U-pick strawberries returning to Magee Farms

Last year, in response to concerns over a disease that could have had a dramatic effect on this year’s yield, Magee Farms did not plant strawberries at either of its farming locations.

That won’t be the case next year, said owner Danny Magee. The farm was able to secure 40,000 plugs from a farm in Pennsylvania that were free of disease, he said.

“Last year was the first time in like 30 years we didn’t have strawberries. We’re looking forward to having them this spring,” said Magee.

Magee Farms has been operating its main location in Williamsville, about five miles west of Fenwick Island, since the mid-1800s. The farm has also had a location off Wescoats Road outside Lewes for nearly 40 years. They planted 20,000 plugs at each farm.

The disease in question is called neopestalotiopsis leaf, fruit and crown rot. According to a report from North Carolina State Extension, published last year, the fungal disease can affect every part of the plant – crown, roots, leaves, fruit.

The symptoms were first widely known in the United States in 2018, following an outbreak in Florida. The disease was first confirmed in North Carolina in 2022. The report says the pathogen is most frequently introduced via infected planting stock.

Magee said he found out about the farmer in Pennsylvania from a University of Maryland professor during an industry event. These plants, their size and color, really look good, he said.

Magee said they explored the possibility of using bare-root plants from California, but it didn’t work out. Freight from California was the biggest problem, he said.

The strawberries were planted over the course of the past week, just before the weekend rain, said Magee. The rain is good because it sets them in, he said.

The push now is to get deer fencing up. They’ve already eaten a few, he said, bending over to point out plants with no leaves on them.

“They’ll probably survive, but they won’t produce anything,” said Magee. “Deer eat it like they’re at a buffet table.”

At some point later this fall, Magee said they might come back and prune some of the strawberry plants’ runners, which are the stems growing from the mother plant. These runners are used to make the plugs that get planted, but they want their plugs to focus on making strawberries, he said.

The expectation is the strawberries will be ready in May and June, said Magee.