RALEIGH, N.C. — With cold weather back in the forecast, farmers are preparing for potential overnight freezes. 

What You Need To Know

  • Page Farms is prepping for an expected overnight freeze that could harm crops

  • Justin Page says this time of year it is normal to be on the lookout for frost

  • Page says late spring freezes can cause major damage to the strawberries when some strawberry plants may already be blooming

Justin Page, co-owner of Page Farms, is replacing a gasket in his irrigation system that caused a leak.

"So, the irrigation pipe here is all aluminum pipe, but it has these rubber gaskets on the inside. And you got to get them sealed all the way around in order for the water not the leak out. Actually, we had a leak from under the old one that was, dry rotted,” Page said.

Page Farms is prepping for expected overnight freezes that could harm crops.

"So far, we're trying to get all of our overhead irrigation systems that we have ready for frost protection in the morning. We're looking like about 4:00 in the morning to 6:00 for, when we probably want to cut everything on to help for frost protection,” Page said.

He says this time of year it is normal to be on the lookout for frost. Late spring freezes, Page said, can cause major damage to the strawberries because some strawberry plants may already be blooming.

"So, the main thing we're trying to protect is the bloom itself. The existing berries. We still want to protect them as well, of course. But, if frost does get on them, it'll kill the bloom. And therefore, you won't have that berry. That's what we're trying to protect,” Page said.

Even with the expected freeze, Page Farms is using its irrigation system to help protect their strawberries.

“It may sound contradictory, but we throw water over top of our berries and our blooms to protect those blooms. It creates a buildup of ice over top of that bloom. And when it does that, a little bit of thermal energy in there and heat will keep that bloom above 32 degrees. And by doing so, we'll make that bloom survive and wound up having a berry three days later. So, it's a combination of air temperature, humidity and dew point as well as wind. If there's wind, it doesn't matter what the other is doing, it's not going to freeze. But once that combination of things gets a calculation down to 32, we have to start throwing and we have to continue throwing water until it gets back above it,” Page said.

He said one plant can produce two pounds of berries at one time during the season. He says this is the beginning of the season, and they plan to open in the next 10 days.