We’re “Berry” Close! Reservations Open May 1st!

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The 2017 berry season is fast approaching, and we’re excited to finally have an update for you!

Did we even have winter this year? It was so mild, it was quick, it was warm, and there was very little moisture! Drought and wildly swinging temperatures were the norm, and then seemingly overnight, spring arrived.

The beginning of April brought over 2” of rain, added to the rain we received earlier that week, and we’re about even for the season. The berries are loving it. You can see in the photos below, the earlier-fruiting bushes are already in bloom, and the later varieties are displaying a good volume of buds.unnamedbuds

The 2016 season may have been the most disappointing season ever. A late April freeze, followed by a severe hail storm weeks later, really reduced our harvest and what was available to pick. However, with the new spring rains, and the buds we’re seeing on the 350 additional bushes added in 2016, this year’s season looks to have a lot of good fruit.

Progress is coming along on the new field. Making sure the soil has the right PH balance and nutrients for healthy blueberry bushes takes a year or two, and if our soil tests come back positive, we’ll be adding plants in the new field this fall. In the photo below you can see Ethan fixing the irrigation system in the greenhouse. Plants slated for the new field will first spend time in the greenhouse where we can properly prepare them before transplanting to the new field.

Ethan irrigating

As always, we’re as excited as you for the season to get open and on its way. Beginning May 1st, our online reservation system will open. If you prefer to use our Order & Pickup Service to either pick your berries up at the farm, or at Piccadilly Market & Grill in Wichita, then beginning in May, get your order in early, and we should be able to fill your request when the first berries are ripe, usually the first week of June.

If you prefer to pick your own, we’re excited to get to see you again this year, and as always, we’ll be open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday for reservations. The reservation process is to ensure there’s enough ripe berries available for you on the day you’re out, and that it’s a fun and pleasant picking experience without too many people on any given day. Thursdays are open for picking with no reservations required.

We’ve been receiving plenty of calls and texts about this year’s season. It’s a really busy time of the year for us as we prepare for the season, so if you don’t hear back from us right away, please be patient, and know that we’ll respond when we can.

We’re looking forward to seeing all our “Berry Good Friends” at the farm! Spread the word, and bookmark our website and Facebook page to stay up-to-date on farm news and the season opening!