The short, sweet season is here

By NICOLE HUGHES
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
Paul and Mary Ann Gasper got started in the strawberry-growing business to help their daughters earn some money, after the girls couldn't find any baby-sitting jobs.
In the 1960s, the Gaspers planted strawberries for their daughters to sell and created a business called Gasper Gardens, 5720 W. South Range Road, south of Canfield.
"It has been very fruitful," Paul said.
"Literally," Mary Ann added.
Their daughters moved away and went to college, so the Gaspers decided to take on the strawberries, even thought they are an unpredictable fruit to grow because they depend on the weather.
The strawberries are ripe and bountiful this summer, but the season is predicted to end early because of warm temperatures.
Short season
Dave Hull of White House Fruit Farm on Youngstown-Salem Road, Green Township, said, "The plants get stressed just like people and like comfortable temperatures. If it is too cold, they won't ripen; and if it is too hot they will ripen too quickly.
"The strawberry season usually lasts from early June to the Fourth of July," Hull said. "I suspect that by June 20, supplies will be getting tight."
Mary Ann Gasper agreed that the strawberry-growing season will be short this year because of the weather.
"The strawberries are very nice this year and are very plentiful, but this will be a short season," Mary Ann said.
Strawberries are more temperamental than other crops, Hull said. "They don't like a lot of rain, and are sensitive to weather changes," he said. "We would rather have a dry year and be able to control water levels with our irrigation systems."
When to pick
The Gaspers take pride in the quality of their berries.
"We pick our strawberries when they are ripe, so the taste is better," Mary Ann said. "The stores get their berries shipped in from Florida and California. The berries are picked when they are green, so they last longer."
Color is important when strawberries are picked.
"You want to pick them when they are nice and red," said Craig Mercer, owner of Catalpa Grove Farm, 41473 state Route 14 in Columbiana, who began growing strawberries with his father in 1982. "If you wait to pick them until they are totally ripe, they will have a higher sugar count and taste better."
People can also grow strawberries at home.
"It takes dedication to grow strawberries," Paul Gasper said. "It is not how many strawberries you can plant, it is how many plants you can take care of."
White House
Hull has been growing strawberries for 20 years, and the White House farm has been in his family since the mid-1920s.
Strawberries can be purchased inside the market, or customers can pick their own.
"Each day the field conditions are evaluated and a decision is made if people can come in and pick from the field," Hull said. "Customers can call to check the answering machine for daily updates."
Mercer also recommends that customers call Catalpa Grove Farm before coming to pick berries.
"So far we have been open every day, but people should call in case we have large crowds or cool weather," he said.