VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Strawberry season has arrived in full force across the Pungo and Back Bay area, with farmers reporting healthy crops and busy fields despite earlier concerns about weather and rising costs.
Earlier this year, local growers were uncertain how the season would unfold following fluctuating temperatures in late March and increasing expenses for supplies. Now, those concerns have largely eased.
“It’s strawberry season in Pungo,” said Mike Cullipher of Cullipher Farm, noting that the harvest extends throughout southern parts of the city, including the Back Bay area.
Cullipher said fields were busy over the weekend as visitors turned out to pick strawberries, and he hopes for more consistent weather in the coming weeks.
“The plants speed up when it’s hot and slow down when it’s cold, but so far it’s worked out pretty good that we’ve had a really good-quality crop,” he said.
In addition to weather challenges, Cullipher said farmers faced higher costs this season for materials such as fertilizer and fuel.
Despite those increases, Cullipher said customers will not see higher prices at his farm.
“Our decision was that everybody is suffering because of the high gas and fuel prices. Everything in the store has gone up, so we tried to make our strawberries affordable for everybody by keeping the price the same as last year,” he said.
Strawberry season also brings springtime traditions to the area. While Cullipher said he has not heard whether the Pungo Strawberry Festival will return in full this year, his farm plans to host its own celebration May 16.
“The plan is to have a strawberry dish cook-off and let people decide what’s the best strawberry dish,” he said.
A smaller version of the traditional festival is also expected to take place May 23 at Pungo Square.
