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 U-Pick or We-Pick We are open Monday through Saturday, beginning at 8:00 AM and continuing until 7:00 PM or until we are picked out. If you are thinking of coming later in the day or on Saturday, please call ahead to see if we are picked out. The message on the answering machine at (919)732-7701 is updated daily. We grow about 2 acres of strawberries, and the variety that we plant is called Chandler. Each year we look forward to a great strawberry season. Children with juice dripping down their chins and adults carrying out baskets full of red, ripe berries make the season worthwhile. Read on to find out more about the growing process. 
The strawberries are planted in the 3rd week in September. They are grown in raised beds with watering tubes in them. This irrigation system allows us to ensure that the strawberries have an adequate supply of water and nutrients. As seen to the left, once the plants are delivered the strawberries plugs are loaded up and ready to go into the soil.In the spring, if the temperature gets below 25 degrees we have to cover them. Once the blooms are out, if it gets below 35 degrees we have to spray water on them. When the water freezes on the berries, it protects them from the cold. If the temperature gets above 90 degrees, we have to spray them to keep them cool. We had to spray water on them 3 times this year (one night we had to stay up all night and tend to them), and cover them 4 times. 
Honeybees are on site to help with the pollination. We also use integrated pest management (IPM). One way that we do this is by putting predatory mites on the strawberries; they eat a type of mite that causes harm to the berries by sapping the plant’s energy.Despite the challenges presented by the weather and pests, we continue to grow our tasty strawberries. We hope to see you at the patch.
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