PONCHATOULA, La. -- Louisiana strawberries in November?

Matt Stamey / Houma Courier

Strawberries - FILE PHOTO

It's becoming more common as strawberry growers in southeast Louisiana experiment with new plants. Louisiana strawberries in the past were usually available between March and May.

"There are a number of us who are trying these new transplants -- another name for them are plug plants," said William Fletcher, a ninth-generation strawberry farmer from Ponchatoula.

Farmers are discovering that the new plants with their established root systems can be planted and picked in a matter of weeks at this time of the year. Also, Louisiana's spring-like fall weather is ideal for growing strawberries, Fletcher said.

"The weather we're having right now, it's high 70s," Fletcher said as he watered his strawberry patch on Monday. "That's about what we see in April."

So, a growing number of strawberry farmers are planting earlier in hope of extending the harvest season from November through Mother's Day.

Regina Bracy of the LSU AgCenter's Hammond Research Station said farmers are planting earlier to get a better price.

"The prices now are about 30 percent higher than they will be in the spring," Bracy said.

The plug plants on average cost about $260 for every 1,000 compared to $110 for every 1,000 ordinary ones, the bare-root plants, Fletcher said.

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Information from: The Daily Star, http://www.hammondstar.com

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