We are OPEN today from 8am-8pm for LIGHT strawberry picking!! We will also be open on Thursday and Friday from 8am-8pm. Saturday from 8am-4pm and Sunday from 10am-4pm. PLEASE CALL OR CHECK BEFORE YOU COME as hours are subject to change! Picking should get a little easier by the week-end if the weather stays SUNNY however, there are beautiful strawberries out there today! See you soon!

Here is a picture of our earliest variety of strawberry taken yesterday.

Early strawberries loving the sunshine!

We are patiently waiting but Mother Nature has decided to send us lots of showers! These beauties need more sun to ripen up. We are hoping that by Wednesday or Thursday next week (19th or 20th) we will have enough berries to open for pick your own! Stay tuned!

It has rained for a couple of days now and so it is really MUDDY out in the fields. None the less, we had a break in the the rain this morning and set to work. We had a couple of “newbies” out to do some more blossoming and our tractor driver Greg was in good spirits as usual and helped out by doing a little weed-whpping to start to get things in tip top shape for opening!

First day on the job and these brave employees did a great job blossoming! (notice the pounds of mud on their boots)

Tractor driver Greg after a few hours of weed whipping! Thanks Greg, the pavilion looks great!

Glad we own lots of pairs of boots! They will be needed for the next few days!

We are still aiming for opening in the third week of June and again, we don’t know exactly what day yet. I saw a couple of pink berries out there today which is a good sign and leads us to believe that picking is about 10 days or so away….we will see. Mother nature is in a rainy mood this week and so it may be a few more. We would like to get some sun to ripen those berries and make them sweet!

If you are planning a church strawberry social, family outing of just can’t wait for the first taste, we’re getting closer! Farmer Ken predicts the third week of June for the first strawberries to be ready! Check our Facebook page, Twitter, this website or our phone message for updates! Here is what the field looks like today:

As of May 28th, 2013

People always look at me a little strangely when I greet them with “happy spring!”. In our life, spring is an event. We are busier than ever getting new plants and seeds in the ground, putting out irrigation pipes, working the land and getting excited for the taste of our fresh fruits and veggies!

At the beginning of every April, the anticipation builds. We know that by the end of the month we’re on! Ken put several acres of spring wheat in early April when the nights were still frosty. It is popping it’s head out as we speak.

Here is some wheat that was planted this spring. It looks very similar to grass right now!

The next thing to go in the ground is strawberries. We usually have about 10-12 acres of strawberries to put in between our farm and Phil and Ruth’s place.  If you’ve been following us on facebook, you know that the strawberries are all in now and we are currently planting raspberries. Raspberries are not planted every year but our current planting is getting older. It’s been in for almost 9 years now!

These are raspberry plants before they go in the ground.

Here is Ken, our friend Chris (visiting from NS) and I planting raspberries. Our neighbour Al shot this one. Thanks Al!

As you can see from the picture above, that if you visit us during the spring and summer, you are sure to get put to work! We love all of our friends but it’s the only way to visit us “in season”! (C & D you know you’re next!)

In between all of the strawberry and raspberry mania, Ken has managed to plant some garden peas, sugar snap peas (my favourite) and green and yellow beans. At Phil and Ruth’s place, they have also started the soybean planting.

Alright, maybe all this it isn’t so exciting to everyone. Just wait until you have your first ripe strawberry this year. You will know exactly what I am talking about!

We are starting to stir here on the farm with the warming of the sun and the promise of a time change right around the corner. Some farmers are already hard at work as these warm days and cool nights have made the sap start to run. Fresh syrup yum!

Not everyone can picture what a break winter is for a farmer. Pure rest.  We enjoy the cold days because before we know it we will be spending our mornings, noons and nights out on the farm planting, weeding, fixing, pruning, watering, fertilizing, watching and waiting for our beautiful fruits and vegetables to grow.

A few small building projects are getting underway for the new season. Ken is reparing equipment and readying for the spring wheat planting.  The tractors have not seen much action aside from the odd driveway snow clearing job.

John Deer with the snow blower attached.

The kids and I have been tucking seeds into pots for our personal garden.

Starting seeds indoors.

We have had some fun (yes fun!) pouring over the pages of seed catalogues and making our final selections. All of the seeds have been ordered and the new strawberry plants have been reserved and will be delivered when the weather is just right. We will also be starting to plant a new couple of acres of raspberry canes as our current planting is turning 10 years old this season! How time flies!

In a few weeks we will be out pruning the apple trees before they wake up, and before you know it the rhubarb will be poking its head out of the ground!

Strawberry fields are still tucked under a blanket of snow.

We are glad to have had so much good snow cover for our strawberries this winter. It helps, along with the straw, to protect them from those cold nights.

The last of our frozen berries are being rationed into smoothies and crisps and we can hardly wait for those fresh berries to eat and tuck away again for next winter’s enjoyment!

The fall weather has taken quite a toll on our corn field and we are also “picked-out” of pumpkins – so we have decided that the last day for our fall season will be this Friday October 26th. If you wish to get out and enjoy the autumn air or just go for a drive, we will be at the farm stand Thursday October 25th and Friday the 26th from 9:30am until 11:30am.

Have a happy and safe Halloween everyone!

If you have been on our Facebook page you have probably noticed that I updated our cover photo to the one below. One of our friends, Orest K.  took this stunning shot this past week-end and I wanted to share it with everyone! (You may want to click on the photo to enlarge it)

Our pumpkin display with the beautiful blue sky in the background.

Don’t worry, we still have lots of pumpkins for sale. We planted 3  extra acres at Paulridge Berry Farm (farmer Ken’s parents) and have brought them in to stock the stand! See you soon!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We are truly thankful for all of our customers, friends and family who help us grow (and learn) each year.

Farmer Ken bought me a new camera for my birthday which, I admit, I have never even taken out of the box yet! I apologize for the quality of the following photos however, as someone recently pointed out to me most cameras take decent pictures, it’s typically just the user who needs to take a few minutes and learn! Anyway, here are a few photos from yesterday….I will work on the quality!

Look who showed up just in time for Thanksgiving!

Pumpkins for sale! You don't have to go to the patch if you don't want to. We have many for sale right at the booth!

A wagon load of happy pickers returning from the field.

I couldn't help but love the determination on this little guy's face!

One of our staff weighing the pumpkins while modeling a stunning pumpkin hat! (available for sale at the booth)

Everyone was in the spirit yesterday, even "Presley" the dog who came in costume.

****UPDATE**** We will open our pumpkin patch on Saturday September 29th for the season! Many customers have been worried about picking them too early….but don’t! Pumpkins will last for several months if kept correctly! Hope to see you soon!