Spring has sprung, and so have the strawberries in Eastern North Carolina. Strawberries on 903 Farmers Mike Skinner and Steve McLawhorn say this is the earliest strawberry season they’ve seen in their 17 years of growing the delicious red berries. Strawberries typically ripen and are available for picking from mid-April through the month of May in Eastern North Carolina, but you won’t have to wait that long this year. “We had a warm February and that really sped things up for us,” said Mike Skinner. “There were a few cold nights in the past couple of weeks that had us concerned, but the berries fared well and everything is looking really good!”
A typical strawberry season lasts 5-7 weeks in this part of the country, but Farmers Mike and Steve are hoping the weather won’t heat up too quickly. “If we can continue with these cool nights and moderate daytime temperatures for a few weeks, we should have a good season,” said Steve McLawhorn. “Strawberries don’t deal well with hot weather, so once we get into strings of 90 degree plus days, the plants will begin to shut down and stop producing blooms.”
In addition to strawberries, the produce farm will have a large supply of produce available in the near future – everything from asparagus and lettuce to squash and tomatoes. They also offer a popular Community Supported Agriculture program in which subscribers sign up for weekly boxes of locally grown produce from May through July.
Strawberries on 903 is located 4 miles south of Winterville on Hwy 903 in Pitt County. A NC Certified Roadside Market, Strawberries on 903 connects Pitt County residents with fresh, local food and offers something for everyone in the family. Mike Skinner and Steve McLawhorn have been growing strawberries and produce here since the year 2000 in the heart of a thriving farm community known as the Renston Homestead. A visit to the farm offers pick your own strawberries, fresh produce, farm animal petting for the kids and other activities.