Posted October 1st, 2024
UPDATE as of august 27, 2024
We are collecting orders for bare root "cut off" plants out of Lassen Canyon, CA. We had to cancel our order with Cottle Farms after learning a fungal pathogen, neopestalotiopsis, has infected most, if not all, of the east coast supply of strawberry plants for this coming season. We understand many strawberry growers in our region are scrambling for plants, and we are trying to help. We have already submitted an initial plant order with Lassen Canyon Nursery to secure a shipment. There is more room currently on our truck, and we will continue to add plants to our order until our truck is full or until Lassen Canyon stops allowing add ons (September 27 deadline). If you are reading this message and need to secure plants, call Melinda's cell phone immediately at 919-545-4429. Here are the details:
The only variety Lassen Canyon has left are Fronteras.
From Lassen Canyon's website: Fronteras is a short day variety, meaning it responds to day length, produces the bulk of its fruit in the shorter days of spring and fall, and is adapted to the fall planting and winter production system of the California coast. Fronteras is a large and vigorous plant, more so than the short day variety Ventana in use for many years by growers.
Note: Fronteras is also commonly grown in FL so does have east coast success. We have spoken to Southeastern growers who have experience growing Fronteras. We have learned that Fronteras grow upright with most of the berries staying off the ground. Berries are large and need to fully ripen for flavor.
Pricing:
- $256 per full box of 1000 + shared freight* (orders exceeding 10,000 plants)
- $280 per full box of 1000 + shared freight* (1,000 - 9,000 plants)
- $160 per 1/2 box** of ~500 + shared freight*
- $90 per 1/4 box** of ~250 + shared freight*
- $0.50 per bare root for quantities smaller than 250, minimum order 25 (shipping included in this price).
* Shared freight will be calculated based on the shipping cost of the total order divided per unit. Country Farm and Home will not mark up freight over cost. Based on current freight estimates and the size of our order, we are predicting the freight will run ~$15-20 per 1000 count box.
**1/2 and 1/4 boxes will be divided by weight using a market scale.
Plant Count - The count of plants per box is estimated at 1000. Actual plant count could be more or less. Because we are splitting 1/2 boxes and 1/4 boxes by weight, the plant numbers in a partial box are approximations as well.
Payment - For orders over 1000, we ask for a 50% deposit at the time of the order and the remainder of payment upon picking up your plants in October.
Plant Arrival - Lassen Canyon will ship plants October 10-21. They will be arriving via a refrigerated truck. We do not have refrigerated storage on site. We ask that you make every attempt to be on call and ready to pick up your plants promptly upon arrival. Beds should be prepped and ready for planting as these plants (bare root cut offs) will need to get in the ground, watered, and starting to establish this fall. We will be coordinating some group drop off sites in our region to save farmers coming from afar some driving time.
Learn more about this strawberry disease and what to expect as you pivot your strawberry growing practices here:
UPDATE: Neopestalotiopsis (Neo-P) - NC State Extension
NOTE: If you are a Southeast grower who already has an order placed with Lassen Canyon, had planned for your order to ship UPS, and would prefer to ride on our refrigerated truck for a reduced freight rate, we are happy to arrange that with you. Please call Melinda at 919-545-4429.
Previous order info (no longer applicable for 2024-25 growing season)...
Many gardeners think spring is the time to plant strawberries. That's because spring is the busiest time in most garden centers and, thus, the easiest time for a store to sell strawberry plants. In fact, strawberry plants produce much better if planted in the fall and over-wintered for harvest the following May. We pride ourselves in selling plants during their optimal planting times, which for strawberries is late September / early October!
We order our strawberry plugs from Cottle Farms in Eastern, NC. Cottle's plugs are well established, rooted in soil, and ready to transplant when you get them. Some will already have small runners starting. They come in plug trays of 50 plants each. We also cut trays in half and sell half trays to small growers and home gardeners.
Please note that not all of the varieties below are available organically. Please read carefully...
Chandler – Available in conventional and organic. Top seller with u-pick growers; fast growing plant with high yield. Berries have good color & flavor, medium to large size, medium firmness, classic shape.
Sweet Charlie – Available in conventional and organic. Plants are vigorous and bear fruit 7-10 days earlier than Chandler. Berries are very sweet, firm & large. Easier to harvest because of large fruit size.
Camarosa – Available in conventional and organic. Plants have excellent early, mid, and late season production. Fruit is large, conical shaped, and sweet with a longer shelf life.
Camino Real - Available in conventional only! Camino real is a short-day cultivar. Plants are more compact, open, and erect, but less vigorous than Camarosa. Fruit is larger and per-plant yields are somewhat greater than Camarosa, but fruiting begins somewhat later. External and internal fruit color is also darker. Camino real is more rain tolerant than other strawberry varieties.
MOST POPULAR! Ruby June - Available in conventional only! - These plugs are special! Ruby June is a strong short-day variety that is more compact and has tighter plant architecture and leaf structure. As such, Ruby Junes can be more densely planted and don't tend to perish in extreme rain events the way other berries sometimes do because they allow for more airflow and grow more off of the ground. Ruby June has a darker exterior and interior color than most varieties. The Ruby June is sweet and full of flavor. We have offered Ruby Junes for a number of years and had extremely favorable local feedback on this variety. Ruby Junes are only available in conventional but have the same pricing as the organic varieties.
2024-25 Conventional Plug Pricing (Any Combination of Varieties except Ruby June)
½ Tray (25 plants) = $22
1-9 Trays (50 plants/tray) = $34/tray
10+ Trays (50 plants/tray) = $28/tray
2024-25 Certified Organic Plug Pricing and conventional ruby june
½ Tray (25 plants) = $24
1-9 Trays (50 plants/tray) = $36/tray
10+ Trays (50 plants/tray) = $30/tray
Ordering and Payment
We will be collecting orders a little differently this year due to a store-wide transition to a new software platform. As such, we are not planning to invoice our customers until our new software goes live in early September. We are asking all customers to submit orders through the Google Form link below. Payment for strawberry plugs will not be collected until orders are fulfilled at the time of arrival in late September. Cottle requires us to make a 50% down payment at the time we place our order, so although we are planning to cover that cost internally this year, we do require your order to be a firm commitment that you fulfill once orders arrive.
Important Dates to Remember:
tentative delivery schedule will be updated soon...
these dates are no longer accurate - eta is October
Strawberry Plugs Arrive at Store - Monday, September 23, 2024 (weather & crop availability pending)
Orange County Delivery Route - Tuesday, September 24, 2024 (weather pending)
SWSC Delivery Route - Wednesday, September 25, 2024 (weather pending)
Durham Delivery Route - Thursday, September 26, 2024 (weather pending)
Sandhills Delivery Route - Friday, September 27, 2024 (weather pending)
SWFH Delivery Route - Wednesday, October 2, 2024 (weather pending)
NW Delivery Route - Friday, October 4, 2024 (weather pending)
SE Delivery Route - Tuesday, October 8, 2024 (weather pending) - 2nd order of plugs picked up @ Cottle
ENC Delivery Route - Friday, October 11, 2024 (weather pending)
Order Early - Strawberry Fields are Not Forever
Every year we sell out of strawberry plugs even though we think we're ordering plenty of extras! In this case, the Beatles are wrong... Strawberry Fields are not Forever. Order early to secure your plugs!
FAQ About Growing Strawberries
