The South Carolina Specialty Crop Growers Association reports
it has been a favorable beginning to the season in South Carolina.
Unlike recent seasons, blueberries and peaches have not been hit with late freezes. The result has been increased volume and better quality.
South Carolina growers are hit a peak in the strawberry season nearly a month ago, and blueberries and blackberries followedsuit.
Peach shipments have ramped entering the summer months alongside other summer crops like peppers, watermelon and squash.
In North Carolina it is a similar situation.
Jackson Farming Co. in Autryville, N.C., wrapped up its spring broccoli season early in part to a warmer-than-normal spring growing season.
Cantaloupe loadings got underway in late June. The company’s
honeydew loading started in early July, which followed seedless and watermelon with seeds the last week of June.
The farm is still using shipping sweet potatoes from storage and crews are planting this fall’s crop. Harvest should begin in late August or early September.
An increase in watermelon production is expected for North Carolina growers this year, with cantaloupe remaining level. Spring broccoli production remained the same.
Many growers in North Carolina plant both tobacco and sweet potatoes as the seasons are complementary. However, many growers opted to expand sweet potato acres as the tobacco market waned. It is estimated that 2021 was the largest sweet potato acreage of about 130,000. Since then, the acreage has started to drop to 85,000 in 2022 and 80,000 in 2023.