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Farm has earliest fruit harvest in 50 years

Ellen Knight
BBC Radio Shropshire
BBC John pictured looking into the camera and smiling. He's wearing a red polo shirt which has a logo on the left-hand side. It has two embroidered strawberries with black text that reads Bearstone Fruit Farm. He is also wearing a brown tweed flat cap. Behind him are rows of gooseberry bushes, and he is holding a see-through punnet filled with bright red strawberries. The sky is blue and cloudy, with bright sunshine. BBC
John Roberts has been running Bearstone Fruit Farm since he was a teenager

Recent weeks of hot weather have given one fruit farm their earliest season in more than 50 years.

Bearstone Fruit Farm, near Woore on the Shropshire-Staffordshire border, has even been able to open its pick-your-own strawberry fields two weeks earlier than usual.

According to the Met Office, this year's spring is so far the driest in more than a century.

"The last six weeks have been lovely, but we are starting to get short of water," fruit farmer John Roberts said.

Founded in 1972, Bearstone Fruit Farm boasts more than seven acres of strawberries and grows raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants, tayberries and jostaberries - alongside various vegetables.

But this is the first time Bearstone has opened its gates to visitors before the Whitsun bank holiday.

John, 70, who owns the farm and has been working there since he was 16, said the crops were "10 to 14 days earlier" than usual, which he credited to the recent "glorious weather".

"June, I think, was the last early season we had [previously]," he added.

A close-up image of a strawberry plant - there are six berries visible, one is ripe and bright red, two are a light pink, and three are smaller and green. The leaves are a dark green, and the ground is covered in straw.
Bearstone Fruit Farm's strawberries are grown in the "old-fashioned" way, says John

"It tends to average out, because we'll start early and we'll probably finish early," John said.

He noted that because Bearstone's strawberries are grown "traditionally" in the ground - not in a substrate or polytunnel - they are slightly more influenced by the whims of Mother Nature.

"We can't manipulate the season; it's just as nature intended, really."

Five plastic punnets of bright red strawberries are on a wooden shelf. On a lower shelf there are three pairs of secateurs.
John says this is the earliest season he's seen at the farm in more than 50 years

This spring is on track to be the driest in more than a century, according to the Met Office.

Some farmers have said that record sunshine and low rainfall are leaving their crops struggling to grow.

Despite the sunshine bringing early fruit, Bearstone is hoping for some respite from the hot weather.

Tim Roberts, John's son, said strawberries prefer "cool weather at night, with a bit of rain, and then some nice sun in the day."

Tim is smiling and looking into the camera. He's wearing a dark green polo shirt and is standing in front of a wooden wall, painted light blue, with a large sign on it. The sign is dark green and slightly weathered - light green writing on it reads 'Bearstone Strawberries', and there's an illustration of two bright red strawberries underneath the text.
Tim Roberts says strawberries like cool, rainy nights and warm, sunny days

"If it's very hot, it shortens the [berry] season," Tim explained, adding that the farm is hoping for cooler temperatures to extend the lifespan of the fruit.

He said it has been a "strong start" to the season and that "the potential for fantastic crops is there."

The sun means that the berries are "particularly sweet this year", Tim added.

Photo of a plastic punnet of bright red strawberries. It's balancing on a wooden gate, with it held in place by a man's hand.
Tim Roberts says the sunshine makes the strawberries taste even sweeter

With visitors already pouring into Bearstone to take advantage of the early crop, John and his family are hoping to make the most of it.

Despite only being open for one day so far, John said they have "already had quite a pleasing number of people already come and pick [strawberries]".

But some of the crops "really need a dose of rain now", he admitted.

"According to the forecast, we're getting some soon - fingers crossed."

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