Typically, March is the most limited month for agriculture in North Carolina. Winter crops are winding down, or have already come to a close, but it's still a little too early for Spring crops to come in. Recently, local growers have expanded their operations and winter techniques, offering more and more March variety every year. However, the transition from winter to spring still creates a bit of a lull in local production, but it also marks the beginning of a new agricultural year.

Thanks to the mild winter, we are already seeing the first signs of spring in green onions and garlic. The coming weeks will see more and more signs of spring in the harvest schedule. The following list gives a glimpse of some of the spring highlights we are expecting over the next 10 weeks.

Early April
* Asparagus: Asparagus is a short season harvest, but we expect back to back supply from two different growers this year, and will hopefully have 7-8 weeks of availability.

Mid April
* Strawberries: While we've had strawberries available all winter, we expect the first spring berries to come in in mid April. We will have certified organic as well as conventionally grown strawberries from mid April to late May.

Late April
* Lettuces: Spring lettuces are a fresh and delicious treat we expect from late April until late May. As temperatures rise in June, spring lettuce varieties will waiver, but we do expect some more heat resistant varieties to come available through June.

Early May
* Broccoli: A cool season crop, we expect to have broccoli from early May until the end of June. Temperatures will dictate the end of the Broccoli season, which begins to bloom when temperatures rise too high - typically late June.

* Peas: Snap peas and English peas will be available in May. Snap peas are a delicious treat, but have a very short season (just 1-2 weeks), so make sure to stock up when you can. English shelling peas have a little longer harvest (2-4 weeks), but still relatively short.

Mid May:
* Summer Squash: By mid May we begin seeing the first signs of summer produce with summer squashes. Yellow squash and zucchini will come available, and generally stick around all the way to November.

* Blueberries: As strawberries start coming to a close, blueberries will make an emergence. Blueberries typically have the longest season for berries in NC, we expect them through mid August.

Late May:
*Raspberries: Available from late May until late June. Raspberries will disappear over the summer months, but will reemerge in the Fall.

* Blackberries: Blackberries will complete the triple berry option in late May, adding to blueberries and raspberries. We expect to see them until July.

Carolyn H. (Mar 25, 2012 at 7:15 pm)
Thank you for the inside-view on individual crop harvest periods for spring and summer. Would you please provide a similar list for fall and winter or a comprehensive list of harvest times for all of your items? I am curious about the natural harvest periods for many items, from everything from eggplant to avocado. Thanks!

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