Domestic strawberry supplies catching up with better weather Like many commodities in California, strawberries have been contending with recent weather events. “Weather has played a significant role in this year’s domestic strawberry season,” says Alan Ediger, vice-president of sales for California Giant Berry Farms in Watsonville, CA. “Southern California strawberry growing areas began their season on time (January). However they experienced several weather events including severe rain, hail and high winds of which caused significant setbacks to the harvest.” California Giant Berry Farms anticipates a large haul of fruit to come on by the first of June. Currently, there are two primary growing regions producing the fresh supply of strawberries in California. Santa Maria is seeing peak supplies and will continue with high volumes of good-quality berries for the next three to four weeks. Meanwhile growers in Watsonville and Salinas are having a hard time building momentum due to weather. “The plants did not receive ideal chill time at the nursery level over the winter. Combined with cold temperatures, the fruit has been slow to ripen compared to timing of previous years,” says Ediger.