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Auburn, April 19---Chilton County farmer Tim Minor spent last week walking through his strawberry patches, examining berries and checking for new growth as the sun put the finishing touches on his crop.

Sunshine Farms, which he owns, includes a U-Pick strawberry patch that opened April 14.

Most strawberries in Chilton County should be ready to be picked in the next two weeks, says Chilton County Extension agent Gary Gray, so U-Pick farms should begin opening for business soon.

Strawberry season is already well underway in south Alabama and will start soon in north Alabama. Baldwin County grower Claude Bailey, owner of BJ Farms in Elberta, opened his U-Pick strawberry patch March 1. He says the weather was just right this season for nice, juicy berries, and he has enjoyed a steady stream of pickers.

Limestone County Extension agent Lloyd Chapman says growers in north Alabama need about a week or 10 days before their berries will be ready.

In most of the state, strawberry season runs through April and May.

Gray says many people look forward to picking their own berries each spring.

"They are usually about $6 or $7 a gallon, which is a couple of dollars cheaper than you can get them in the store," says Gray. "People pick them for a variety of reasons. A lot of people want to put them up, preserve them, make jam or freeze them. They might be ‘picky’; they want the perfect berries."

Gray says most farmers don’t mind if you munch on a few berries while you are picking. The strawberries are usually clean, thanks to "plasticulture," a process of planting the berries above the ground on plastic.

"The berries are actually very clean," he says. "They’re on the plastic, so they don’t get dirt or manure or other things on them."

Jettie Durbin, of Sunshine Farms, says the fruit looks good so far.

"We just need a few more days of bright sun," she says. "We’ve had so much rain lately. But we’re supposed to get some sunny weather. If we get the sun, we’ll have the berries."

Contact your county Extension agent for information on U-Pick farms in your area. Gray says his office has a directory of U-Pick farms in Chilton County he will fax or mail to those who request it.

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