Rainy winters good for some crops, but Carlsbad farmer cant say same for strawberries NBC Bay Area [Video]

Most of us see the U-Pick strawberry signs from the I-5 freeway in Carlsbad, but what you’re not seeing near them right now is people.

’’Our fruit stands are always open Valentine’s,” Jimmy Ukegawa, the president of Carlsbad Strawberry Company, told NBC 7.

This year is different, though.

Growing strawberries in the Ukegawa family has spanned more than four generations. They grow Albion strawberries, which, Ukegawa said, are very sweet.

While a rainy winter can benefit certain fruit crops, Ukegawa said strawberries are delicate, and the rain can impact how soon his strawberries will hit his three farmstands, and how quickly visitors can participate in U-Pick.

’’Depending on the amount of rain, if we get a half inch or less — we’ll be fine,” Ukegawa said. “An inch or more and the strawberries will actually start to crack and get dried out on one side, or they might start to crack open.”

Ukegawa said rain and hail, too, can harm the …