Peaches, strawberries appear to have weathered the weather

TIM DOMINICK/tdominick@thestate.com

Gene Day baby-sat the strawberry fields all night from Monday to Tuesday morning like a father tending to his children. The predicted freeze was the reason he stayed in the field. Some plants have berries on them but also still have blooms. The blooms can be damaged by the freeze.

The unseasonably cold temperatures Monday night apparently did little damage to peach and strawberry crops, growers said Tuesday.

Many strawberry growers turned on their sprinklers, creating a coating of ice that actually protects the berries from even colder outside temperatures.

In Barnwell, temperatures dropped to about 29 only briefly before sunrise, staying just warm enough to prevent damage to the tiny peaches already on branches.

In Chesterfield, McLeod Farms used fans and burning hay bales to keep peaches above the critical mid-20s temperature, said orchard assistant Dale Geddings.

And in Gilbert, Mike Keisler at James R. Sease Farms said the temperature stayed above freezing, and both peaches and strawberries are in good shape.

Temperatures were expected to dip to the upper 30s Tuesday night before warming later in the week.

— Joey Holleman