in charge of the decorating and we would ALL be good to work like her. She has a great imagination and the Scarecrow "scenes" are delightful. Who knows how many funny Scarecrows she has on the route - last year it was over 300! Folks might find other Pumpkin Patches but NO ONE has a hayride like this one. A little work on the entrance, get Tractors/trailers ready and purchase some square hay bales and this will be ready.
Hey now - we better get to work!
Tuesday 8/24 ---- Are you ready? After being closed for the summer, the Farm is opening back up Saturday September 4 on what we call the House side of the road that cuts through the middle of the farm. I know, whaaaaaaaaaat?! Lets see: Flowers - check, still a little small but growing like weeds. Texas Maze - check, need to do some work cleaning up the pathways but should be OK. The Barrel Train - check, need to replace the electronics on one tractor but two are ready to go. The Hayride - check, granny is feverishly working to finalize all the scenes. The Barnyard Maze - check, need to hedge the pathways and clean up the entrance but it should be ok. Signage - almost a check, a couple of days and it should be done.
It is getting super busy on the Farm. We are all very excited and nervous at the same time, even in our 21st year. We hope to see you all soon!
Monday 8/1 --- Working hard to get ready for ...... Fall? Yep, before you know it Fall will be upon us. The four Mazes are growing nicely and between 4 and 6 feet tall. So far they are growing well, let's hope they keep on this pace. The flowers are being planted as we speak. The flower patch should be a hair bigger than last year. Granny and Elaine are diligently getting the Hayride Scarecrows set up. That sure is a big job and we are sooooo blessed to have someone as creative as Granny leading the show. The Strawberry fields are being worked up in preparation for bed building in the end of this month. There is more than enough to keep us busy dawn to dusk but it is a labor of love because this is what makes us happy. Get ready everyone - Fall is coming! Despite what the front page says, we hope to open the Flowers, Texas Maze, Barnyard Maze, Barrel Train and Hayride the first part of September. Ye Haw!
Monday 7/5 -- Thank you to all who came out to support our very first sunflower season! We sure do appreciate you! The farm is now closed for summer so we can focus on prepping the fields for zinnias and strawberries, and to convert the farm into the Harvest of Fall Fun coming up soon in September. We'll be open again soon!!
Thursday 7/1 -- The sunflowers are still in bloom for our last weekend! We have about a little less than half of the field in bloom. Come clear the field with our 7/4 sale! $5 entry per person (ages 2 and under free) and $0.74 per flower! Goats are always hungry and the popsicles are always cold! Can't wait to see you this weekend!
Monday 6/28 -- We will be open for sunflower picking through the week! We are starting the downhill slope towards the end of the season, but good pictures and flowers are still to be had. We are loving sunflowers and will be sure to plant them again next year!
Friday 6/25 -- uhh.... Where did the week go? I swear I updated this page yesterday..... oops. That was monday! Sunflower field still looks good! We are not in peak season anymore but we have about 30 varieties still in bloom. You can still get great pictures and AWESOME sunflowers! We are THE most affordable sunflower farm in the area, so come on out! $5 per person (2 and under free) and $2 per flower. You are not required to pick the flowers, so if you just want to come look, then come on! No kid's activities but there are goats to feed and pet! They sure do love our customers! (We do too!!!)
Monday 6/21 -- Sunflowers are still going strong! We are going to wrap up the season anytime between June 30th and July 4th. Hurry on out if you are looking for the best pictures. Peak season won't last much longer!
Saturday 6/19 -- WE ARE AT FULL BLOOM! Now is the time to come! We have about 40,000 sunflowers in bloom right now! The field is just stunning. The sunflowers will last until Farmer Dan tells us we have to rip the sunflowers out and start prepping the field for our fall flowers: Zinnias. We're thinking anywhere from June 30th to July 4th. We're so excited about these sunflowers! Just visit us to find out why!
Tuesday 6/15 -- The fields are looking gorgeous! We are just about at full bloom! We have TONS of flowers to pick! Bring things like sunscreen, bug spray, and hats and glasses. Stay cool out there! You'll take a left before you get to the main gate of Sweet Berry Farm as if you are going to the white house. Park, and come on out for your flowers! We've got goats to feed and sunflowers to pick. Our other children's activities are closed.
Saturday 6/12 -- Good morning! It will be a great day for sunflower picking! Just remember: it's hot! Bring all the things to stay cool! After entering, head down to the how to pick sunflower guide, then stop by to see our farm hands for snips. We provide snips for adults to cut the sunflower. After you've got all that you want, return your snips, and head up to our wrapping stations and grab a popsicle too! We can't wait to see ya!
Friday 6/11 -- I swear more sunflowers bloomed overnight! The field is stunning. If you come in a bad mood, you will have to try hard to stay in a bad mood. Something about these sunflowers has me whistling and smiling all the live long day. It has been 5 long years since we were able to plant sunflowers, and this year with it being the year of the sunflower, we thought we should do it again and let them have their very own season.
$5 admission and $2 per flower.
Things to Bring:
-Bug spray (have you seen the mosquitos lately?!)
- Sunscreen
-Things to keep cool
-Closed toe shoes that can get muddy. Our fields have yet to dry out.
- Gloves (not required but helpful)
- A bucket to put your flowers in for the ride home.
Thursday 6/10 - The sunflowers are coming on strong! We currently have about 35% of our field blooming with more and more blooming everyday! We will operate sunflower picking like our tulip picking at $5 entry fee and $2 per flower. The season will last anywhere from 10-25 days so come on out as fast as you can! We have fun new flavors of popsicles to try! We have a refreshing tart lemonade, pineapple, spicy pineapple (pineapple with chile) and a sunbutter pop that is milk based and made with sunflower seed butter! We are ready to open tomorrow! Remember: It is hot outside! Please drink water, wear hats, and keep cool.
onday 6/7 -- That's right folks, we are ready for Sunflowers! Opening June 11th for Sunflower picking! Open regular spring hours. The price is $5 entry and $2 per flower you pick. The season will last anywhere from 10-25 days!
Things to Bring:
-Bug spray (have you seen the mosquitos lately?!)
-Closed toe shoes that can get muddy. Our fields have yet to dry out.
- Gloves (not required but helpful)
- A bucket to put your flowers in for the ride home.
Hope to see you soon!
Sunday Evening 5/30 --- Aand that's a wrap on strawberry season! Thank you to everyone for visiting our family's farm this strawberry season. We hope to have you back for Sunflower picking! Starting anywhere from June 5th- June 13th. The cost will be $5 entry and $2 per flower. Just like tulips. When visiting us for Sunflowers you will park on the left side of the highway or by the white house! Be sure to bring some gloves, the sunflower stems are a bit prickly. We will provide cutting tools for adult use only. We accidentally planted the flowers verrryyy close together... so it might be a bit jungle-esque. Perhaps some long sleeves will be good? I know it will be hot! We're so excited to have a whole field of sunflowers!! See y'all soon!
Sunday 5/30 -- Today is the last day for strawberry picking!
Picking is slim today, so be prepared to hunt for berries. There are still some mud patches so bring shoes for that. We’ve got the berry bounce, sand Art, paint a pot, and goats to feed today. If you can’t find berries in the field you will be able to find berries in our freezer in the form of ice cream and popsicles! See you from 1-5!
Saturday 5/29 -- WOW! What a storm, huh? Open today 8:30-5:30! We are wet again. Navigating the strawberry fields will be difficult and increase the time that you are going to be picking. My guess is today it will take about an hour to find 5-6 pounds of berries. You will be trekking through some mud, so be sure to bring rainboots/shoes that can withstand some mud. Look under those leaves and you'll find some berries. Kids Activities today will be Paint-a-Pot, Sand Art, Berry Bounce, and goat feeding. The barrel train will be closed today and tomorrow due to the amount of rain we have received. The sunflowers did get whipped around pretty good with the wind, but they have big stalks for a reason! They are looking fine, and as far as I can tell, haven't sustained any damage. With all this rain maybe we will have 30 ft sunflowers? Ha! Wouldn't that be something!
Friday 5/28 -- Good Morning, Good Morning!
Come out to pick berries before it is too late! Berry picking will be decent if you move the leaves around to find the berries underneath. Picking is still at about 30-45 minutes for 5-6 pounds. Open today and Saturday 8:30-5:30. Sunday open 1-5! Sunday will be the last day of Strawberry season. We will close the gates Sunday evening and keep them closed until the Sunflowers bloom. They should be just around the corner so stay tuned!!
Thursday 5/27 -- Patience is key when picking berries today! Move the leaves around to find the berries underneath. Most of the grounds have dried out pretty good, so navigating the field will be much easier today! Still bring some old shoes in case you find the muddy spots. 5-6 pounds will take about 30-45 minutes. We have the berry bounce, sand art, paint-a-pot, barrel train, and goat feeding today! Don't forget to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air when you get here! See ya soon!
PICKING UPDATE 5/25 - Berry picking is decent right now. Moving the leaves around and patience is key. It is taking about 30-45 minutes to get a good 6lbs. We are still wet, but open till 5:30! Come on out for some berries while they are still in season! Sunday May 30th will be the last day of berry season. We will close the gates until the Sunflowers bloom (It SHOULD be anywhere from June 3rd - June13th!)
Sunday 5/23 -- We are wet again, but we will be open for berry picking from 1-5 today. Kids activities that are open today: Goat Feeding, Berry Bounce, Sand Art, and Paint-a-Pot. The Barrel Train arena is too wet to operate. Bring some rain boots or old shoes and come pick some berries this afternoon. It will take some patience today navigating the wetness, but move those leaves around to find the berries hiding underneath. Can't wait to have you making sweet memories at the farm!
Saturday Morning 5/22 -- Good Morning! We got a little shower this morning, but not enough to make things re-mudded. Farming Tip: Don't trust the weather forecast. Trust the radar. Find a radar app for your phone and check out marble falls. That's how you'll know what the weather is like on the farm today. Open rain or shine! 8:30-5:30! Come on out for berries before they are gone.
Friday Evening 5/21 -- We have dried up considerably today. Tomorrow will be a great day to come out. We will have good berry picking (move the leaves around to find the berries underneath), barrel train, sand art, paint-a-pot, goat feeding, and the berry bounce going 8:30-5:30. Come on out and try the homemade ice cream and popsicles while you're here too!
Friday 5/21 -- Berry supply is still good for this time of year! We have dried out a little after yesterday's warm and sunny weather, but there is still mud in between the strawberry rows. Bring an extra pair of shoes if you are visiting us today. Per usual, the farm is open 8:30-5:30 rain or shine, all the time, during our seasons. The barrel train area is still too wet to drive on, but hopefully we will be able to get out there tomorrow. We've got Sand Art, Paint-a-Pot, Goat Feeding, and the Berry Bounce going on today too. Hope to see y'all soon!
Thursday 5/20 -- We still have berries! They are out there, just hiding under the berry bush. We have about 3-4 berries per bush, quite a decrease from peak season, but enough berries to easily get you however many you want. It is all about the time you have and how much patience you have. We did get some rain, so we do have some mud in between the berry rows. Bring some old tennis shoes or rain boots and the picking will be good! The picking should be good through the weekend. Keep checking here before you come out to get the best picking information.
Sunflowers are growing growing growing! They are still on track for an early June opening. Can't wait to have y'all out!
Monday 5/17 --- Picking is still good, but you will have to get through some mud to get to the berries. We have the perfect weather now after a downpour around lunchtime. I'm not too sure how much longer the berries will hold on. While the picking is still good today the on and off wetness and heat is not good for the berries. We will be open through the weekend, and after that it will be a day by day basis. UP NEXT: Sunflowers! They are coming on strong and we are thinking that they will be ready by early June for picking. Will the strawberries hang on till then? Find out on the next episode.....
Sunday 5/16 -- We are open today from 1-5. Picking looks about the same as yesterday! It will take about 20 minutes to find around 5 pounds. We have delicious homemade ice cream and popsicles, and the kids are sure to have a good time. Hope to see you out on the farm! We have planted some sunflowers and they are growing! This will be the first sunflower crop since 2016. We are very excited to bring back these beauties. We are hoping for an early June opening, but like everything on the farm, we will have to wait and see what the weather does and how the sunflowers like the soil. Blooms are sure to be stunning once they get here!
Saturday Morning 5/15 -- Gooood Morning! We've got strawberries in the field still! Berry picking looks good for today. Gone are the days when you see strawberries just walking down the row. You'll have to look under those big strawberry leaves to find the berries underneath. Once you do that you will have no problem picking a basket in 20 minutes or so. Check out the video on our facebook page if you want to see exactly how I do it. No pony rides for the rest of the season, but we still have the berry bounce, paint-a-pot, sand art, and barrel train going on today.
Thursday evening 5/13 ---- And what a beautiful day it was. A little cloudy and cool in the morning but by afternoon the sun was out gloriously. Tomorrows weather forecast looks much the same.
We saw some very nice boxes of Strawberries come out of the field today. There are still plenty for tomorrow. All the children activities will be going (no pony rides though) and the ice cream is sure to be awesome. Hope to see you soon!
Thursday morning 5/13 ----- It's going to be a good day! Partly cloudy high of 73 with a light wind. Only a little rain fell on the Farm the last few days so there is very little mud to deal with. The majority of the field is dry, the grass and trees have greened up and there are Strawberries to pick.
Strawberries: There are plenty of berries to pick with a little effort to find them. They are hiding down under the leaves waiting for someone to find them. I don't think they are going to produce much longer.
Monday afternoon 5/10 --- No rain yet, it is in the forecast but we haven't seen it. Todays Strawberries were so-so. We saw a few full boxes but mostly 3/4 full. I do think there will be a tad more berries available for Tuesday but Thursday will be the best day of the week to pick.
Saturday evening 5/8 --- What a glorious, although windy, day. Lots and lots of happy pickers were out today (well, one couple was not too happy with the berry selection but then at the end of the day a different couple came out with a full box of gorgeous berries and they were all smiles).
For Sunday, Mothers Day: The Farm is open 1pm to 5pm. I just finished scanning the fields and there are not many berries to pick. Gone are the days of calling the berries to your box with a few whistles. Tomorrow will be more of a treasure hunt. Some folks will find those "honey spots" and others will give up. The plants have grown up enough that the berries are hiding down under the leaves so it will take a little effort. Because of slim pickings, we are going to give each family only one box when you arrive (don't want to cause any fights amongst the kids so if you must have two - just say so). If you fill that box and need another - send the kids back for the second one. Remember: you only pay for what you pick, so it could be a inexpensive outing or you could just buy more ice cream while letting the kids wear themselves out on the activities.
For next week: We have a good chance of rain Monday and Tuesday, closed Wednesday so Thursday will probably be the better day of the final two weeks.
Friday evening 5/7 --- Another beautiful day! Today we had a mix of sun and clouds in the afternoon which made it just right, not too hot like yesterday. Tomorrow will be much the same, very nice weather for a visit to the farm.
With each passing day the fields dry out more and more. Still a few stubborn wet and slick spots but with a little caution they will be easily avoided.
Strawberries, still going! Seems like everyone today found all they wanted. Tomorrow should be decent picking too. We just have to see how much picking pressure before we can talk about Sunday. I suspect there will be plenty of berries on Sunday but a little harder to find.
Come on out, take a deep breath and just enjoy the farm, we will be waiting for you.
Thursday evening 5/6 ---- Still going. I am happy with the way the Strawberries looked today. They are not jumping in the box like before but with just a little diligence everyone found all the berries they wanted. Tomorrow will be another good day. The field is mostly dry now but still a few wet spots so you can't let the kids run on their own just yet. Tomorrow and Saturday should be good days. The Pony Rides and Barrel Train will be running Friday, Saturday and Sunday too. Hope to see you soon!
Wednesday 5/5 --- remember, we are closed on Wednesdays.
The fields are drying out nicely, still some mud in areas but you should be able to avoid those spots. Berry supply is dwindling fast. A combination of upper 90's three weeks ago and 4 days of rainfall have put the brakes on Strawberry production. The upper 90's shifted the plants from blooming to vegetative production so not many green berries coming ripe now. The extended wetness turned a lot of ripening berries to mush. By this time of the year the plants have grown fairly large. Some of those older leaves, especially ones the winter storm killed, are laying at the base of the plant soaked in water. Berries laying on those leaves tend to get too wet, soft and decayed. We still have one variety of 26,000 plants that are producing nice berries - this is where we are mostly picking now. These plants were behind in growth when the winter storm hit so they don't have that mat of dead leaves at their base.
Tomorrow, Friday and Saturday morning should be decent picking, depends on picking pressure as to how Saturday afternoon and Sunday look regarding Strawberry supply.
Tuesday morning 5/4 --- I am of the age when the original Star Wars was a big thing, so I just have to say "May the 4th be with you" (sorry, but I am a little jazzed I can still remember that far back).
Where did that storm come from last night and this morning? Wow! It was boiling up and lightening all around us and we just got a few drops of rain - whew. Still dry and muddy spots. The picking is only so so, its not going to get any better though so now is the time to come get some before they are gone.
Monday evening 5/3 --- Drying out but still plenty of muddy spots. The fields are drying quickly, plenty of places to pick without getting muddy or if you prefer - plenty of muddy spots too. The Berries are still hanging in there. They are not jumping in the box like before but everyone seems like they have had no problem finding all they want. I feel like this weekend will be the last pretty good picking weekend. It is super hard to tell, after 30 years of growing Strawberries all I know for certain is that I really don't know what I thought I knew.
Sunday morning 8:15am --- Well, well, well. That was a rainy event. Yesterday morning we had received 1.5 inches, another 1.5 inches between 2 and 4:30pm and a final 1.4 inches between 6pm and this morning. So, no getting around it - even though the sun will be out, the Farm will be super wet today. It will take a few days for it to dry out. Today we will not have Pony Rides or the Barrel Train operating.
The Strawberries do not like this much rain over 3 or 4 days. When picking, be sure to inspect the berry for water logging (mush on the bottom) before putting it in your box. Luckily there are plenty of berries to pick and finding a box full of good ones should not be a problem.
The Farm is open today 1 to 5. Old shoes or rubber boots will definitely be the proper attire as the aisles between the raised Strawberry beds are sure to have water/mud in them. We will be here with smiles on waiting for you. One thing for sure - the Strawberry Ice Cream will be amazing!
Saturday afternoon 2pm --- It just started raining here and it is a pretty good shower too. By the looks of the radar, we are in for an hour or so of rain. I think I would suggest not coming to the farm today. We will be here no matter but mud is one thing, picking in the rain another - the latter is not too fun.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the forecast calls for partly sunny skies with a high near 87. Sooo at least the rain will have moved off and some sun will be peaking out. There will still be mud in the aisles between the Strawberry rows - it will take a few days for the field to dry out. Strawberries - there will be plenty to pick for but diligence will be required as you do so. Strawberries do not like water on them, you are going to find berries that look great on one side and water logged on the other. No problem, just toss that berry on the ground and go for another.
Saturday morning 8am --- Wellllllll, the Strawberries are nice and clean. The Strawberry plants are grown on raised plastic covered beds to keep the berries out of the dirt and water. Some water might accumulate on top of the bed, you don't want to pick the berries laying in that water as they might be water logged. For the most part the berries just get a washing off which makes them glisten and glow and even more enticing. The aisles between the rows are pretty wet this morning so there will be some mud to contend with today. The areas outside of the Strawberry fields are grass covered and not muddy. Please remember we do not have a wash station for your shoes (or little Johnnies body). If you don't have one, we will give you a bag for your shoes if you so desire for the trip home. Today's forecast calls for more rain. One thing I have learned, never trust a rain forecast - just use it as a general guide. Currently it is partly cloudy and breezy - I do see rain south of us on the radar though. We will be here rain or shine with smiles on our faces waiting for you. What's a little mud? Just think of the stories you will be able to tell the grandkids "back in the day we had to pick Strawberries in the ..........."
Friday morning 9:30am --- it is a bit drier this morning, not real muddy but still enough to stick to the bottom or your shoes. Currently there is nothing on the radar heading our way but you never know about pop up showers. The folks here now are bringing in over the top boxes. It is a bit cool this morning so wear a light jacket. Hope to see you soon
Thursday evening --- It drizzled a good part of the day today so not much drying took place. Tomorrow we have another chance of rain mid afternoon. We will be here with smiles on, it is not too bad - just a little muddy between the rows. I think the biggest problem is keeping little Johnny out of the puddles. We don't have a wash station to for bodies or shoes but we will give you bags to put the shoes in for the way home. The berries are wonderful and plentiful. A little mud is not going to stop you from getting the best Strawberries in the country is it? Hope to see you soon.
Thursday morning 8am ----- Only a quarter of an inch of rain fell last night, just enough to settle the dust and make the grass wet. It will take a few hours for it to completely soak in. At the moment, the aisles between the Strawberry rows are slick and a little mud will stick to the bottom of your shoes. Currently there is nothing on the radar heading our way but you never know about a pop up shower.
The Strawberries are clean and glistening red, they look so fresh and inviting. Strawberries are such a wonderful fruit, we just love them. Come on out and get some, we will be here with smiles on our faces.
Wednesday afternoon 4/28 --- So here's the deal, we still have lots of beautiful berries in the field ready to be picked but we have to watch the weather..
According to most of the forecasts we have seen, there is a very good chance we are going to get a soaking shower tonight and early in the morning. The Farm needs the rain and it will be good to wash the berries off. The Farm is open rain or shine. If it does rain, it will create some mud between the Strawberry rows. The main areas of the farm are grassy and should be just fine. Just bring some old shoes or rubber boots. We will update around 8:30ish tomorrow.
Strawberry supply: is awesome! I just came out a field full of beautiful red ripe Strawberries. I ate as many as I could and decided to leave the rest for pickers. They are on a downward production trend now. The picking will be fabulous through this weekend and first of next week. It will still be good the May 8th weekend. I would say by the 15th of May the picking will become more difficult.
On a side note: I have this app on my phone called PictureThis. I really enjoy it. You can take a picture of a plant unknown to you and it will identify it. It is a lot of fun to play with if you like that sort of thing. So far, I think it has been correct on everything I have tried - and I have tried it on a lot. I believe it cost me like $20 for a year but since this is down my alley it was an easy spend. I use it on weeds, trees, shrubs everything. Unfortunately I am not part of their team or get anything from recommending it (please don't blame me if it doesn't work for you) - I just thought you might like it, it is pretty cool.
Sunday morning 10am ---- Still loaded! Today will be a wonderful picking day. The field conditions are great and the plants are loaded with berries. Open 1pm to 5pm on Sundays. Beyond today, this entire week looks like great picking. Hope to see you soon!
Friday evening 6pm ---- Looks like all the rain missed us. We had a few drops to settle the dust but nothing to make any mud. There are no showers on the radar heading our way, in fact, right now the sun is shining bright.
Saturday and Sunday will be glorious picking! The grounds and berry supply will be outstanding plus Sunny with a high near 82 ---- the only way it could get any better is if you would come visit us!
Friday morning 8:20am - Foggy and misty with a pretty heavy dew this morning. No rain so far to speak of. The Strawberry plants are wet and the grass is wet. No mud. The radar looks clear at the moment. I think we are in good shape so far, especially when this fog lifts. One thing I have learned (and continually relearn) is never go by a rain forecast. Hope to see you soon!
Thursday evening --- still dry and loads of berries to pick. Tomorrow will be fantastic picking. We have a chance of rain tomorrow, mostly in the afternoon - check your radar app before coming out. We will also update here IF any rain starts to fall. The forecast for Sunday weather and berry wise looks wonderful.
Thursday noon 4/22 ---- It's cloudy, a little cool and the picking is fantastic. Currently the fields are nice and dry. We have not received any rain so far today and there is just a small chance this afternoon. I would expect the rest of the day to be equally as fantastic. There is a good chance of rain predicted for tomorrow, especially in the afternoon. I will update again this evening and tomorrow should we get some precipitation.
Strawberries: I have NEVER seen the plants produce Strawberries like they are doing right now. I thought we had peaked out last week but nope, this might be the peak. Gimminy crickets, the berries are everywhere. This is truly the time where you will have to slow yourself down to keep from picking too much too fast. We love it when the Strawberries are this thick because we know everyone will get plenty no matter what time they arrive.
For Saturday: be sure to check here Friday night concerning field conditions. The Farm will be open regardless 8;30 to 5;30 Saturday, 1 - 5 on Sunday. If it does get a little wet - no problem, it seems we have been an outlet for folks to wear some of the designerish fancy rubber boots I have ever seen.
Monday evening 4/19 ---- Still going! Those Strawberry plants are still putting out good berries. The picking will be great all this week. Tomorrows forecast is 78 for a high which is just right!
Did you see tomorrow nights predicted low? 38 for us! wow. The plants are not blooming now because of the upper 90's ten days ago, I hope this will encourage them to put a few blooms on so we can have berries through May. We will see.
Sunday evening 4/18 --- I do believe today was even fantastic-er than yesterday. The sun came out and made for a glorious cool day with plenty of berries for everyone to pick. It makes me feel good to see folks bring out a blanket and plop down out in the grass and enjoying the day. We do have lots of picnic tables to use but some prefer the old fashioned way.
Strawberries - still lots to pick! This coming week will continue to be excellent picking. The fields are dried out now except for two stubborn spots - keep an eye on little Johnny. It is hard to say exactly but it looks like toward the end of this month we will begin to see a slow down in production. Historically we pick berries through mid May at least, last year to the first of June, we'll just have to see how the weather holds up.
Saturday evening ---- What a fantastic day, a little weird weather wise but the customers were awesome. Sooooo many smiling faces today made a long day go fast.
Strawberries: Amazing! just hold your box down low and go to whistling and they will jump right in. Even after a busy Saturday the fields are still loaded with berries. Tomorrow and next week will be awesome picking. The fields are mostly dry now, I just walked through them and don't have any mud on the bottom of my shoes. Come on out, it is the peak of the Strawberry season.
Saturday morning 9am update: looking great! The berries are super abundant and the grounds are drying quickly. Still a little mud in some places but nothing to worry about. The Parking lot and greenbelts are in great shape. Hope to see you soon!
Friday evening ----- Tomorrow will be great picking! The berries are everywhere! I expect it to dry some tonight but I believe we will still be dealing with slippery rows in the morning, the longer we go through the day the more drying will take place. Old shoes is preferable and expect some mud to stick to the bottom. We don't have a wash station so bring a plastic bag or ask for one at the checkout to put your shoes in. Hope to see you soon!
Friday morning 9:40 am ----- A little bit of rain fell yesterday evening and last night. Now it is overcast with an occasional drizzle. At the moment there is nothing on the radar heading our direction but we do still have a 50% chance of rain this morning. My forecast calls for clearing skies this afternoon. Today is a good day, it is a little wet, the grass is wet and the soil is wettish and a little slippery. Not mud but wet enough to stick to the bottom of your shoes. We will be here until 5:30 with a smile on our face. No pony rides today.
Saturday and Sunday - Partly cloudy, 20% chance of rain, highs in the mid 60's, plentiful strawberries = awesome picking! Most of this wetness will dry up but expect a few stubborn wet spots. I recommend old shoes. I don't expect it to be muddy but if you want to wear your designer rubber boots, bring them on. Berry supply will be outstanding all day so you don't need to rush out - the afternoons might even be better to let some of the dew burn off.
Thursday 5:30 pm 4/15 ----- Perrrrrfect! We had a good hard shower at 1:30 and a little shower late afternoon. The hard shower did good washing the dirt out of the air and off the berries, the little shower helped settle the dirt. Currently the field is a little damp, if we don't get any rain tonight it will be just right for tomorrows picking. The plants are loaded with berries so the picking will be great.
I will post again tomorrow morning if anything changes. Hope to see you soon!
Thursday afternoon 1:45pm ------ We just had a shower roll through. It was nice to smell the rain again. The berries needed a washing and this shower will surely help. I will update in an hour or two about field conditions. We were so dry that I believe it be absorbed quickly. The Farm will remain open until 5:30 today and open up again tomorrow at 8:30. Berry supply is wonderful.
Wednesday 4/14 ---- No rain here - yet. We do have a chance tomorrow and Friday so keep an eye on the sky. An update will be posted here IF it does rain. The Farm is open rain or shine so we will be here regardless. It is very dry so a little shower would be nice to wash off the berries and settle the dust.
Speaking of Strawberries: LOTS! The plants are still putting on a show. We expect the picking to be excellent through the weekend. But as always, check here just before you come out to make sure everything is ok. It looks to me like we might start seeing a drop off in production toward the end of this month.
Tuesday 4/13 ---- Wellllll, a rain shower popped up this evening just to the northwest - it was headed straight for us and then played out maybe 15 miles away. Oh well. We could use a little shower to settle the dust and clean the berries off a bit - I would like to put in an order for about half inch of rain at 8 am on Wednesday morning - or mid day would work too. :) I think I will order some cooler weather too. It was hot today and put me in a cranky mood. The Strawberry plants do not like this warm weather. We will have to wait to see how this affects May berries. The forecast is calling for 70's the remainder of the week - that will be awesome!
The Strawberry plants are recovering from the weekend quickly. There are plenty of berries out there to pick. Supply will continue to ramp up every day this week.
The Spring Flowers are pretty much done for the season. They were a lot of fun and beautiful too. We enjoyed them and will do them again next year, bigger and better.
Monday 4/12 ---- Ooops, I forgot to update last night - sorry. Hey, Hey we still have berries! The plants are producing great. This week will be another good week to harvest Strawberries. The farm is starting to get a little dry and the plants pretty dirty from blowing dust. There is a small chance of rain this week - a little shower would be good to freshen up the place. The Farm is open rain or shine, we will be sure to update daily this week. Hope to see you soon!
Saturday evening 4/10 ---- Another fantastic day! There were so many happy smiling faces today, it was just great. I love it when folks can pick a full box at the end of the day. We would much rather have too many berries than not enough.
Strawberries: still plenty! Tomorrows picking will be very good (we open at 1 on Sundays). There will be more than enough Strawberries for everyone to pick. The best places to pick are the far edges of the fields, and the far end of the rows. Folks cleaned off the front portion of the rows today, don't even bend down until you get at least half way down the row.
Flowers: sorry, they are picked out. Ranunculus are cooler weather plants, we believe the last few days will probably end their season.
Friday evening 4/9 ----- Whew, it was a liiitttttttle toasty today, 96 in the shade!! But relief is on the way!!!! Forecast of 82 tomorrow is going to be wonderful! and highs staying in the 80's!
Saturday, Sunday and next week will be phenomenal picking. There is plenty of berries for all day every day so you don't have to worry about getting here early. Since all the fields are loaded, there is plenty of room for everyone to spread out. If you happen on a spot that doesn't have a lot available, walk around a little and you will find'em. The fields are dry and the grounds are in good shape. I don't see anything to prevent folks from having the best picking of their life.
Thursday evening 4/8 --- What a great day! A little breezy and hot in the late afternoon but still good. I would prefer these hot temperatures hold off another couple of weeks but oh well. Some of the super exposed berries might have a little sunburn, just look under the leaves to find those unaffected by the heat/sun.. Strawberry picking should last through mid May weather permitting.
Strawberries: There are soooo many ripe berries now that you have two problems ........... stopping the harvest and picking too fast. I like these problems. Remember, each box will be about $25 full. I certainly don't mind if you want 4 or 5 boxes as long as you keep in mind the cost. If you get too many, you can get a ton of goodwill by gifting some fresh Strawberries to someone and just think of the Joy you will be spreading. Problem #2: unless you live down the road you might pick quicker than the drive to the farm. Just take your time and be selective, there are plenty of berries available and it is not necessary to pick every red one you see. All the children's activities will be going Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon or just bring a ball and enjoy the outdoor space.
Flowers: the Alliums are pretty much picked so they are over. There are a good many Iris blooms and a medium amount of Ranunculus. I am not sure there will be many for Saturday but we will let you know here. My daughter thinks this heat will do a number on them so we are not sure how much longer they will last.
Easter Sunday evening 4/4 ---- Another great Easter weekend in the books. Thank You to all of the wonderful folks that came out.
The Strawberries are just getting started. Give them a day or two to recover from the weekend, by Thursday the field will have turned red with ripe berries. Thursday through Sunday should be excellent picking. The fields are dry and no rain is in the immediate forecast.
Of the next two days, Tuesday will be better. I expect tomorrow to be very slow with little picking pressure.
Easter Sunday afternoon 12:32pm ----- hey! it is drizzling a little off and on - not getting anything really wet just annoying. The Drizzle appears to be moving generally away. The Fields are dry, and the berry picking will be decent. There are red berries to pick but it will be an Easter Egg hunt to find the ripest ones. With a little diligence, folks should be able to find a box or two. Happy Easter!!
Saturday afternoon 5pm --- Even though it was a bit cold (where did that come from?) and cloudy today we still had a pretty good lazy day. The fields needed a easy day after yesterdays heavy picking.
For Easter Sunday: Only a few sprinkles fell here so the grounds are in good shape. The colder weather and rain south of us kept quite a few people away sooooo I think the picking will be decent tomorrow. The berries that are pink today will be mostly red tomorrow, especially since we don't open on Sundays until 1pm. The forecast calls for mostly cloudy with a high near 72 and light wind = just right. Whether we see you tomorrow or not - Happy Easter!
Saturday morning 8am --- Whaaaat? where did those clouds come from? and the sprinkles? I just looked at the radar and it is raining just south of us stretching over into Austin. It looks like we are just going to catch the side of the rain so I don't expect. The Farm is open rain or shine.
Friday 4/2 --- Well! what a GOOD Friday! This is historically a very big day for the farm and today was no exception. This morning was fantastic picking (the first picker out today came back with eyes as big as saucers and complaining that he couldn't pick them all) but by noon I could see some pink tint to some boxes and by 2:30ish it was tough picking.
The Flowers were equally as amazing today, simply beautiful! I can't believe they lasted most of the day with the turnout but they did. It is going to be a few days before the plants are going to be able to put more blooms on.
Tomorrow (Saturday): We will be open with smiling faces. The first customers of the day will pick some decent Strawberries. I definitely don't recommend coming after 11am for berries. Fun outdoors time yes, berries no. As mentioned earlier, the Flowers are done for a few days. I guarantee we have lots of Ice Cream (Yay!) and hungry goats!
Thursday afternoon 4/1 ---- The days keep getting better! if that is possible. Not too hot and not too cold - just right. I spend all day just amazed at the beauty. Folks were very happy and no one had to search for berries. This is a good day to lift everyone's spirits.
Strawberries: Wow! they look great! Tomorrow will be wonderful picking. In the morning it is going to be super easy to find berries, maybe a little more of a search by late afternoon. My feeling is that we will have a good supply of berries on Saturday but just in case, check here tomorrow evening. The same goes for Sunday as well. Berry supply will go through the roof next week. Don't fret if you can't make it this weekend because production is going to get even better for the next three weeks (weather permitting).
The Flower field is beautiful and there are lots to pick for tomorrow, we just have to wait a little before we predict Saturday and Sunday.
The Fields look dry except three stubborn wet spots, watch out for them. The overall grounds look great, can we freeze them this way for the rest of the year?
Looks like fresh Strawberry lemonade will be added to the menu tomorrow. I was asked about smoothies and, after looking at my belly, decided we should hold off another week before we start making them (oh boy, they are soooo good.)
Wednesday afternoon 3/31 ---- What a beautiful day! The Sunshine is out but ..... is it going to freeze tonight? Yikes. The predictions I watch are for mid 30's! The farm is in a bit of a low spot so it has a tendency to get a couple of degrees than surrounding areas. The Mesquite and Pecan trees are starting to put out which is normally a sign we are finished with freezing weather. I don't expect it to freeze so we are not going to cover up the Strawberries, I hope I'm right! (I don't think a dip to 32 for an hour or two would hurt - 30 and below is what we don't want).
Strawberries: they are looking very good! Tomorrows picking will be excellent! There are berries almost every where but here is some hints to find the best, most abundant ones.
DO: just look at the sky as you walk to the FAR end of the row you choose to pick on and then pick back toward the front. If you look down you will never make it to the good stuff because you will start picking and have a full box just before getting where you need to be. The last ten feet of the row will have as many berries as the first 40 feet.
DON"T pick on the front of rows 3 - 10. everyone else just picked there.
DO: go to the far corner of the field. Same premise as before. Folks get too excited and start picking too soon. Down Yonder is where you want to start picking.
DON'T pick every red berry you see. There is plenty to choose from so be picky. They ripen very little after harvest so get them red or mostly red. Our saying "The Redder the Better". A common problem pickers have is filling their box too quickly. Take your time and enjoy!
DO: another place folks tend to miss - the outside of row 1. It is something about having a row on each side of you or lets get further into the patch but row 1 often goes unnoticed.
We will post again Thursday evening to let you know how it looks for Friday.
Tuesday morning 3/30 ---- Every day a few more berries ripen. I expect today will be a slow day and closed Wednesdays so Thursday morning the field will be even more loaded. If the light customer flow continues then Friday morning should be very good picking. The field is 99% dry, we have a few stubborn wet spots for little Johnny to find so better keep that in mind. It feels good to be back in the berries.
Believe it or not, we have a prediction of around 35 degrees tomorrow night! It's the normal Easter cool down I guess. That's a little closer to freezing than we like. At this point, I do not think we are going to cover the fields but we will keep a very close eye on the forecast. Assuming the weather behaves, we hope to be picking into mid May. It would be fantastic to go beyond that but history says that will be tough.
Sunday Afternoon 3/28 ---- Ta Da!!! It's Strawberry time! Wahoo!! Those luscious red plump juicy pockets of tasty sweet delicacy are coming on fast. This is the first of the season so don't expect to be swimmin in Strawberries just yet. Good Friday is historically a big day here on the farm, I think the picking will be great in the morning and perhaps most of the day. It will be important to check here often concerning berry supply and don't forget to 'refresh' to get the latest update.
The flower field looks gorgeous. We are having a lot of fun with the Alliums, Ranunculus and Iris.
Thursday Morning 3/25 --- We’re a little wet from the storm last night, but fortunately we can’t see any damage to the plants. We’ll be open today for activities 8:30-5:30. No pony rides today, but the barrel train, berry bounce, sand art, and paint-a-pot will be open. Hoping to see you on the farm soon!!
Sunday evening 3/21 --- It was a BEEEEAUTIFUL weather weekend full of beautiful people and beautiful fun. It was activities only this weekend and will be Monday, Tuesday and until we start picking Strawberries .................... which might not be too long from now! We hate to tell you an actual date until we see/taste them ourselves but I suspect we might have a surprise for customers later this week.
Thursday evening 3/18 -- A beautiful but windy day today. These last two weeks have been super windy. Last week we were all leaning to the North, after yesterday and today, we are all leaning to the South.
It was good to see kids having fun again! If only we could harvest some of the energy spent out here... The activities went over well and it seemed like everyone was enjoying their selves. We will stay open with activities only until the Strawberries get here and then things will be back to normal. Speaking of berries, they are coming along nicely. I think we are two weeks out at the most! When they start they are going to start big. Will we have 10,000 pounds available for Easter weekend? I don't think so but ....... If you are planning on that weekend, shoot for picking on Good Friday.
Monday evening 3/15 --- and just like that - the Tulips are done! What an incredibly short season (12 days!). It was a very unusual season for sure, it should have lasted longer, we expected it to last longer but the plants did not listen to us. This is a good example of Farming, no two years are the same. and can be drastically different.
. Soooo, we are still going to open up Farm activities Thursday through Sunday but there will be NO Tulips and NO Strawberries (should start picking them the first of April)
Strawberries are coming! just not yet. The blooms and green fruit were frozen in the February winter storm - unbelievably the plants began blooming again shortly thereafter. Those blooms should have transformed into ripe berries by April.
Saturday Evening 3/13/21 -- Wow! Another awesome day of tulip picking! Blooms are picked out for now. Tomorrow will be slim pickings. The weather forecast calls for rain in the morning. We will be open Rain or Shine from 1-5 tomorrow afternoon. The tulip season is almost over, and will be hit or miss for the next week and a half.
Opening Thursday (3/18) for Spring Activities only. NO STRAWBERRIES (they should be ready in the first part of April).
Saturday Morning 3/13/21 --- Open rain or shine today until 5:30! We have not gotten much rain. Wear old closed toe shoes out in our field to protect your feet and your clean white shoes. Still lots of good blooms in the field today! If it does rain you can mark out picking tulips in the rain off of your life to-do list. See you soon!
Thursday Morning 3/11/21 -- Now we're back to blooming and the flowers are looking good this morning! The weather is nice.... except for this wind! (Isn't that what we always say?) Come on out for good photos and a beautiful bouquet. We will be opening Spring activities on Thursday March 18th : Berry Bounce, Barrel Train, Sand Art, Paint-a-Pot, and Pony Rides. Remember: there are no strawberries to pick right now. Strawberries are coming soon, we're looking at the first part of April. Hope to see you soon!
3/9/21 --- We have more and more blooms on the tulips everyday! While we won't be covered in blooms on Thursday, there will be lots of flowers and tons of buds to pick. We have about 50,000 tulips that are right on the edge of blooming. If you are imagining a field full of blooming tulips with tulips blooming for miles, that isn't what is out there right now. Aka if you are only coming for pictures follow us on our facebook page for real photos of our current field so you can determine the best time to come. The best flowers to put in your vase are actually the budding flowers that haven't quite bloomed, but still have a bit of color on them. Those flowers will get you a long vase life and more bang for your buck. There are lots of tulips and some daffodils to pick right now, come for a beautiful bouquet. And last but not least the goats are always looking for some love and some food (not necessarily in that order.)
3/8/21 --- Tulips are currently in their "budding phase" if you want great quality flowers that will have a long vase life, come on out.
If you are looking for amazing pictures with thousands of tulips in bloom..... wait until we post that our field is full again. Keep following our page for the best updates, because things change daily around here. Can't wait to see you in the tulips!
Sunday evening March 7, 2021 ---- We need to frame this weather and hang it on the wall to look at when it is miserably hot or miserably cold - wow! Another busy day in the Tulip patch today. Even though there was a wait to get the Tulips wrapped (sorry) our customers had the best attitude -- ya'll are the BEST ever!
Tulips: at the moment - open blooms are picked. There are tons of buds - given the warm weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday, closed Wednesday = Thursday and Friday will be great picking, I suspect the weekend too. We will keep you informed here.
Strawberries: more and more blooms are popping out every day. We are confident we will still have a good crop, just later than normal. Hopefully we will start picking berries the very end of March, first of April.
March 6 , 2021 --- What an amazing day! After a brutal cold spell it was great to have a wonderful "open' day. The weather was just perfect and there was a field full of Tulips to start the day off. We were very fortunate to have a story on the news last night and that brought out a bunch of folks. Tomorrow (Sunday), the Farm is open 1pm to 5pm. While not near as full as this morning, there are still Tulips to be pulled. If you are coming from far away - wait until next Thursday. At the moment the field is not 'picture worthy", give it a few days. They will continue to bloom over the next 3 weeks weather permitting.
Strawberries: blooming, the plants are growing out of the freeze damage. We are hoping to start picking the first of April.
March 4, 2021 --- Wow! The tulip field sure does look beautiful! We are finally open with tulips! The tulips did survive the freezing temps, but we did not escape some freeze damage to some blooms and leaves. More and more tulips are blooming everyday! It is an impressive display of flowers out there today! if you don't believe me, head over to our facebook page for *current* pictures of our field. No spring activities yet (barrel train, bounce, paint-a-pot, sand art). Those will start up with the strawberry crop at the end of March. Things might change so keep checking in here for the up-to-date info! Just remember when visiting us for tulips that you will need to park by the white house on the left side of the highway. There is a $5 entry fee for everyone 3 and up. 2 and under is free to go into the tulip field. The tulips themselves are $2 each.
March 1, 2021 --- We've been looking at the tulips soo much that we started to dream about them, and our dream has finally become a reality! Opening for tulip season starting on Thursday. By Thursday we will have about 25% of our tulip field in bloom. More and more flowers will start blooming as time goes on, but hurry on out cause last year they were only in bloom for a month. We planted 82 different tulip varieties that bloom at different times. Come out multiple times this season to see different flowers in bloom!
February 24, 2021 --- The bees are a buzz!! You know what that means.... you need to BEE Ready for Tulips!
We will be opening for tulip picking in just about 2 weeks! We did not come out unscathed after the frost, but we are excited to have tulips coming soon! We will post an official opening date and hours next week.
Strawberries are delayed until the end of March when the current blooms on the plants can reach maturity. Did you know that it takes 30 days from a strawberry bloom to a ripe strawberry? Well, now you know! See you soon!
January 12, 2021 ---- We hope that your year is starting as good as ours. The Strawberry plants are growing and the Tulip bulbs have been planted. We are anxiously awaiting the start of the Spring season which hopefully will be in the first of March. If you find yourself fretting over the state of things, just think about putting a big ole luscious red plump juicy Strawberry in your mouth or picking a beautiful bouquet of Tulips - that should put a smile on your face. Stay warm and we hope to see you in a month or so. :)
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 |