The 2015 Jersey Fresh produce season is underway and should be highlighted by good quantities of high-quality produce. According to the New Jersey state climatologist, this winter was a cold and snowy season with below-average temperatures. March temperatures averaged 35.8 degrees, which is 5.3 degrees below normal and ranks as the 14th coldest winter since 1895. March 2015 was 0.5 degrees “milder” than March 2014. With the exception of 1914-15 and 1940-41, no other consecutive months of March have averaged such cold temperatures in the past 121 years.

This marks two record cold winters in a row. Winter produced sufficient “chilling units” for peaches and other fruits that need some winter chill to develop. This chill also should result in less insect pressure this season due to an extensive winter kill. Soil temperatures had been cold through mid-April, but then warmer overnights, combined with warmer daytime temperatures, raised soil temperatures and encouraged germination and/or growth.

This year’s growing season started a few weeks later than normal similar to last year. Winter did have an impact on any vegetables that “winter-over” and ripen up quickly in the spring as lesser quantities and more variable quality was seen than normal. This cooler weather caused many growers to delay plowing, seeding and transplanting at earlier dates than the past few years. We also saw more gradual growing conditions and bee pollination this spring. All spring crops were planted at least two weeks later than usual and the seasonally cool growing conditions our farmers have seen should allow most produce varieties to grow and project at a slightly later than normal harvest date though unusual future weather could always have an impact upon the eventual harvest time. Our cool spring nighttime temperatures also created excellent quality lettuces, greens, and strawberries. Other than starting a little later than normal, we hope that this season measures up to last year in terms of quality and quantity of Jersey Fresh produce.

New Jersey farmers grow more than 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables due to its moderate climate and inherent “Jersey Fresh” qualities. New Jersey’s 11 principal fresh-market vegetables are tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, eggplant, escarole, snap beans, and asparagus. Our five principal fresh-market fruits are strawberries, blueberries, peaches, apples and cranberries.

The early season harvests of spinach, collards, beets, radishes, escarole/endive, Swiss chard, lettuces and herbs such as parsley, dill, coriander and cilantro have gone very well. Asparagus harvesting began in late April with excellent quality. Cabbage, pickles and turnip harvests began at the end of May. Cucumbers and squash will start in mid-June. Consumers always look for sweet corn and tomatoes by July 4th and, with a later than normal start to the season this year, both may not have much volume by then this year.

Chandler variety strawberries are being grown in increasing quantities by our growers to meet the strong demand for locally grown berries. They are grown in raised beds and under black plastic. They’re picked when ripe and have more red interior color, a larger berry size, and an excellent taste. Early harvests began in mid-May with the bulk of the crop harvested toward the end of the month and with light volume expected to continue into early June.

Minor quantities of early blueberry varieties like Weymouth should be starting in the third week of June. The much more widely planted Duke variety should start three to four days later, with volume available a week after that. In 2014, New Jersey produced about 8,800 acres of berries yielding about 56.7 million pounds — fifth in the nation.

Yellow peach volume will start with the early “cling” varieties the third week of July, with fair volume by early August. The widely planted John Boy “clingless” varieties should start by the beginning of August. Good yellow volume is expected by mid-August through mid-September. White peach volume begins with the White Lady variety in the third week of August through mid-September. About 150 peach producers grew 44 million pounds of quality peaches on 4,600 acres in New Jersey in 2014 — fourth in the nation.

New Jersey growers are also looking to satisfy the growing ethnic population of the state and the demand for Asian and other ethnic specialty produce, particularly melons, squashes, peppers and eggplants. There are numerous field trials of these new ethnic varieties being grown by farmers and agricultural agents throughout the state. This area of production is thought to have a large growth potential.

This season will see another excellent Jersey Fresh marketing effort. For the sixth summer in a row, the NJDA has secured a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant that will allow Jersey Fresh to advertise on television, radio, and in trade media this season. These funds also enable the program to hire two seasonal interns that will assist staff in visiting retailers to distribute point-of-sale materials.

The weekly “Jersey Fresh Forecast & Availability” again will be disseminated this year through e-mail and the Jersey Fresh website and social media channels and will continue to maintain regular contact with buyers and consumers. The New Jersey Department of Agriculture will do its best to help deliver another banner year.

Bill Walker, NJDA Bureau of Market Development & Product Promotion.