People like to refer to citrus as Florida’s gold, but in February, our hearts are drawn to something a bit more red.
While Florida’s citrus growers may be feeling a bit dismayed at the current outlook, there’s another group of growers whose industry is positively booming — strawberries. That’s because right now, Florida is in its prime strawberry season.
Not only is Florida the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, it’s also the second largest producer of strawberries here in the U.S. A confluence of factors make it perfect for growing the berries, including:
- Perfect climate: The temperature fluctuations between the warm days and cool nights helps to enhance the sweetness of the berries.
- Well-drained sandy soil: Our soil makes it easy to manage nutrients and also prevents waterlogging, reducing the risk for root diseases.
- Perfectly timed market: Florida’s strawberry season fills a market gap when the fruit isn’t available from other growers.
And even though Plant City is the well-established king of the crop, it’s exciting to see strawberry production starting to flow over into Polk, Highlands, and Hardee counties.
In this edition, we talked with one grower who is part of that movement. David Lawson chose to push up 50 acres of his citrus land in West Lake Wales and convert it to strawberry crop. With 60 additional acres planned to go the same route, he’s hoping to be able to pass on his passion for farming to his son. Read more about his efforts on page 8.
Now get out there and get your Florida-fresh strawberries! Thanks for reading Central Florida Ag News and God bless.
