By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
GREAT VALLEY — The Great Valley Berry Patch opened Monday for those wanting to pick their own sweet, mouth-watering strawberries.
While temperatures were below normal, there were plenty of strawberries on the first 1 ½-acre field of strawberries to open up at the Great Valley farm on the Humphrey Road.
Pam Litchfield, who operates the Great Valley you-pick fruit and vegetable farm with her parents, Keith and Nadyne Litchfield, said many of the same people come for the first day of strawberry picking every year.
“Hopefully, we’ll get back to normal hours later this week,” Pam said Monday afternoon when the farm closed at 3 p.m. “The cold has slowed the ripening. We’ve got plenty of ripe ones and plenty still ripening.”
The Berry Patch has four acres of strawberries this season, Pam said. “One and a half of those acres are at peak right now. The other 1 ½ acres of early strawberries will be ready soon — hopefully not too soon.” There’s another acres of strawberries that will be ready later in the season.
Pam said the planting season was wet this year, but most plants did eventually get planted. After strawberries, peas will be ready by the end of June, with raspberries and blueberries after that.
“We’ve also got a ton of vegetables planted for pick your own,” Pam said. That includes zucchini, summer squash, peppers, tomatoes and eggplant. Pumpkins were just planted Monday.
Great Valley Berry Patch started in 1966 on nearby Klawitter Road, Nadyne said. A flood put an end to that site and the following year moved to the current 5608 Humphrey Road site. “We’ve been here for 24 years.”
“This cool-down isn’t bad,” Pam said of the recent change in the weather. That will slow the ripening.
“At least we didn’t have to worry about frost this year,” Pam said.
Although, there was one frost warning that prompted the farm to set up irrigation systems to get water on the plants and berries, the overnight temperature stayed several degrees above freezing.
At 32 degrees, water from the irrigation system will freeze in a thin layer of ice over the plant and berries, protecting them from prolonged low temperatures.
The Great Valley Berry Patch opened an ice cream stand in late August 2023 in the remodeled retail store/office.
“It’s open the same hours as the farm,” Nadyne said.
The berry patch is open daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The hours will be extended later this week.
Check their Facebook page for more details.
