CATAWISSA - It's been at least two years since Rohrbach's Farm Market has offered their customers a chance to pick their own strawberries, and this season isn't looking any brighter for the popular feature.
A large amount of rain since September, a warm winter and an unusually cooler growing season have left the farms without enough strawberries to sell inside the stores, let alone allow customers to head to the fields themselves.
Ron Rohrbach, owner of the 150 acres of farmland and 6,000-square-foot store and gift shop on Route 487, said he once thought it was strange to have crops ready to be picked two weeks early, but now some crops are four weeks early because of fluctuating weather patterns.
"We don't have a normal anymore," he said Wednesday.
Strawberries need temperatures around 70 degrees and approximately an inch of rain a week, but the warmer winter caused the fruit crops to start budding a month ahead of schedule, he said.
Strawberry seeds are planted in the spring, but fruit from those crops aren't ready for harvesting until at least a year later.
The store has plenty of strawberries, which they're selling for $4.25 a quart or $8 for 2 quarts, but there wasn't nearly enough to let people into the field as well, he said.
"We're picking our own for the customers. Circumstances are not ideal for 'pick your own,'" Rohrbach said.
Rohrbach employees are also picking strawberries from a neighboring field to make sure there's enough for customers, he added.
Strawberry season is nearing its end early this year. Normally, strawberry season is in its prime in the middle of June. It's the same story for cherries and raspberries, Rohrbach said.
This year's apple crop is also not shaping up to be as abundant as other years either, he said.
Other fruits and vegetables at the farm will soon be ready to harvest and sell, and Rohrbach doesn't expect any issues with those crops.
He doesn't expect this past year's weather issues to affect next year's harvest, but noted a number of unforeseen things could happen between now and then.
Rohrbach's Farm Market has been in business at 240 Southern Drive since 1955. They offer freshly picked fruits and vegetables, deli items, fresh lunch meats and cheeses and breakfast items and desserts from their bakery. Ron Rohrbach has been owner since 1985.