Strawberries need warm, sunny days and cool nights to grow. That’s why strawberries grow best along California’s coastal growing areas. Different varieties of strawberries grow in different regions of California because the climate in the North differs from the South. It’s no wonder California grows strawberries 10 months of the year -- peaking from April through June.
In a commercial strawberry field, plants are usually planted in double rows on raised beds. The gentle slopes are important for good drainage.
After the flowers bloom, it usually takes about one month before the strawberries are ripe. The best part about strawberry plants is that they’ll keep blooming and producing fruit a number of times during the harvest season. In fact, when you look at a plant, you’ll see strawberries in many different stages - white flowers, strawberry buds, green berries, and ripe berries. Each plant is picked twice a week.
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Strawberries are picked at their peak of juicy freshness. All strawberries are picked, sorted, and packed by hand in the field.
It is considered an art to pick strawberries, since they are very fragile and bruise easily.
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Within 30 minutes of picking, the strawberries are rushed to cooling facilities.
At the “Berry Cooler” the filed heat is reduced by forced air to cool the berries to 34 degrees Fahrenheit.
Within 24 hours of harvest, strawberries are loaded on refrigerated trucks for delivery to local supermarkets across the country. Keeping this highly perishable fruit cool is critical if it is to reach consumers in perfect condition.
The Camarosa variety was recently developed by the University of California at Davis and is very adaptable to different growing areas and has a 10 day shelf life when it is kept cold. Agricultural researchers who specialize in Pomology, the science and practice of growing fruit, are always working to develop new strawberry varieties that are flavorful, adaptable to many different growing areas and ship well.
