Sunday, June 23, 2019

Happy Rainy Spring!
Oh No, Officially SUMMER has arrived!
News from John and Chris

First, We Have Some Bad News:
If you recall, we had an extreme winter with a very late spring. All the blueberries were affected and have gone into a survival mode. While inspecting the plants in early April, I thought ALL the plants were dead! No fruit buds! But definitely they were in sleep mode and very slowly have started showing signs of life. However of our 11 varieties more than six could not muster enough energy to produce any fruit this year.  We will have a VERY small blueberry crop and our picking days will be affected . What does this mean for our customers? It means that our normal "open" days may not apply this year. Please call us before heading out at 207-457-1435 to be sure we are open that day. Updates will be made frequently to the website and Facebook, but the best and latest info. will be by calling. Closing for a few extra days during the week may give the blueberries a chance to recover somewhat for the weekends.
peaches baby
And Now For the Good News: Let's Focus on the Peaches!
Raspberries are looking great! When they are ready for picking, we will let you know. Reminder that they only last for approx. two weeks. The peaches have had poor crops the past few years but are loaded with fruit this year.
haying 2018
Our Other Farm Product: Hay
We're predicting an excellent hay crop this year. If you need "horse" hay, be sure to call to reserve some. The old saying "rain in May means a barn full of hay" seems to be true so far. On the other hand -- at least three or more dry days in a row are needed to harvest that hay. As you read this message, we are taking advantage of the perfect haying weather this weekend and bringing in our first batch. Visit the website for updates on hay available for sale later this month and in July.
Thank You Master Gardeners:
The York County Cooperative Extension Master Garden program has visited the farm twice. In mid-April 25 students learned about pruning blueberries and peaches and last week they returned for a Tree and Wild Flower Identification class. 

There is A Lot of Mowing and Peach Pruning Going On!
Currently we are all trying to keep up with the grass. Mowing almost daily are Chris, John, Jen, Autumn and Lily. Thinning the peaches is another priority. No lack of something to do!! If anyone wants to learn how to thin peaches come on over!  It seems that the more fruit you remove allows the tree to put more energy into making larger fruit.

Other Farm News: Jack 1, Woodchuck 0
A few weeks ago our dog Jack reduced the farm woodchuck population by one. Good Dog!! Son Brian continues to make needed repairs to our 70 year old barn and has been making videos of the progress. ( Visit YouTube to see Part 1 ) The horses Jack and Lucy wave "Hi" and get ridden by the granddaughters often. John's garden is growing fast and so are the weeds.

So that is the update from Berry Best Farm. When you want to find out the absolute latest picking conditions this summer, please call: 207-457-1435 or 603-781-2477.

Chris and John Bozak
Berry Best Farm
33 Colburn Way
Lebanon, Maine 04027
Phone: 207-457-1435

For more information about the farm visit: