An abundance of berries: High temperatures allow strawberry fields to flourish

MONCTON, N.B. -

Heat warnings were issued for parts of New Brunswick, as well as southwestern Nova Scotia - calling for a humidex of 36 to 40 on Monday and Tuesday.

While many find temperatures that high stifling hot, some strawberry farmers in Salisbury, N.B. say they look forward to it.

“Some of the other crops have definitely struggled through where we don’t have irrigation, but for the berries, it’s been great,” said Green Pig Market co-owner, Dawn Corrigan.

Corrigan said the heat has allowed her more than 110,000 strawberry plants to flourish over the last few days.

“We’ve been having a great season, we’ve been doing a lot of wholesaling because we have a big production, we’ve opened our u-pick which we usually only do when we have too many berries,” said Corrigan.

In Memramcook, N.B., apple trees at the Belliveau Orchard have also been thriving through this season’s heatwave.

Belliveau Orchard project manager, Guy Gautreau, says the 2021 growing season has been close to an ideal year. He adds there is often not enough of this type of heat in the Maritimes.

“If we’re looking at the last hundred years for apple production, there were definitely seasons I’ve heard about in the eighties and nineties where a lack of heat meant apples just didn’t have the full flavour and full sugars,” said Gautreau.

With those high temperatures also comes challenges. Both producers say more rain in the region’s forecast would go a long way.

Thankfully, they may soon see that much-needed precipitation. CTV’S Chief Meteorologist Kalin Mitchell, says spotty showers and thunderstorms are expected for the province over the next few days.