BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — At Dirt Rich Farm in Springville, owner Laura Colligan is welcoming the new season with optimism, even if the weather didn’t exactly cooperate early on.
Colligan said the farm opened its doors just two weeks ago, adding that the team is finally seeing signs of summer after a slow, wet spring.
“Being right around the corner from summer, we are finally starting to see the weather we wanted," Colligan said. "It has been a cold, wet spring; everything has been a little slow to get going.”
She and her husband have been farming for more than 10 years, and each year, they look forward to this season. From leafy greens to greenhouse-grown ginger, the couple continues to explore new ways to bring fresh produce to Western New York.
“Growing ginger in a greenhouse environment like this allows us to grow ginger in Western New York, which is really cool,” she said.
Despite the challenges that come with farming in an unpredictable climate, Colligan said they’ve learned to roll with the punches.
“Everything has just been a little slow to get going,” Colligan said. “But this weather, where it’s not raining all the time, we’re getting some warm, but not hot, temperatures. Just really nice, moderate warm weather and we’re really starting to see things kick off.”
In Clarence Center, another sign of summer is drawing families out into the fields, strawberry picking.
Thursday marked Opening Day at Greg’s U-Pick Farm, and people wasted no time grabbing baskets and heading for the rows.
“Strawberries for Western New Yorkers, including me, are truly the welcome to summer,” said Alicia Spoth, a general helper at the farm market. “They are sweet, juicy, delicious, they are beautiful.”
For longtime picker Gil McLean, this annual tradition is more than a treat; it’s a seasonal rite of passage.
“My goodness, I think I’ve been berry picking for 30 years,” McLean said.
“I wait so long for this day because of our Buffalo winters,” she said. “I just can’t wait to get back outside.”
WATCH: 'I wait so long for this day': Farms across WNY welcome new season despite unpredictable start
For Spoth, the payoff after those long cold months, is more than just fruit.
“Just being outside, getting to use your hands to pick something the earth has given us and our farmers have been stewards to, it’s so nourishing for the mind, body, and spirit,” Spoth said.
The season is just getting started and whether you're out picking berries or planting in a greenhouse, there’s still time to get out there and make the most of it.
