LIZELLA, Ga. — It's the first day of spring but the weekend's freezing weather means some local crops may be at risk.
We reached out to peach growers here in Central Georgia and they told us they are waiting until the temperatures warm up a bit to assess the damage.
In previous years, peach growers told us late freezes cost as much as half their crops.
At Elliott Farms in Lizella, when the temperatures get below around 35 degrees, they will use tarps to protect their 4-acre strawberry crop.
Unlike peaches, they can turn black or brown after blossoming which means they are no good.
Abner Ivey helps maintain the crops at Elliott Farms. He says when it gets cold, the bloom will die or the strawberries that have already bloomed will die.
He says each year they prepare for something like this.
"Even if it does not come, we still have to prepare for it just in case it does because you got too much invested in the farm to lose the strawberry. And if it kills them it takes a while for them to react, and you'll throw yourself behind on your strawberry farm," Ivey said.
According to the Middle Georgia Regional Airport, it was 27 degrees for almost six hours Monday morning. That is considered a hard freeze.
While Ivey doesn't specialize in farming peaches, he says when peaches are tight buds, that's when the peaches do best in colder temperatures.
"I was told it takes so much cold for the peaches. It's different from a strawberry farm," Ivey said.
According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the state produces more than 130 million pounds of peaches a year and more than 10 million pounds of strawberries.
Ivey told 13WMAZ the farm started covering the strawberries earlier in the month.
Once the first cold snap came over Lizella, he knew they would have to "watch the temperature on a daily basis."
The farm started planting strawberry seeds in October and they should be ready to pick by mid-March. But once they blossom and stay clear from the cold, you can pick them and enjoy them yourself.