The berry crop is plentiful despite frosty nights, rain and pests.

The berry crop is plentiful despite frosty nights, rain and pests.
By REBECCA SLOAN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
VERNON -- When Nicole and Anna Mermer of Vernon finally graduate from college, they will owe part of their sweet success to strawberries.
Nicole, 19, and Anna, 17, are the daughters of Steve and Robin Mermer, who have opened Mermer's Strawberry Farm, at 5752 state Route 7, with the intention of using the profits to help pay for their children's higher education.
"I've heard of other people who have put their kids through college on strawberries," Steve said. "Strawberries are a high-value crop. Although strawberry farming is labor-intensive, it brings a substantial gain."
Steve ought to know.
For several years he and his brother operated a strawberry farm in Lordstown, where Steve grew up.
Since moving from Lordstown to Vernon 13 years ago, Steve and his wife haven't dabbled in strawberries, but with Nicole enrolled at Ohio University, where she is majoring in pre-law, and with Anna planning to start college after she graduates high school next year, the Mermers decided it was a good time to get back in the berry business.
So far, so good
So far, things are going well.
With two acres of fields burgeoning with ripe, red fruits, and with additional acreage in the works for next year, Steve expects 2006 to be the first of many successful seasons.
"We have about 14,000 plants growing per acre, and we have three types of berries to choose from: All Star, Jewel and Darselect," he said. "Not many other places around here have the Darselect, which is a French variety that is very large and flavorful," he said.
The Mermers buy their strawberry plants from a farm in Massachusetts.
"When the plants arrive in the mail they have been refrigerated, and you have to get them in the ground as soon as possible," Steve said.
To ensure the 2006 crop would flourish, Steve had to fight weeds, slugs, beetles and hungry birds, and during May's cold, rainy spell, he also had to fight frosty nights and the possibility of mold and fungus.
But although the cool, wet spring delayed the growing season by a couple of weeks, Steve said the damp and chill didn't negatively affect the quality of the crop.
"The strawberries are plentiful and the weather now is perfect. We plan to stay open until July 4 or beyond," he said.
Prices, hours
Visitors to Mermer's Strawberry Farm can pick their own berries for $2 per quart or buy already picked fruits for $3 per quart.
Since hours vary, Steve recommends calling the farm's "strawberry line" at (330) 772-2152 before making a trip out.
Besides the sweet-tasting berries, visitors to the Mermer farm also will enjoy a view that's pretty sweet.
The farm's 24 scenic acres include lush, open fields, a sprawling, meticulously restored 1862 farmhouse and several barns and outbuildings.
"When we moved here the house was in rough shape. We've done a lot of work on it," Steve said.
When Steve isn't busy refurbishing his house or laboring in the berry patch, he works as director of information technology at Classic Optical in Youngstown.
Robin is a school nurse in the Maplewood School District and is enrolled in culinary school in Chesterland, Ohio.
"In the future, Robin hopes to incorporate her culinary skills with the strawberry farm," Steve said. "During the picking season, we might also sell desserts made from our strawberries."