CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina ranks third nationally in strawberry production, according to a trade group, and farms are getting ready for a sweet harvest as the season for the berries is right around the corner.

What You Need To Know

  •  North Carolina is the third largest strawberry producer in the nation 

  •  Harvest season for the Piedmont begins mid- to late April 

  •  Carrigan Farms has grown strawberries since the 1970s 

For the Piedmont region, the North Carolina Strawberry Association says harvest generally starts mid-to-late April, putting Carrigan Farms in Mooresville in the final stretch of what could be a make-or-break season.

So far, the farm says harvest is looking fruitful.

William Carrigan is a fifth-generation farmer. He’s helped plant acres of strawberries and now walks the fields of bright green crops.

“This one is currently blooming now, and this one has yet to bloom, all on one flower stalk. Hopefully all these plants will have a lot of strawberries,” Carrigan said.

The fields are blooming with white flowers, a sign of good things to come as the farm prepares to open to the public.

“We’ve got lots of young green strawberry fruits and we're trying to protect all these,” he said. “These were planted in October and they grew a little bit in the fall, and then they sat dormant through the winter and now they're popping out again in the spring, making green leaves and flowers everywhere, beautiful white strawberry flowers.”

Beyond the hard work, Carrigan credits the acres of bloom to the farm’s irrigation system, which has helped their crops flourish through droughts and freezing temperatures.

“The weather, it's always changing. You know, sometimes it's dry, sometimes it's wet. We have to adapt to the weather, but it's a good thing that we have irrigation so that if it's dry, we can irrigate,” he said.

This season, the farm is anticipating large crowds to pick their berries, a popular activity as the Strawberry Association says these fruits generate millions in income.

“We're expecting a good strawberry season this year, but it still isn't finished yet,” Carrigan said.“We're expecting a good strawberry season this year, but it still isn't finished yet,” Carrigan said. “We haven't got any red fruit yet. We've put a lot of work into this field, and we haven't got anything out of it yet, so fingers crossed but things are sitting pretty right now.” 

North Carolina has an estimated 370 strawberry growers, but for Carrigan, these crops are more than just a profit.

“I love eating them, that’s the best. That's the best part at the very end, the finale,” he said.

Strawberry picking for the farm begins April 25. They expect the season to last through late May. For more information on Carrigan Farms, click here.