WAYNE — Last Friday, there was a steady stream of cars filled with people waiting to make their way to one of the many picking fields at Stevenson’s Strawberry Farm.

Located at 271 Tucker Rd., Tom Stevenson said the farm harvests about 13 acres of strawberries each year. The farm tries to maintain seventeen acres of strawberries in its rotation plan.

Begun in 1974 by his parents, Ford and Susan Stevenson, this year marks a new beginning as the farm starts transition to Tom and Ashley Stevenson, the next generation.

Tom started raising vegetables after completing college in 2004. He expanded production in 2005 and rented Levesque’s farm stand. In 2008, Tom and his dad built Stevenson Farm Stand in Winthrop and further expanded the vegetable production.

Tom said he had a goal of leasing the Levesque stand for ten years. He gave up the lease last year. “I almost made it,” he said.

The Winthrop stand is open and filled with fine quality produce. Now that he has taken on more responsibility for the Pick Your Own (PYO) strawberry operation, Tom has teamed up with other nearby growers to continue to offer items he no longer grows himself.

“The main focus is strawberries,” Tom  said. He still grows 12 acres of sweet corn, “some of the best sweet corn in the state,” 4-5 acres of peas, and an acre of beans. He also has seven greenhouses covering 1,100 square feet where tomatoes are raised.

There is a half acre of high-bush blueberries which Tom hopes to expand to 1.5-2 acres in the next few years. Watermelon and cantaloupe are also raised.

Alice Berry is the main farm manager for Stevenson’s Strawberry Farm. Tom is taking on more responsibility this year as the farm is gradually transferred to him. Ford still is involved. He drives machinery and was seen passing out trays and directing pickers during a hectic noon time rush at the PYO fields.

Much of the strawberry crop is sold through PYO. A field crew of 6-8 employees manages the fields. The bright red berries can be purchased at the farm stand for those unable to pick their own.

Additionally, Tom hires a crew of 20-28 to pick for wholesale customers. Friday morning, 600 quarts were headed to Freeport for distribution to restaurants and other farm stands in the greater Portland area. Tom also plans to freeze 5,000 pounds this year.

Tom said, “The hardest part of the wholesale business is counting the boxes.” He and the driver checked, double checked and counted again to ensure that 65 boxes, each of which contained eight quarts, had been loaded into the van before it left for Freeport.

“The late start and cold winter temperatures were awesome. The berries liked it,” Tom said. The good weekends experienced so far have helped with this year’s harvest. “They’re key to PYO,” Tom stressed.

A four generation family were seen in the fields Friday morning. Lily Stevens’ white onesie sported several strawberry stains. Mason Stevens’ face still showed traces of red even though it had been wiped by an older family member.

Mom Dene Stevens, and grandmother Evelyn Stevens all of Strong were accompanied by great grandmother Janice Bredeau of Phillips. Evelyn said they come every year. “This is the best year we’ve ever had. We came at the right time,” she enthused.

Emily Bilodeau of Turner said it had been a while since she had visited the farm. Although she usually picked strawberries, this year she was just picking peas on Friday. “It’s nice to come here,” she said.

At noontime, four rows of vehicles were seen slowly making their way towards the check out stands. A long line of cars filled with pickers was waiting to get in.

Tom Stevenson said about two hours earlier, “A lot of fruit is heading out today.” He expects the fields to remain open through mid-July. The fields have been open two weeks. “We can depend on three solid weeks and sometimes four,” he said.

To check on picking conditions, call 207-685-3532, visit www.stevensonsstrawberries.com or check out their Facebook page.

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