FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Unseasonably warm temperatures are accelerating crop growth across the Valley, prompting an early start to the strawberry season and raising concerns for some cool-weather vegetables.<\/p>\n
Growers say fields and orchards are already showing lush green colors, and flowers are emerging earlier than expected.<\/p>\n
UC Small Farm Advisor Michael Yang says this year’s strawberry crop is running ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n
“Usually, on April 10, you get the strawberry, but this week it’s like three weeks ahead. And so yeah, it’s weird,” Yang said.<\/p>\n
Customers have been quick to take advantage of the early bounty at Kao’s Strawberry Stand at Shaw and Grantland in Northwest Fresno.<\/p>\n
Owner Kao Saetern, who actually sells more vegetables than strawberries, says the sudden heat isn’t ideal for his winter crops.<\/p>\n
“Looks like 90 but right now plants look very healthy. We don’t worry about it. We try to control the water a little bit,” Saetern said.<\/p>\n
Yang says vegetables such as snap peas and several leafy greens could be impacted if temperatures continue to rise.<\/p>\n
“These are cool-weather crops. This is snap peas,” Yang said, adding that vegetables like “the bok choy, gailon, uchoy. Some of those leafy vegetables. It needs the cool weather.”<\/p>\n
Farmers have little choice but to adapt to shifting conditions and warmer temperatures can speed up plant development, for better or worse.<\/p>\n
“It grows faster, it flowers faster too. So it’s good for the warm season crop but then the cool season, it just speeds up too quickly,” Yang said.<\/p>\n
Saetern expects his winter vegetables to survive the current warm spell but acknowledges that the early heat could also bring an early end to some of his cool-weather crops.<\/p>\n
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