Pick by the lb. for picking your own. A 4 quart basket weighs out roughly to be between $6.00 - $7.00.
Picked berries are also available to buy.
A Quart ; A 2L basket and a 4 quart basket are your options
Please always call ahead to confirm picking conditions and availability. It is so hard to know what the weather will do! Please also call ahead to order picked berries - this guarantees that we will have them for you! 613-489-3601
A personal favourite!
Strawberries are our specialty berry at the farm. We have a ton of different varieties, each with their own ripening time, flavours, and purposes -- one of which is eating, of course!
Strawberry facts
Strawberry plants are planted early to mid-May. Each plant has a crown, this is the area where the roots and the 'stem' of the plant meet. It is imperative that the crown is not covered by dirt, or the plant will die. In addition, the roots must be buried or the plant will dessicate. We plant our plants using a planter : 2 people plant and 1 person will walk behind to ensure that all plants are in & out of the ground. 250 plants go into 1 row of our
strawberry fields.
During the summer of their first year, the plants are carefully hoed, by hand, to make sure that weeds do not overtake the plants and to ensure that the roots remain buried. Any blossoms that are produced are cut off by simply a pair of scissors. This summer the plants are allowed to grow and spend all their energy on much needed foliage, rooting, and plant propagation.
Strawberry plants produce runners. These are shoots that come off the plant and produce a new plant, which in turn will eventually grow roots and become planted. Strawberries only produce runners when the weather is very warm. Once again, we go up and down the strawberry rows with hoes and make sure that the new plants stay where they are supposed to. We want to be able to walk down the rows without damaging the plants, so we have to push them back. If there is a bare area, where the plants are struggling, we can dig up a bunch of runners and plant them in the bare area.
Irrigation pipes are laid down immediately after planting. Because, we plant in mid-May there still may be risk of frost. Frost will freeze the young, sensitive plants and either kill them or cause them to struggle throughout the summer without good production. The pipes also serve to water the fields when there is a drought or a little extra moisture is needed. Our water comes from a pond that we dug at the very back of the property.
While the plants are producing leaves and new plants, we continuously walk over the field, and pull out, by hand, any weeds, grass or trees that try to grow.
Before the snow falls, usually late November, straw is spread over the plants to protect them from the winter and to help them go dormant. Lots of snow is good for the plants - it adds additional protection. A January thaw and February freeze will cause a large amount of 'winter damage' and kill the plants by freezing the roots.
In the Spring, before the weather gets too warm, the straw is removed from the tops of the plants and pushed into the rows for people to walk on, cushion knees when harvesting, and protect the berries from dirt spraying up after a rain.
The strawberry plants will produce scrumptious berries in their second summer. After 3-4 years of excellent production, the berry size and numbers decrease dramatically. We will dig up an entire field after 3-4 years, after replanting a replacement, of course. Also, we never replant strawberries in a field that we just rotatilled. We often wait a couple of years to let the soil regain some much needed nutrients and minerals.
Each strawberry field gets about decent 3 pickings. This is because strawberry blossoms form at different times, usually at about 3 different times. The first blossoms are usually the largest, because the plant has spent much energy on them. The second and third sets of blossoms are each smaller in size then the one before it. The size of the blossom often corresponds to the size of the fruit. The larger the blossom, the larger the berry. Therefore, if you are looking for the largest berries -- call us very early in the season. Note : size often reflects taste!!! The smaller the berry, the more flavour it contains, depending on the variety!
Strawberry Varieties & Facts
Strawberries come in many different shapes, sizes, colours, textures, and tastes.
Here is a brief description of each variety!
Early varieties
Veestar : These strawberries are nice, plump, very sweet and red. They start large, and decrease in size. However, the smaller berries are so incredibly sweet! They take a little extra work, but make an awesome jam! These berries tend to be soft, making them ideal for jamming, pies, desserts, and eating. Because they are soft, they will not last in the refrigerator for any long period of time, and should be used up right away. We only sell Veestar as picked berries when they are large, because they will last a short while, but only harvest them as picked berries to sell upon request. These are excellent pick your own berries because, at times, they are so numerous in numbers that it may take a whole 5-10 minutes to fill a basket (depending on how many you eat)!!
Annapolis : Yes, a Nova Scotia berry! Annapolis tend to be round, plump, orange-red in colour, and firm. They have a nice strawberry flavour. We often use them as picked berries to sell from our market because they will keep. They make very good eating berries, great slicing for desserts, and will make an orange coloured jam. However, they are firmer and harder to mash up for jams They also tend to be slightly more acidic than Veestar in flavour.
Brunswick : Now a New Brunswick berry. These fruits are firm, red, and either a typical strawberry shape, or a little on the square side. They are a new variety that we are trying, so we are going to learn about them with you.
Saphire :
Mid-Seasons
...more info to come...
Mira : long, pink, firm, mild tasting, berries with long stems.
Glooscap :
Bounty :
L'Acadie :
St-Pierre:
Late Season
Jewel : Yamaska :