CLERMONT, Fla. — With cold weather continuing into the weekend, some local farmers are concerned.

At Southern Hill Farms, they are getting prepared to do whatever they can to help their crops.

David Hill is keeping a close eye on his strawberries. He’s been growing them for the last five years with his wife, Lisa, at Southern Hill Farms in Clermont. He says for agritourism, it’s the perfect winter crop.

“The cold temperature we’ve had makes it even more sweeter than normal,” said Hill.

However, the forecast is causing them some concern, with temperatures dipping potentially into the low 30s.

“Which is right on the edge of where we’ve got to really pay attention,” said Hill. “Frost can form well above 32.

“If it gets to be 32 degrees, then we just have to look to turn water on in order to protect the plants.”

Hill was checking their irrigation system, making sure it stays ready to go. If needed, sprinklers will hit the plants with water at least once a minute, however, he hopes they don’t have to do that.

“When you turn water on strawberries, what you’re doing is you’re kind of saving the plant, but you might be damaging the berry a little bit, but I’d rather give up the berry and save the plant,” said Hill. “So that’s why we wait until the very last second to turn water on strawberries.”

It’s the most stressful time of year for Lisa Hill, who will stay up all night checking on the weather, seeing if they’ll need to turn on the irrigation.

“You’re just dealing with an unknown and in a variable and so we have to watch the, you know, the monitors and the sensors you know, almost every half hour, just to make sure that the temperatures aren’t dropping, you know, what’s the wind?” explained Lisa Hill, who co-owns the farm with her husband.

And it is not just the strawberries that are at risk. Though blueberry season is just a few months away, Hill explained they’ll need to protect the growth they have.

“As you can see, we’ve got blueberries that have already formed,” said Hill. “We have to protect those. They’re not blue yet, but they’re formed. We’ve got flowers that we need to protect. There’s a good chance we will be running the water. I hope not, but there’s a good chance.”

But with sunshine and warmer temperatures expected in the week ahead, the Hills are hopeful their crop can make it to their peak of the season.

“As soon as it warms up, the peak is going to get here in a hurry,” said Hill.

Despite staying closed on Thursday and Friday, the Hills are confident they will be open on Saturday as long as the strawberries stay warm enough.