
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, May 31, 1993                   TAG: 9305310038
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: HOLIDAY 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

VIRGINIA'S STRAWBERRY CROP LOOKS JUICY

Virginia's strawberry crop was slightly late this year, but growers and agricultural officials say it was worth the wait.

Strawberry season usually peaks about June 1, but this year many farms have just begun harvesting the fruit, which appears to be plentiful and of good quality, officials said.

"Strawberries are doing pretty well this year," said Herbert Stiles, the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service's small-fruit specialist at the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Experiment Station in Blackstone.

Between 1,000 and 1,200 acres of strawberries are grown in Virginia, and about 27 farms offer pick-your-own strawberry operations.

At Jordan River Farms near Flint Hill in Rappahannock County, strawberries have been picked for nearly two weeks, said co-owner Miriam Harris. "But they should go on until later in June because there are still some blossoms out there in the field."

Hal Brown at Crooked Run Orchard in Purcellville said the farm just produced its first berries last Thursday. "They're late" but good, he said.

Business has been good recently for the Pungo-area growers in Virginia Beach, said Barbara Henley of Henley Farm. The weekend Strawberry Festival accounted for some sales, and growers in the area say more picking is expected after today.

Meantime, a technique being tried at some Virginia farms could improve the marketability of the state's strawberries and make them more competitive with California berries, said Stiles, the Extension Service's small-fruit specialist.

The technique, called plasticulture, involves growing the berries in raised beds about 8 inches high and about 2 feet wide. Black plastic is placed on the beds, and two rows of plants are put through it.

Irrigation occurs under the plastic. As in other strawberry production systems, overhead irrigation still is used to control frost damage, Stiles said.

"When the berries mature, they are right out above the plastic where you can get them and are easier to pick," he said.

The method was developed at North Carolina State University.

"The surface of the fruit is such that it can be refrigerated and shipped easier than the more traditional varieties of berries in the eastern part of the country," Stiles said. "That opens up wider marketing possibilities."

by CNB