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May 19, 2023

It is prime time for strawberry picking in central Ohio

Strawberry season is here and the "you-pick" farms in central Ohio are ripe for

Strawberry season is here and the "you-pick" farms in central Ohio are ripe for picking, but you better hurry if you want to participate.

Late May through early June is prime time for strawberry picking and while some farms have just started their season, others are approaching the end.

Hann's Farm Market, which began its picking season May 15, is among those in the last weeks of strawberry season. This weekend may be the last time customers can enjoy them, said Gretchen Hann, co-owner of the family business.

Hann said customers can bring their own containers to be weighed or they can purchase a bag at the market before picking their strawberries.

"So once they've checked in, they've washed their hands, they're free to go to the field and pick anywhere they'd like," Hann said.

Hann said the farm is already preparing for next year's strawberry picking season by beginnig to order cuttings, a part of a full-grown plant, such as the stem or leaf, used to grow another plant. Workers expect to work ground next month to lay plastic for next year's crops, which are grown with a system called plasticulture.

Hann said this season's relatively warm nights and sunny but cool days were ideal for strawberries. As the weather warms, conditions become less favorable.

"This week's been a little rough because you've had hot nights and you've had extremely hot daytime temperatures, so that makes your berries go from pink to over ripe in a hurry," Hann said.

Michele Doran, who helps run Doran's Farm Market, owned by her husband, Jim Doran, said the farm's strawberry-picking season begins around Memorial Day.

"Typically, it'll last anywhere from two-and-a-half to four weeks, depending on the weather," Doran said. "The hotter it is, the faster it goes."

Doran said the best time for customers to pick strawberries is around the first two weeks of June and that strawberry picking is a common outing for families who want to get out the house in the summer.

"Some people really want to get a bunch to make jam or something, so they may have that agenda, or other people just want to get their kids outside and pick some berries and see how they grow and that sort of thing," Doran said.

No matter where or why you go, time is running out to pick your strawberries. Here are some local farms to pick away.

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The list below consists of "you-pick" farms in central Ohio that grow strawberries.

• Doran's Farm Market, 5462 Babbitt Rd., New Albany; 614-855-3885; www.doransfarmmarket.com

• Hann's Farm Market, 4600 Lockbourne Rd.; 614-491-0812; Hann's Farm Market LLC Facebook page

• Mitchell's Berries, 9331 Mitchell Dewitt Road, Plain City; 937-243-0635, www.mitchellsberries.com

• Jacquemin Farms, 11430 Industrial Parkway, Marysville; 614-873-5725, Jacquemin Farms Facebook page (Note: the strawberry fields are at a different location than the farm store.)

• Matt's U-Pic, Rt. 159 (Landis Rd.), Amanda; 740-969-4159.