Farmers staying up all night to protect crops from cooler temperatures

Crops like asparagus are weeks behind because of the lack of warm weather.

Farmers in the region are staying up all night to preserve their precious crops in cooler weather conditions.

Kevin Ward of Fernwood Farms in Stayner was one of them.

Most recently, he had to spend the overnight irrigating – or watering – the strawberry crops.

While strawberries are typically in season in Ontario from mid-June to mid-July, farmers say the season is behind and the warm weather hasn’t been helping.

“So far out here, it has been so cold, windy, rainy – it’s been one of my worst springs in recent memory,” Ward says.

He says other crops, like asparagus, are weeks behind as well due to the lack of warm weather. Asparagus is only now ready to be harvested, when it can begin as early as late April.

“Everything is so far behind because its been so cold,” Ward says. “Nothing is growing quickly.”

Even when berry plants start blooming, a light frost can cause serious damage, which is why farmers are up through the night, monitoring field temperatures.

With a frost warning in place for much of the region, these weather conditions are proving challenging for farmers.

There are protective measures farmers can put in place.

Some farmers have had to cover their crops to prevent damage and by placing a protective cover over strawberry fields, that can add a one- to two- degree Celsius increase in temperature. By irrigating them, it can add between three and five degrees Celsius of extra warmth.

Ward says watering also helps to protect plants from frost as soil that’s moist will retain more heat than dry soil, which acts as insulation for roots. When water freezes, it releases heat, creating a slightly warmer insulating layer of ice around plants so their tissue won’t drop below zero degrees Celsius.

The only plant that seems to be thriving at the moment is perennials, as they generally favour cooler weather. However, annuals, which tend to like the warner weather, are not growing fast enough.

Next time you enjoy some fresh berries, you may not help but think of the farmers who stayed up all night to make sure they were just right.