Cool Evenings Improve Strawberry Quality

Tim Hammerich

News Reporter

The Florida winter strawberry season is well underway, and off to a great start.

Whitaker… “The season kicked off with the first few fruit around Thanksgiving. The yield has been increasing since then, and it will continue to increase through Valentine's Day. And then the season we'll probably finish up somewhere in late March to early April.”

That’s Dr. Vance Whitaker, an associate professor at the University of Florida who also directs the strawberry breeding and genetics program. He says the cooler evenings can help improve berry flavor and quality.

Whitaker… “Certainly if there's freezes going on, that can be very challenging. But in the absence of freezes, cold nights really help sweeten up the berries.”

He says warm daytime temperatures have boosted yields, but the cooler evenings we’ve seen in December have been welcomed.

Whitaker… “So it was warm in November, which kind of advanced the yield. Meaning that the yields so far have been relatively high this year. Which is good because we're in that higher-priced portion of the season - early in the season. But the temperatures going down has really increased the flavor quality of the berries, and so it's a nice combination. And the growers, I think, are having overall a good start.”

The ideal temperatures, according to Dr. Whitaker are somewhere around 50 degrees at night and 70-75 degrees during the day. This keeps them yielding and growing, but preserving those sugars at night.