Sunday December 26, 2010 -----  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  It has been a good Fall for Sweet Berry Farm.  Unfortunately the work has not stopped since we closed in November but it has sloooowed down (or maybe I have slothfully slowed down and the work has not?  I now have the opinion if you don't think about it, it must not need to be done - right!?).  One thing that has not slowed down is those goats popping out babies.  Kidding season is almost over and it has been pretty good, we are still losing more babies in a season than I would like but such is nature.  Overall close to 100 have been born and we have lost 12 to a myriad of things ranging from being DOA to stupid shepherd stunts.  Two of our really good Does died giving birth as well.  So I kinda feel like we took 4 steps forward and one step backward.  We also have three bottle babies as well, I thought we might get by without bottle feeding anyone this year but low and behold three different mothers kicked off one of their babies.  Normally that would be a ticket to the Auction barn for the mother but two of the Does have been named by my wife and we all know - once a animal gets a name they are guaranteed safe passage for the remainder of their life.
  The Strawberry plants are looking pretty good for this time of the year.  We have a little deer damage that is not good but hopefully we planted enough plants to compensate.  I might try covering those plants with a frost cover soon to see if we can speed up growth a little bit before Spring. 

Sunday November 14, 2010 ---- Oh Shucks!  I guess all good things must come to an end and so goes the 2010 Harvest of Fall Fun.  The Farm is now closed to the public for the winter, we do have a few more school groups coming out this coming week but by next Sunday I will be dining after church in my recliner trying to regain some of the weight I lost from a busy Fall.  My wife and I really can not express enough the gratitude we have for all of you that came out this year and enjoyed the farm with us.  We believe that ultimately God is in control but in this case he worked through a bunch of you farm patrons to make this a good year for Sweet Berry Farm.
  We will slow down quite a bit for the remainder of the year but have to be careful we don't let our guard down.  There is still a good bit of work that we need to get done over the winter.  We have lots of little building projects to do and the Strawberry plants need to be kept a close eye on.  Oh man, I just remembered we need to be building beds for Onion planting around Dec. 10 and then there is...... ok, I can't think anymore or I will ruin an otherwise unstressful Sunday.

Sunday November 7, 2010 ----  Wow! It has been a wonderful Fall Season - thanks! to you.  We just have one more week for general customers and then a week beyond that for school groups.  I am just amazed, and not used to, the way things have fallen in place - last weekend I was complaining about the lack of rain - lo and behold - we had an inch and a half Tuesday and Wednesday.  It started late Tuesday and all day Wednesday, which we are closed anyway, so we did not miss any business or have to cancel any field trips.  That means we have not had one single weather cancellation this Fall.  Just everything seems to be going our way: the Strawberry plants came in and looked great, we were able to get the plants in the ground without a hitch, the Pumpkins looked good and we have not lost many at all to decay, my wife did a good job of decorating and getting that worked up, we have had an awesome group of people working with us this year, and the list goes on and on.  Because of the lack of moisture, it was too dusty on two weekends but that was my fault for not finding out a way to water down the parking lot and Gretchen ran out of Ice Cream a time or two but other than that it has really going good around here.
   The Strawberry plants are looking good so far.  They will quietly grow through the winter, hopefully start blooming in February and we will be harvesting by mid March 2011.  The Blackberry canes look good - not too much to do with them this time of the year.  We will train up a few unruly branches and try to control some of the weeds around them.  Before long we need to build beds and get some Onions planted, will try to get that done before mid December.  Our Peach trees are one year old now and we are pretty happy with the growth their growth.  The bloomin goats got in the field the other day and stripped the leaves from 50 or so but I think it is late enough in the year that it won't hurt them too much.  After pruning the trees in January we will get them ready for the upcoming growing season.  We should have a few peaches in 2012 so get ready.
   The Goats are set to start kidding next weekend.  We might have few drop babies a day or two early by the looks of them.  I think next year we will try to breed them for October kidding - that way some folks might enjoy watching them give birth or see all the little ones running around. 

Saturday October 30, 2010 ---  Yes, it is Saturday and I am hiding away in the office --- he, he, he.  

Still 'Harvesting the Fun' here at the farm.  We will stay 'open' all the way to November 14 and the weekends will get progressively less attended.  If you were afraid of a crowd then the next two weeks and weekends will be a leisurely stroll through the fun.

I am in a quandary here, we sure could use some rain but this has been our best Fall season ever because we have not had one single rain out day.  Last Saturday rain was threatening but never came down so it was like a half rain day - just enough to scare some people away but not enough to make us run for cover.  Anyway, the farm is looking amazingly good for almost 7 weeks of 'just more than a few drops".  It is dry here and the farm is showing it, the parking lot is dusty so drive slowly when coming in.   Last year at this time I was trying to buy gravel to put in the muddy spots now I am trying to figure out how to water the parking lot to keep the dust down. 

Lets get one thing straight though  - I am not complaining, as I said before, this has been a very good Fall for us.  I suppose lack of rain is better than too much rain at this time.

Sunday afternoon --- All good here, could have used a little more rain but am happy with the few sprinkles we got yesterday. 

1:03 pm --- No rain here and no spots currently on the radar headed our way.  The wind has picked up so wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. 

11:15 am ----  The sun has popped out and things are looking good here.  Nothing on the radar at the moment.  I think the biggest chance of things blowing up is later this afternoon when we heat up some.   Have a new old tractor in the hayride rotation today - if you want an adventure, ride the 'ole lady', I think there is at least an 85% chance of her making it back - now that we figured out how to get the steering wheel back on (for a more reliable (as far as old tractor reliable goes) ride one of the other wagons. 

9:48am  ---- We just had a few sprinkles -- nothing showing on the radar though.  All is still good, just settled some more dust - absolutely nothing wet yet.  I just looked at two radar sources - at the moment everything is clear below us.  So far - So good.

Saturday morning 8:52 am ---- Lookin good so far the little spot on the radar moved to the East of us although we did get a few more sprinkles.  It is just right at the moment, just enough moisture to settle some of the dust from six weeks without rain. 

Saturday morn 8:10am ---  just a few sprinkles so far, not even enough to settle all the dust. quick look at radar shows a little spot headed our way in about 15 mins.  We will try to keep the 'News' extra fresh this morning so check just before leaving.

Tuesday October 19 -----  Wahoo!!!  this string of good weather has been great!  Lots of folks have come out and we hope everyone has had fun.  We ran a little short of Pumpkins by yesterday but a new load has come in and by wednesday the farm will be orange again.  Tips:  The weekends have been pretty busy ---- I suggest:  if coming on Saturday - the earlier you get here the better - for sure try to arrive before 10am.  Sunday - even though we don't open up till 1pm, we will go ahead and start parking cars about 12:15 or so.  EITHER Day:  the line for the Horse Rides is the longest -- get that one done first before it gets busy.  We operate and sell tickets on two sides of the road - the 'house' side flows the best, this is the side with the Hayride, Texas Maze, Barrel Train and flowers on it. 

Monday October 11 ----- I tell you, we have 'Harvested so much Fall Fun" out here that I can't imagine any being left for any place else (don't worry though, the Farm is producing Fun like mad).  The weather has been marvelous and it seems that everything is still going our way --- Farming like this is a Treat!  The pumpkins are holding up well and we are happy with the way things look. 
  38,000 Strawberry plants are in the ground, 50,000 to go, somehow I made a mistake and ordered 88,000 instead of 80,000 .  Hopefully we will knock out another 35,000 tomorrow and wednesday and then wait till next week to finish them off.  We sprinkle them overhead after planting so we can't plant more than we can water otherwise we would push to get them all in the ground now.

Monday September 27 ---- Wahoo!  We had a really good first weekend.  Everything is in place and the weather is cooperating wonderfully.  Things are looking so good that I am scared that the wheels are about to fall off.  The pumpkins look great this year.  Not to fool anyone, we do not grow our own pumpkins (we do have about two acres worth of vines that have been destroyed by worms, any pumpkins the vines did make have now been attacked by said worms and if you go out on a clear night you should be able to hear the little devils eating the pumpkins while laughing under their breath at my frail attempt to hinder their progression) we purchase them from Floydada, Texas - the Pumpkin Capital of Texas.  They do know how to grow pumpkins up there and boy are they nice this year.
   The Texas Maze is very nice! The record time over the weekend was an hour and 18 minutes, average time about an hour and 45 minutes and some gave up after 2.5 hours.  It is extremely tall and very few 'new' pathways have been cut.  Now is the time to really enjoy it before we get any ferocious storms that tend to work it over. 
   Scarecrow Island has been a big hit so far.  Those bloomin Scarecrows have been multiplying over the 'off' season ---- we might have to develop a curfew or something for them if this keeps up.  The only way to view scarecrow island is to take the Hayride so be sure and do that if you make it out.
   The Strawberry plants are set to arrive next week and we hope to start setting them out as soon as we can.  If all goes right (and that is a really big if) we will get the 80,000 planted in 4 or 5 days.

Friday September 17 ---- Bushed!  we are a little tired.  The Farm will open up next weekend (25th) for the Harvest of Fall Fun and we are going to be ready!!!!  The Farm looks fantastic and we can't wait for you to come see us.
  9 miles ---- we finished pulling 9 miles worth of Strawberry beds today and it is good to get that job done!  The plants will be here soon and we will be planting away.

Wednesday September 8 --- We have gone from real dry to real wet in about 24 hours.  It is pouring rain here at the farm today - a good day to come in and update the 'Fresh News".  The past three weeks I have been working non stop on a 'add on' to the wifes' Ice Cream making facility.  You know --- it is the typical "yeah, I think we can do that in about a week.  Afterall, on TV they build a whole house in a week all the time" project.  Need I say more about this project? and my attitiude?
  Luckily we sit in pretty good shape regarding the crops.  The Strawberry fields are cultivated and ready to go.  As soon as it dries up enough we will be making beds.  In years past we have had to put out sprinklers to get enough moisture in the ground to build the beds.  No sprinklers water as good as God does and it will be soooo nice to get into a moist field of dirt.  We have 9 miles of beds to build so we will really have to get after it in order to finish before the moisture runs out.  The plants have all been ordered and all the bed building supplies are in stock ----- Another Strawberry crop is quickly approaching, I think now is a good time for a moment of silence to pray for the upcoming Strawberry process.......................... ok, now we are ready for another Strawberry season.
   The Blackberries are quietly growing this time of the year.  They have all been pruned and trained, not too much to do to them other than mow, irrigate and fight weeds.
   Jimminy Crickets!  The Texas Maze has shot up!  The other day I bent over one of the stalks to try to find the worm eating on it and poof - it grew so fast it poked me in the eye.  The deluge of rain we are getting right now has it bent over and laying pretty low right now.  With some hesitation and worry in my voice I say "aaah, soon as the sun comes out it will stand back up".  Before the rain it was over 6 feet tall and growing, I am pretty sure it will be back to that height in about a week.
   We also have three other mazes that are doing pretty good as well, the Kid Maze, the School Group Maze and a potential Haunted Maze.  It has been a real chore to fight the grasshoppers and worms.  Honestly, the worms and hoppers have been beating me up pretty bad and seem to be winning the war.  Maybe this rain will wash them all away???????
   Pumpkins ----- we do have about two acres planted and hey, hey, hey have some pumpkins on the vines.  We will not be disillusioned though - almost all of our pumpkins this Fall will come from Floydada, Texas - the pumpkin capital (and the place were they really know how to grow them).

Thursday August 5,   Here I am trying to escape the heat.  Whew, no wind today and this has been about as hot as anytime this summer.  We have been busy even though we have not posted it here.  To summarize: the Strawberry fields have been cleaned up and plowed we will begin building the planting beds by the end of the month and be ready to plant new plants the first of October.  The Blackberries have all been pruned and trained.  We still have a little clean up to do around the base of the plants.  The. 'Texas', Kid and Group mazes have been cut and baled.  It was a good crop and we got roughly 600 square bales.  Getting them to grow back properly is a tricky thing.  The hay will grow back from where it was cut - most of the time.  I like to run the grain drill over the field after removing the hay bales and seed at about one half rate.  This year rain was forcast and I was waiting for the rain to soften the ground to make the seed planting more succesful.  Well, the rain did not come and I ended up losing a week.  We did reseed but the ground had hardened and I don't know how much 'planting' we got done.  Since I waited we were later in getting the water back on the field than I wanted.  Now it is just wait and see how well it grows back.  We planted two more sections of Hay grazer as well.  About and acre and a half was planted in Red Top cane, if it grows well we will cut it and dry it to use for decorations in the Fall.  Some of it will be left and used to drive the barrel train around.  About two acres was planted for a potential 'Haunted Maze' an idea we are just toying with - we'll see if it comes to fruition.  Roughly 10,000 Zinnia plants have been planted for cut your own flowers this fall. 
   So right now the focus is all on water.  Everything requires water to survive this heat and we spend a LOT of time moving and checking sprinklers and turning valves on/off.  Well, I have neglected going back out into the heat just as long as I can.  My little lunch has turned into a three hour break. 

Friday July 2 ----  It is raining here today ---- yahoo.  Earlier this week everyone but us was getting rain.  Finally yesterday it started here and is continuing on today.  We wanted to cut the maze down this week - but since we needed the rain worse we will not complain.  Hopefully we will get it cut down next week.  I feel pretty good about where we stand on getting our chores done.  The Strawberry fields have all been renovated and even cultivated.  This will put us in good shape come bed building time in September.  More than half of the Blackberries have been pruned and cleaned up.  All the canes that produced fruit this year die and will have to be pruned out.  We then push out all the clippings and burn the piles.  I can not remember a year when we were not under a burn ban by this time of the year.  I think if we would not have gotten this little shower we would have been under one soon.  Anyway, we have been able to burn everything we have pushed out so far.  By the end of next week we could feasibly have all the Blackberries pruned, cleaned up and the cuttings burned --- well before any other year.  We need that extra time for a few projects we want to accomplish such as lots of barn and fence building.

Friday June 25 -----  Weeell, I think we will close down the Spring season after picking this coming Sunday.  We still have Blackberries but they are getting harder to find and I just can't keep enough water on them to remain 'plump'.  Monday we are set to mow the maze down ---- last thing we want is for the 'hay' to be rained on after it has been cut ---- figures that there looks like a chance of rain next week.  I tell you, if you want something to happen -- just tell me to announce the opposite.  I told the guys at the Hardware store not to worry about taking an inventory - just find out what I am about to need cause that is what they are out of.  I have been wanting to brag on how well the Peach trees are doing all spring.  Finally I figured they were going to live and it might be alright to say something.  What do you know,  this past Tuesday I mentioned that I was proud of those little trees ------------ so what do you think I found when I decided to go for a walk on Wednesday? a plague of grasshoppers had been reading our updates!!!  You know, we planted those 700 trees in 2009 and after a myriad of mistakes by me (which I am sure were somehow connected to my wife) almost all of them died.  We replanted all the trees again this year and this time they are actually growing.  Lots of our neighbors from down the road have stopped me and said, "I thought those trees were dead, what on earth did you do to bring them back? you must have a heck of a green thumb".  To which I reply with "aw shucks, thanks, but no need to give me a compliment, I just like to grow the roots the first year and then let the tops grow in year two".

Tuesday June 22 -----  Still picking Blackberries and walking through the Maze but I think the season is winding down quickly.  In spite of opening up a full month late this has been a wonderful Spring season.  My wife and I were just commenting the other day how we are living a dream (then the wheels fell of for two or three weeks but we are good now).  We really do have the best customers in the world!  Thanks for spending a litlle time with us.
    All the Strawberry plants, plastic mulch and drip tape have been removed now.  We are just waiting on a little rain so we can cultivate the fields and clean them up from a long season.  After cultivation we will fertilize the fields and get them ready for bed building starting in September.  We might try to get a cover crop on block C if we get the moisture to plow it.  That field is pretty easy to put sprinklers on  - we might go that route.
  The 'Brazos' blackberry variety is finished producing and we are halfway through with the pruning of this variety.  All the canes that produced fruit this year will die and need to be cut out and removed.  The new vigorous growth coming from the crown will produce next years crop.  Once the old canes are pruned out we will pin up the new canes to the trellis and begin the training process.  Pruning Blackberries is one thorny job and the only way to do it is to get in amongst the canes and just start cutting.  That job is not for the faint at heart.
   I am a little dissapointed in the growth of the Maze.  It is now 5 to 6 feet tall in most areas but the growth just seems a little lackluster to me.  It has been a struggle to keep enough water on it.  We have had two going on as long as I can remember, weeks of mid 90's and 15 to 20 mph wind.  We are going to cut and bale it next week so I went ahead and turned the goats into the field.  So if you are running through the maze, don't be startled if a goat greets you when you round one of the corners.  You might also want to watch the ground, I noticed the Donkey left a pretty big pile in one of the pathways the other day.  Even though it is a little shorter than I like, it has been very difficult.  Many folks have just given up, those that have found all the sites have stayed at it for at least an hour and a half -- be sure to bring a water bottle when walking across Texas.
  The Peaches are doing pretty good.  The majority of them are alive and well.  The grasshoppers are doing a pretty big number on them at the moment.  I will have to address that issue very soon.  Unless things go drastically wrong, we might just have a peach or two to pick in about 2012,
  The goats are doing well too, maybe not the 43 we just sold but everyone else is good.  We just turned the bucks in with the does and the circus has commenced.  If you don't know what I am talking about, just imagine 7 teenage boys that have been pent up for 5 months being turned in with 75 gorgeous ladies which all appear naked.  The biggest boy feels like they are all his ladies but the other boys have other ideas, especially when big boy is not watching.  Now imagine all the boys chasing the women and each other while "talking' the entire time, pleading the ladies to stop running long enough so they can have a 'talk'.  After about five days those poor bucks have lost about ten pounds and are just give out.  My wife has one buck we named the clown, poor clown, at the moment he is smaller than the does and when he sneaks up on one they promptly turn around a butt him to the ground.  He just gets up, shruggs his shoulders and off to look for someone else. 

Friday June 18 ---- June is slippin by and I can't stop it!  The Blackberries are still producing well, should have plenty to pick this weekend.  It is getting might Hot in the afternoons --- I sure do suggest coming in the mornings.

Thursday morn June 10 ---- Well, we did not get a drop out of the 80% chance of rain yesterday.  I guess we fell in the 20% chance of dryness.  I know that lots of people did get rain yesterday but you don't have to worry about mud on the farm at the moment.  The Blackberries are still producing wonderfully, there should be plenty of berries for everyone to pick all the way through the weekend.  If you are looking at picking some Blackberries, now is a good time.  I think the picking will be good through next weekend (20th), afterwhich the Blackberry season will begin to wind down.  Historically we are just about out of berries by the 4th of July.
  Our Spring season is winding down but the summer work is escalating.  Removing the Strawberry plastic is a daunting task compounded by what seems like 100 degree plus temps.  52 rows have been done, only 74 left to go.  Once the plastic is up we will roll up the drip tape and plow the fields.  Just think, we will be building the beds for the next crop in about two months.  
 

Friday evening June 4 ----  The Blackberries have recovered nicely from last weekend.  The Brazos variety is still producing and the Kiowa variety is beginning to turn on the juice (literally).  It looks like we will have a good supply of Blackberries through most of June.  So, this weekend will be good for picking bountiful blackberries and petting the goats, donkey's and horses.  Sorry, the Strawberry, Potato and Onion seasons are now over.
  The 'Texas' Maze is scheduled to open up June 11th.  Check the maze link for the 2010 destinations. 

Monday evening May 31 -----  Whew! I am beat.  We had a busy weekend here on the farm, lots of Blackberries were picked and Potatoes dug.  The Blackberry patch needs a rest.  I would not recommend coming out tomorrow for Blackberries, undoubtedly there will be some berries to pick but the picking will be sooo much better Thursday I would wait.  There are lots and lots of Blackberries yet to ripen so don't be afraid you missed them.  We should have lots of Blackberries to pick the next three weeks.
    Done Dug!  I believe we have just about dug all the potatoes.  This always makes me sad because I just did not get enough for myself.  We get busy and put it off and before you know it --- I only had three or four meals of taters.
   Hey, hey , hey, I see quite a few green Tomatoes out there.  I gritted my teeth all weekend because I just knew someone was going to go out there and pick all those green ones.  They might have got a few but there is still alot left.  Maybe a week or so for ripe tomatoes?

Wednesday May 27 ----  Pickin Blackberries and diggin Taters, we should have plenty to go 'round for the entire weekend.  Remeber, those biggest, plumpest, juiciest Blackberries are either down low close to the ground or way up top and of course - on the far end of the row.  Things are goin well here at the farm, it is a good time to enjoy an outing and just take a deep breath of relaxation.

Friday afternoon May 21 ----  I am reminded of about 8 or 9 years ago when it seemed like everyone wanted to pick Peas.  Soooo, that next year I worked and worked and put in a pea patch.  "We are going to go on a vacation off the revenue these peas generate" I told my wife.  Welllllllll, instead of a lavish vacation she got to go to Bluebonnet Cafe and look at the pretty scenic paintings while eating her chicken and dumplings. 
   In my mind, at least fifty thousand people have told me they can't wait for the Blackberries to get here.  We had a fair turnout yesterday and today but not near as many as pickers as I thought would show, so ........ I think we will have plenty of berries for everyone this weekend, maybe even enough for you to bring the relatives.  Don't fret if you can't make it this weekend, the Blackberries will be good all the way through the first three weeks of June.

Wednesday May 19 ----  We are going to start picking Blackberries tomorrow.  While we do have alot to pick I don't think we have enough for everyone and their uncle.  The berry picking will get nothing but better over the next three weeks so don't feel like you need to rush out tomorrow or they will be gone.  We are even going to open the Lexington farm this weekend (Saturday for sure) for Blackberry picking.  We have plenty of taters to dig but not very many Strawberries left to pick.  If you absolutely have to have Blackberries tomorrow, the earlier you get here the better the supply you will have to pick from.

Monday May 17 ---- We made it through the weekend and now sit here in limbo.  The Strawberries are quickly waning, we have lots of fine Potatoes but the Blackberries are just not quite ready.  I really think it will be at least Thursday before we have any amount of Blackberries to pick.  We will have Blackberries all the way through June so don't feel like you have to rush out or you will miss them.  Even though we will start picking them Thursday, next week they will be even more abundant (but fewer Strawberries).

Saturday morning ---- It rained here last night so the field is going to be a bit muddier than the last update.  We are still going to dig Potatoes and pick Strawberries today.  The temperature is very pleasant and the dust has been settled, other than a little mud it will be a good day.

Friday evening ---  Well, as normal, it stopped raining not long after the last update.  Tomorrow might not be too bad afterall for picking.  I think we will go ahead and start digging Potatoes tomorrow along with picking Strawberries.   It did not rain enough to make it terribly muddy out here, just mostly slick.  Tomorrows customers will get a little mud on the bottoms of their shoes.  We will be here should you decide to come.

Guess what?  I bet we might just be the first ole country farm to have an ATM machine.  Yep, you read right we know have our very own ATM machine just for our customers convenience.  Hopefully it will not get stolen before any one wants to use it.  Although I did already try it out ----- then realized I just charged myself $2 for the twenty dollar bill I got out, which was mine before I put it in the machine and wait .... I wonder what the bank is going to charge me?  Anyway, no more sending kind hearted pickers back to town for a little change, we can take care of that right here on the premises.

Friday noon ---  It has begun raining here again.  Normally we would allow picking in the rain but since there is quite a bit of lightning in the area we are going to keep people out of the fields.  Today is pretty much going to be a wash out.  While it might not be raining tomorrow, it will be muddy from what we are getting now.  The Strawberry season is closing out, late next week we will be picking Blackberries and digging Potatoes ---- If you had to choose between picking this weekend or another later time -- I would choose the later.  This weekend will be muddy and have Strawberries to pick, after this weekend we will have Potatoes to dig, still some Strawberries to pick and, later next week, the Blackberries will start coming off. 

Friday morning May 14 ----- It has been raining pretty heavily for the last ten minutes ......... now it just stopped.   Hmmm ..... let me check the radar and the grounds and then I will update again.  For now, hold off on coming out this morning.

Monday evening May 10, 2010 ---- Still pickin Strawberries ---- but not as quickly as before.  Gone are the days where you could just put down your box and rake the ripe berries into it.  Not only has the availability diminished, the size has as well.  Those small berries are just as good, if not better, than the large ones but it takes a lot longer to fill up a box.  Best thing to do at this point is to just take your time when picking, if you are patient and choosy you will end up with a great box of berries. 
   The Onions have been pulled.  We have a few in the store area but none in the field.  We have definitely had better Onion years but they were good to eat just the same.  I believe much of our problem with the small size was caused by a lack of growing weather back in January and February.
   The potatoes are on their way.  I think we will start digging taters this coming Thursday.  We have already dug some for our own use and were a little dissapointed in the amount of taters under each plant.  One thing for sure,  they tasted GREAT!  Our daughter cut them up in bite sized pieces, put them in a boiling pot of water until they became tender, poured out the water and (note: my wife just heard me talking to myself and sarcastically commented "you know, most people know how to cook potatoes") added butter == wow! are they ever good (note to wife if she reads this: "this is my update and maybe some man would like to impress his bride with his amazing cooking skills he learned right HERE!").
   Blackberries:  could be here a little before I expected.  I am afraid to make a premature prediction but I am confident that we will be picking them hot and heavy by the 20th. 

Monday evening May 3rd ---- Still picking lots of Strawberries!  Those Strawberry plants are still producing and I think we will have plenty of berries to pick all the way through Mothers Day.  I don't want production to slow down but it appears that it will starting mid to late next week.  We are hoping to pick some Strawberries all the way through May but since we are not seeing many blooms right now we will just have to wait and see how they hold up.
  After whining about all the rain we had back in the winter ...... we have started watering extensively now.  If you think of all those berries, both Straw and Black, being a little pocket of juice then you can realize that the plants need a lot of water right now.  We have even been watering the Maze and the Peaches (I really don't want to tell you how good the newly planted Peach Trees are doing in fear that I might jinx them) as well. 
   Everything seems to be a little behind this year.  Strawberries started a full month later than normal and I think the Maze, Blackberries and Potatoes are going to be two to three weeks later as well.  The remainder of this week is supposed to be pretty warm so we will see if that does not help speed things up.

Saturday evening May 1 ---- Wow, those berries just keep on coming!  It was a big day here today thanks to all those folks coming out and enjoying the farm with us.  Well, I guess there were a few people that read the 'news' because I actually saw some pickers on the far end of the row today.  There is still plenty of berries for tomorrows picking (I like it soooo much when we can say that!!!  In the peak of the season we will undoubtably lose some berries but it is worth it just so everybody has more than enough to pick).  The overall berry size has dimenished abit, a level full box is now about 6.5 pounds or $18.00.  I think we will still pick Strawberries for another two, maybe three, weeks but soon the supply is going to dwindle.
     I forgot to say that the onions are on the small side in the last update.  We had a rash of kids pulling a bunch up, taking the larger ones and then throwing the smaller ones to the side.  We would prefer folks keep what they pull up.  This is not going to be a 'big onion' year for us, we planted them at a pretty good time but they just did not get much favorable growing weather through the winter.  The onions still taste good, they are just small.  We will continue pulling them until they are all gone (probably about three weeks).   

Saturday morning May 1, 2010 ---- No rain here last night and overcast skies this morning = decent picking on this end of the row but FANTASTIC picking on the far end of the row.  We are also going to start pulling Onions today.  Today looks like it will be a good day for picking and don't forget that there is a group of ladies out today having a bake sale to end hunger.  So come hungry and let them end your and others hunger.

Wednesday April 28, 2010 --- Still going!  Those Strawberries are still producing.  Tomorrow through the weekend should be pretty good picking, especially on the FAR END of the rows.  When you find a row, don't look down! or you will never make it to the abundant ones on the FAR END. 
    Blackberries are coming! around May 20th we should have plenty of Blackberries for everyone to pick.  That is a pretty conservative guess, I would not be surprised if we started a few days earlier.  So far the Blackberry crop looks good!
    Taters and Onions - still two weeks away.
  

Saturday morn April 24 ----- 1.3 inches last night and no hail (thank you Lord).  It does not look like 1.3 inches fell so I am wondering if I emptied the gauge the last time it rained.  Even the "dry" field is going to be a slippery and muddy this morning.  The sun is out and I do expect it to dry rather quickly.

So here is todays report: the ripe Strawberries are plentiful no matter what time of day you come so the later - the drier.  This morning the grassy areas are fine but the aisles between the Strawberry rows will be slippery and muddy. 

Friday morn April 23, 2010 ----- Yesterdays drizzle was a surprise.  It was only enough moisture to be a nuisance, not enough to make mud.  This morning it is overcast but not misting like yesterday.  The forecast calls for the clouds to break by mid morning so I think today will be a good day to pick on.  One thing for sure, there is no shortage of ripe Strawberries to pick.  The majority of the fields are dry now although there are a some muddy spots for your kids to find if they try.
    There is a chance of rain tonight.  We are saving the best drained field for tomorrows picking just in case we get some rain tonight.  We will try to get a post up first thing in the morning to let you know how the night went.

Monday evening April 19, 2010 ---- I need to improve my appearance.  I have three pairs of shoes: my church boots, my work boots and  soon to be work boots.  I wore my soon to be work boots today because I like to slowly break them in so they don't kill my feet when the original work boots wear out.  Along with my 'medium' boots, I wore a somewhat new pair of jeans and a plain pullover shirt with a collar, nothing fancy.  First up, my wife "what are you dressed up for" she says.  Then a little later Evan and I are working goats and he asks "when are you going to sell some of these?" to which I replied "maybe today if we can get them sorted".  He then remarks "oh, is that why you're so dressed up?'  ------- "yeah Evan, I am thinking about going to TOWN today!!!!".
   Turns out Troubadour is a word, which I grossly misspelled, and it refers to music minded persons of the middle ages.  It still fits last weekends pickers, not only did they get out there in the mud to get those berries, I think I might have heard them singing while they were doing it.
    The Strawberries are plentiful!  The outsides of the plants look like they have been picked but if you will dig in between the plants and under the leaves you will find really nice berries.  With the rainy days and some berries becoming overripe we are sure to have some rotten fruit.  There will be nice berries and overripe berries on the same plant.  Please help me keep the rumors down, several years ago in a similar situation I had a lady tell me "too bad about your berries, I heard they ALL rotted".  I am not sure what this cooler weather will do to the length of time we have to pick Strawberries but it i s possible that the season might be extended into late May.  The aisles between the rows are slowly drying out.  Todays pickers still had to deal with some mud but nothing like yesterday and Saturday.  Tomorrow should be good picking just wear some old shoes. 
    Blackberries, Potatoes and Onions are on their way, maybe ready to harvest in mid May.

Saturday 4pm --- Folks are still picking. The rain is coming and going.  If you could see a high speed reel of the pickers it would be quite funny --- everyone goes to pick when it is not raining and runs for the barns when it does starts again.  I think I will name todays pickers "the truebadoors".  I don't think that is a word but I've heard it in a song before and it seems like it fits.  They just rolled up their pants legs and went after it.  Even though the conditions are not the best, I have not seen or heard one complaint (not counting the little girl that was crying "I don't want to leave the goats, I don't want to gooooo").  I guess mud is a good equalizer of mankind - no matter who you are or what status you have achieved, you got it between your toes just like me.
  Tomorrow / Sunday 18th --- rain is out of the forcast but it is sure to still be wet and soggy around here.  The grassy green belt areas will be good walking and the berries will be plentiful but the aisles between the rows are still going to be smuddy and slippery.  We will start picking in the best drained field and then move toward the other two.

Saturday 1:08 ---- It is now raining pretty hard here.  I think we are at the stage where I would not reccommend coming out today. 

Saturday 1pm ---  Ok, it is officially wet and very slippery here now.  We continue to have little showers run over us.  Everywhere someone else has walked is just getting more and more slippery.  We sill have LOTS of people picking but we have now moved into the "just pull your shoes off and get some therapeutic mud between your toes" stage.

Saturday 10:30am ---- A heavy drizzle is coming down now, lots of folks are picking through the moisture with an umbrella in one hand and picking berries with the other.  The skies have turned a light gray and the radar shows promise unless something builds up.

Saturday 7:42 am April 17, 2010 ------ Darn! Just when I thought we made it through the day yesterday with no rain, we got another .25 inch last night.  So here I am just looking at a field of Strawberries with a few Strawberry plants mixed in informing you "The picking will be good today but you might want to wear your old shoes because there will be some mud".  At this point you will not sink to your ankles in mud but you will pick some up on the bottoms of your shoes.  As I look at the radar, it appears we are in the clear for the short term.  We will post right here as soon as/if it starts raining here today.

Friday  7:45 pm April 16, 2010 ---- So far, no more rain here today.  The clouds are actually breaking and the wind has picked up so if we don't get rain tonight - tomorrow will be great picking.  We will put up an update in the morning as well.

Friday 1:36 pm ---- I feel like an episode of the TV show 24 -- 7:30am, 12:10pm tick tick tick 1:36pm.  Now to come up with some drama to fill in with, hmmmm...... we'll just have to wait to the high school workers get out of school - then we will have plenty of drama. 
   Back to the matters at hand, the little shower earlier did not last more than a couple of minutes so we are still a go if you want to come out today.  According to the radar we are in the clear for at least a little bit. 

Friday 12:10pm --- We have had some mist this morning but just now we had a little shower, hard enough to run everyone under the barn.  I don't know where it came from because the radar only shows one little green speck right over us --- figures.  If this stops the fields will still be ok although old shoes might now be in order.  There is no doubt that the berries are out in the fields by the droves, we just got to get to them.   

Friday 7:30am April 16, 2010 ---- So far - so good.  The dust is now settled and the berries freshly washed.  The grass is a little damp and the aisles between the strawberry rows a tad squishy but nothing that should deter anyone from picking.  The current radar shows some rain south of San Antonio, who knows when it will get here but for now - everything is a go.  We will post an update here as soon as/if it starts raining today.  By the way, the rain has effected our telephone line so don't get upset if we don't pick up.

Thursday afternoon after 4:15 pm April 15, 2010 ---- Ok, what about tomorrow?  We have saved our best drained field for tomorrow and Saturday.  We can get into that field: one hour after .5 inches, two hours after 1 inch, three or four hours after 1+ inches.  We have stayed out of this field since Monday so it is LOADED with ripe Strawberries (and they will be freshly washed as well).  I just told a customer on the phone, and I mean it, you can just put your box down and rake the berries into it.  There are so many berries to be had that you might want to bring along some side boards for your box, because if you get caught in the middle of the field with a level full box - it will be runneth over by the time you make it back to the checkout store.  It is simply amazing how many big ripe ones you see as you are trying to leave, and you will just have to have that one more (remember: level full is about $15, heaped up over the handle is going to be at least $18).
    A LITTLE bit of rain would actually be a good thing to settle the dust and wash the berries off.  The last few weeks have been very windy and dusty.  We planted 'Texas' last saturday and it has been way too dry for the seed to germinate.  All week we have been putting the sprinklers out and wetting the field down, this little rain will help that process immensely. 
   Forget about the wildflowers, you should take a picture between the Blackberry rows.  Those canes are covered (at least before the rain they were) with white blooms.  It is a very pretty site and I should have got out there this morning and took some pics for the site.  Sorry, maybe after the rain.

Thursday afternoon 4:15 pm April 15, 2010 ----  It just started raining here, if you have not left and are coming today - don't. 

Thursday morn April 15, 2010 --- No rain yet.  The forecast is calling for showers this afternoon we will put up an update if we get any wet weather.  In the meantime, the berries are abundant and the picking is very good.  Jenny the Donkey had a cute little baby yesterday, actually it is not real little and leaves me pondering the question "how did that have that?".  I guess we are going to have to name her 'tax day'.

Monday April 12, 2010 ---- Wow, a LOT of Strawberries were picked over the weekend, enough for me to even wonder if there were any ripe ones left.  Before I could get out into the field, the last customer on Sunday brought up a fabulous full box of very ripe berries one of which was the size of a small fist.  I did get out into the field and there were still ripe berries to be had, just not an overwhelming amount.  Today the customers that looked under the leaves of the plants found nice ripe berries, those that did not take their time and just picked the ones they could easily see had berries that were not quite ripe.  It is very hard not to pick that big one that is red on one side and orange on the other.  If you will just pace yourself and be choosy you will come out with a wonderful box of berries.   Remember: the best picking is always on the FAR end of the row.  No matter which row you decide to harvest, go to the far end and pick back toward the store.  You just can't look down or you will never make it to the far end.  Not many folks can resist that big one on the close end of the row and when you bend over to pick it another one pops out, then another and another and before you know it your box is full and you never made it to the really good ones.
    There is a large amount of berries yet to ripen.  Tomorrow we will have plenty of ripe berries to be picked and by Thursday the fields will be loaded again.  
  

Wednesday April 7, 2010 ---- I believe the skies have opened and Strawberries fell out.  We opened last week and had a good many ripe Strawberries to pick, by Sunday afternoon the fields had been pretty well picked.  Here it is three days later and I tell you it is amazing how many Strawberries have ripened.  The warm days and nights of late have juiced up (literally) the plants so we have gone from 0 to 100 in a matter of a week.  I guess what I am trying to say is "Now is a very good time to pick".  The only problem you are going to have now is holding yourself back from picking too much.  Remember, a level full box of berries runs about 15 or 16 dollars, with this many berries it is very hard to stop and if you give each one of your kids a box, you might end up with waaaay more than you were looking for.  Hint: you can get a tremendous amount of goodwill out of giving someone fresh Strawberries.  Looking for that pay raise? extra blessings from your preacher? make a friend out of an enemy? get some free publicity? make sure your kid is the teachers pet? get a free meal? or just make someones day? fresh Strawberries that you "labored and toiled to pick" (at least that is what you tell them) are the answer!
    The rest of the farm is looking good as well.  We are desperately trying to get 'Texas' planted, hopefully it will be by the weekend.  The Blackberries are just showing some blooms, I think their crop is going to be a little late as well but at least it looks like we will have one this year!  The Pecan and Mesquite trees are beginning to put out, that is a good sign that maybe late freezes are behind us ---- lets hope this is true.  The onions and potatoes are growing like mad, mid May is the target for beginning their harvest. 

Sunday evening April 4, 2010 ----- Happy Easter!  I hope everyone has their families and friends all lined up to come out because the Strawberries are about to let loose.  There will be a lot of ripe berries to pick tomorrow and Tuesday, by Thursday there will be more berries out there than you can shake a stick at.  I do not think we will have to worry about the ripe berries being picked out for at least another month.
    Now, let's get something straight ---- this afternoon my wife told me a lady mentioned that her berries were not very sweet.  I was SHOCKED, especially after eating 'THAT berry of '10'. I went straight into questiion mode "where did she pick them? and were they ripe?".  Turns out they were not quite ripe (we have a saying here for the little kids "the redder the better) orange red berries with green tips are not ripe.  And she had picked them from the Sweet Charlie, while some folks like this variety I don't think it holds a candle to the Chandler variety.  When our conversation was complete, I went straight out into the field where I found "THAT berry of '10' and ate about 12 berries.  Once again, I was able to hold my head high and as I struck the pose of the Jolly Green Giant I said "silly woman, Strawberries just don't get better than this".  By the way, I stumbled onto something that if I already knew I had forgotten,  "THAT berry of '10" and those good berries I had today --- they came off a row in the back block that a Racoon had been eating on.  So from now on, look for the row that has berries half eaten yet still attached to the plant - that seems to be where the really good ones are.

Friday evening April 2, 2010 ----  Today was just right!  We did have a few little showers this morning that were kinda irritating to customers but they evened out the crowd just perfectly.  We did pick a lot of berries and everyone seemed like they were able to find all the berries they wanted.  We have three blocks of berries and stayed in two today meaning we have a whole field saved for tomorrows picking.  I think we will have plenty of berries for everyone in the morning. Not enough rain fell to make mud so you don't even have to worry about wearing your old shoes. 
   I just finished walking through the back field and ate a berry that had a scar on it because I felt sorry it had been left behind - I was not prepared for what happened next ...... a explosion of luscious flavors of sweetness erupted in my mouth. I immediately jumped like a cat straight up in the air.  I couldn't open my mouth to yell "Wow!" in fear of losing some of the berrys' delectable nectar (the red stain wouldn't look good on my yellow shirt anyway).  With every muscle in my mouth I milked and cherished every drop.  I then grinned from ear to ear and was proud -- farmer proud, because that was a berry not many people have a hand in raising. I shall remember that berry henceforth as "that berry of  '10, I remember it fondly".  Needless to say, I have not ate another berry since lest I ruin the moment.    

Thursday evening, April 1, 2010 ---- Being the sucker that I am, I let my wife get me all worked up about today's crowd.  Yesterday we debated back and forth (my correctly - her INcorrectly) concerning the possibility of being picked out by lunch.  Do you know how many times I heard "mark my words"?  I guess I should take a little bit of the blame, I mean it was a full moon recently and she is due a "I was right" moment. Wait a minute ......... she is pretty crafty ........... I just realized the date .............. could she have??????? ....... naaa, no way, hmmmm.
    Today was our first opening day of 2010 and it was pretty good.  I can tell folks were running out of berries in their freezer because we had plenty of 45+ pound pickers.  We had a few overzealous young boys today that were getting a little too excited in the field and when I asked dad about them he said he had seen them and tried to correct them to no avail.  I then mentioned that their family bought like 140 dollars worth.  His tune immediately changed and he said something like "those were some precious young boys and I hope they come back some day so I can get to know them".
     It was a good day and we picked alot of berries but there is still a good supply for tomorrow.  With the chance of rain and the fact that it is Good Friday I just don't know what tomorrows crowd will look like (maybe I will ask my wife and then go opposite?).  I expect that customers coming in the morning will be able to find plenty of berries, the afternoon might become iffy.  If we just have a moderate crowd then the picking might be OK on Saturday as well,  we will try to make another update here tomorrow night.    

Wednesday March 31, 2010 ---- No Foolin, we are going to open the gates tomorrow and there will be a decent supply of nice ripe berries to be picked.  We have four varieties, it is OK if you sample one or two of each because they taste distinctly different.  Ask Dad, at the welcome center, to tell you where the different varieties are.  IF we get overwhelmed tomorrow - the weekend supply looks slim.  I will update this page tomorrow night and try to give you an idea of what the weekend looks like.  No matter if we have berries or not this weekend we will be open and the ice cream will be flowin.

Monday March 29, 2010 ---- They're coming, I promise!  but I think I might have created a monster by publicizing we would open on Thursday.  We are going to open Thursday no doubt and there will be berries to pick ........... but I am not sure about the supply for the weekend.  A typical weekend - we would not be worried but since it is Easter weekend (historically our busiest of the Spring), we are very worried about supply.  If you are coming to Marble Falls, please come on but please know that there is a pretty good chance you won't get all the berries you are looking for.  Remember, we have picnic tables, goats, horses and donkeys to enjoy and you are welcome to bring a ball or frisbee to throw in case you can't find enough berries.  Even if we run out of berries this weekend, we will not close the gates on you..  There is an amazing amount of fruit to ripen and it will happen soon so please don't give up on us.  I will try to update this page again Thursday night and let you know how the weekend looks.

Friday March 26, 2010 ---- Well .......... I think I am going to tell my wife to quit singing to the Strawberries because it is not helping them to ripen and might even be hurting.  Even though there are not many ripe now, we are seeing some movement in the berries.  Today was a warm sunny day and I think I could hear the berries waking up.  I really do believe that we will be able to open up next week.  No foolin,  we should for sure open for the season on Thursday, April 1st.  I think we are going to have a decent supply of berries for Easter weekend, we'll let you know in the first part of next week how the supply will look.
    We had another rain shower last Tuesday night, pumping water out of the aisles between the Strawberry beds is becoming a common practice.  Tomorrow is supposed to be 80 degrees and windy which will go a long way in making the berries accessible. 

Monday March 22, 2010 ---- I have been told that before God sent the great flood the people had never seen rain from the sky, the water just came up from the ground.  I have always wondered what that looked like, well, if we continue to get a rain shower every 3 to 4 days we are about to find out.    
    It is a good thing we covered the Strawberry plants last weekend because we did get a pretty hard freeze last night.  Most everything under the covers did just fine.  The plants where the cover blew off sustained some damage to the newly opened blooms but that should not affect overall production much.  I did not get the Tomato plants covered (much to the chagrin of my wife) and they were froze.  She is not too happy about it either (the Tomatoes are kinda her baby).  The potato plants have not come up yet and the Blackberries have not bloomed so I would not expect any damage there.
   In a nut shell, we survived the freeze just fine.  The only thing that has me annoyed right now is that it rained on the covers.  Our ground is almost saturated so we are having drainage issues.  I pumped water out of the aisles between the Strawberry rows last Saturday and we finished up today but the top of the ground has not dried up.  When you take a 50 by 300 foot cover and add water and mud it is a MESS.  The last thing we want to do is roll them up wet.  On the other hand, on a warm sunny day it might get 15 or 20 degrees warmer under the covers so we don't want them on the plants in mid seventy degree weather or higher so we really want to get them off post haste but have to wait for them to dry sooooo, we left them on today in hopes that we pull them first thing tomorrow.  We'll let you know what the berries look like as soon as we the plants uncovered.

Friday night, March 19th, 2010 ----  How can you tell you are getting older?  you spend Friday night updating the Fresh News.  I have just checked all the weather forecast models I can think of and they all said the same thing - "good thing we covered the Strawberry plants up today because we have waaaaay too much immature fruit on them to gamble with".  I don't know if it is going to actually freeze or not but we just can't take a chance with all this fruit on the horizon.  Mom has been picking a few ripe berries here and there but we still don't enough to open with.  I do think that when they finally begin to ripen it won't take long for them to really pour it on.  My best guess at the moment is an open date of late next week, probably Saturday (27th) and by Easter weekend production should have picked up dramatically.  One thing for sure, these first berries have been outstanding flavor wise, some of the best berries I have ever eaten.  We will pull the covers off Monday and update you here on what we find. 

Monday March 15th, 2010 ---- Believe me, NOONE wants those Strawberries to get ripe more than me.  Unfortunately we just don't have enough (hardly any) ripe yet to open.  I am watching them close and trying to hurry them along but I just don't think we will have enough to open up anytime this week.  I think the best guess will be a Thursday March 25th date.  What do I know?  not a whole lot sometimes so the opening date could be a few days before that or a day or two beyond (I doubt it though).  We have a ton of fruit and blooms on the way.  It would be tragic for us to open before we had enough for everyone so feel confident when the gates open we will have plenty to pick. 
  The grass and some trees are starting to move ---- are we beyond the last freeze?   Let us optimistically put our heads in the sand and say YES.  Stay vigilent with me and watch for any cold weather coming.  If we can get beyond April 14th (the latest I can remember it freezing here) then we should be good.  Geesh, that is still another month away --- aarrrggghhhh. 
  We had almost dried out for a change and it is starting to rain again here now.  Let's hope that we get no more than half an inch.  Seems odd that I just said that, I feel somewhat fickle at the moment.
   All the potatoes and onions have been planted.  The wife is planting some Tomatoes now.  We are terrible Tomato growers and have only had one good crop out of the last five.  Perhaps this will be the year we turn our Tomato doldrums around?  We are so optimistic at this time of the year. 
   The replanted Peach and Plum trees are starting to put out as well.  Since we are looking on the bright side, I am sure we will get lots of good new growth out of them this year and 100% will be alive come Fall. 
   You know what?  I think this will probably be yours and our best year yet!  Yeah, that's it, we will be looking back at this year and reminiscing "I 'member back in 010, now THAT was a good year."  Ok, our task is before us - together we are going to make this year a good one, our past is behind us and good times are before us!

Monday March 8th, 2010 ---- We finally got the covers off the Strawberries and have had a good look at the progress of the crop underneath them.  Overall the berry crop is definately behind, but perhaps not dimenished.  The Strawberry plants do not have a set number of berries they will produce, instead they generate berries as long as the weather is favorable to them.  Starting the season late sometimes means a reduction in the total crop but in this case it looks like the early blooms are there but waiting for better growing conditions.  I guess what I am trying to say is that I think we will still have the same amount of berries, just way more concentrated in ripening.  So, please call all of your relatives and friends and get them lined up to come pick berries in mid April.  The early varieties are covered in blooms now and the Chandler (which represents 90% of the plants) have tons of blooms just about to emerge. 
   I know lots of folks want to come out for Spring Break and we are oh so close but I just can't see us having enough berries to open up.  There is a very slim outside chance that we could have some berries to pick by the end of that week (March 20) but I really think it will be the following week before we will feel comfortable opening.  We will try to keep the Fresh News updated more frequently as we get closer to the actual opening day.  Well, it appears there is a line of storms coming so I better run out and feed the goats before the rain sets in.

Wednesday March 3rd, 2010 ---  Beautiful!  The weather today is outstanding!  We still have the covers on the Strawberries because we are GUN SHY.  We started to pull them off last Friday because the forecast was 38 degrees Saturday morning, good thing we didn't because it frooze pretty good.  So we are now officially gun shy, anytime the temps are forecast 39 degrees or lower we are worried about a freeze.  It does not help that we are in a low spot which will be colder than anywhere around us, our temps are very similiar to ABIA to give you an idea of what to watch for. 

Wednesday February 24, 2010 ----- It snowed here yesterday and it sure was pretty.  Last time I remember it snowing any significant amout here in Marble Falls was 30 years ago and all us boys ended up on the football field playing in it.  I sure was tempted to drive over to the field and see if there was any action going on, then I rembered that it would be hard for me to outrun the cones marking the field much less some high school kid. 
    It is good the Strawberry plants are covered up as we had a hard freeze this morning.  We will leave the covers on for a couple of days and make sure these freezes are over for awhile before we pull them off.  To put it in 'Home Depot' terms for this time of the year, leaving the covers on for a couple of weeks is 'good',  a couple of days is 'better', and none at all 'best'.  Even though the increased temperatures under the covers encourages plant growth, the reduction in light henders it.  
    Hold on you blackberries!  The Blackberry buds are starting to swell.  I used to think that Blackberry blooms hardly ever get frozen but after several wipe outs I have changed my opinion.  We have not had a really good Blackberry crop here for several years so I want them to wait a little longer before coming out.  Even though they might break bud now they won't bloom till the later part of March.  Those late March/ early April freezes are the ones we have to watch for.  

Monday February 22, 2010 ---- The weather has been the big story around here lately (come to think of it - it almost always is  ....... I feel so shallow, all we talk about is the weather).  Last week we did get a small reprieve from the rain and were able to get most of the frost covers taken off the Strawberry plants.  As expected, the Festival and Sweet Charlie plants have a good many nice blooms on them.  The Chandler plants had only a few blooms showing but more yet to show themselves down deep in the crown.  We were hoping they would be a little farther along but the winter has been cold around here and they plants are a little behind.   It sounds like we are going to get more freezing weather over the next few days so we are going to cover the plants back up today.  It looks like we might have some berries to pick mid to late March.  To early to tell if we will have berries for Spring Break (March 15 - 20), we will try but the weather has to cooperate.