Strawberry season sees a late start

Edgerton farm thrives despite later opening date

EDGERTON, Wis. — Matthew Harried’s strawberry farm has seen its share of ups and downs over the years.

“We’ve been through the recession and everything else, and we’ve still been making it,” Harried said of his farm.

He’s farmed through everything from a poor economy to a poor harvest, so this year’s cold spring and slow start to the berry season hasn’t fazed him a bit.

“The cool kept the strawberries from getting as ripe as they could, but it’s kind of a good thing this year with the way last year was,” Harried said.

Harried said the wet weather this spring helped his strawberry patch make a strong comeback after last year’s drought.

“It’s definitely going to keep going strong and keep moving along,” Harried added.

In just a four-week picking season, Harried’s 3,000 plants yield four different varieties of strawberries. He said the slow start hasn’t stopped customers from coming out.

“I”ve seen all kinds of customers I’ve never seen before, and it’s awesome just to meet people who want to come in here and pick berries,” Harried said.

Despite the ups and downs that come with the strawberry business, Harried said the end result makes it all worth the effort.

“It’s hard work. It’s something that most people don’t realize. It takes a lot of hard work, and you get to see what happens when you’re done,” Harried said.