Roses Berry Farm llc

Eric and Lola

Once again, Eric Swanson from Falcon Environmental, is at the farm with his troupe of falcons and hawk to patrol the farm for unwanted birds. Non-native species of birds such as Starlings and English Sparrows can do an incredible amount of damage to our blueberries.

Our blueberry season is in full swing and the raspberries are still producing very heavily. It’s a great time to come to the farm, learn about falcons and also get some great berries.

Eric flys his birds on a regular basis to keep the birds from getting comfortable at the farm. The objective is to make the farm a hostile place for them to be so they go elsewhere.
He is more than happy to show you his birds and to explain how he approaches bird control at Rose’s.

If the local weathermen are correct we might just see some sun this week. The strawberry crop suffered from too much water and too little sun. I am hopeful that a little sun and a lack of rain should help bring in some great late strawberries. Our raspberries are also ready for picking at our main farm in South Glastonbury. Let’s hope that with the arrival of summer , our weather will become more seasonable.

I am beginning to think that the farm has been transported to the British Isles. We did need a good rain but it needs to go away so we can start the pick-your-own season. We hope to start on Sunday June 14 in conjunction with our first Breakfast.
If the rain cooperates we will be starting the Old Lyme Market on Friday 3 pm to 6pm and the Chester Market on Sunday, 9 am to 1 pm. We continue to be at the Wooster Square Market and New Milford on Saturday mornings. One way or another we hope to see you for your first taste of native strawberries.

As the Farm Turns

Spring is a busy time at the farm.  We are mulching the blueberries, planting the lettuce, waiting for the tomatoes to ripen, picking spinach and other greens from our cold houses and praying for warm weather during the night.

Frost is a very big problem this year.  The local stations are forecasting cold weather for Monday and Tuesday mornings, so if you’re driving by our fields at Hebron Avenue or Matson Hill either of those mornings be sure to enjoy the beauty of the ice on the fields.  We irrigate to protect our the tender blossoms on the strawberries and blueberries.  How it works is when water freezes it gives off heat thereby keeping the ambient temperature around the blossom above freezing.  It is necessary to keep pumping sufficient quantities of water to keep the process going until the air temperature is above 35 degrees.  The beautiful ice is merely a by product.

We are glad to be growing into our next century and we thank you all for your continued patronage.