Midstate peach farm will offer a new fruit come spring

Dickey Farms, which has been growing peaches in Middle Georgia for more than 120 years, will have a new fruit available next spring.

More than 22,000 strawberry plants have been planted on about 1 1/2 acres at the Musella farm, said Robert “Lee” Dickey IV.

“We expect strawberries to begin ripening in late March, early April depending on the weather,” he said. “Strawberries will be available for U-pick and will be available pre-picked in our market. ... We planted three varieties with Camerosa being the largest.”

Robert Dickey, Lee’s father, said the strawberries were planted this summer beside the peach packing house.

“We’re trying to expand our market and our agritourism part of our business,” he said. “It’s pretty much been strictly peaches.”

Unlike peach trees, strawberries have to be planted every year and Dickey said they’ve had to learn a lot about the process.

“We think it fits in real well with the rest of the business,” he said. “We’ll sort of get an early start on our peach season with visitors out here on the farm.”

Of course, this time of year, Dickey Farm sells pecans — some from its own land and some from other Fort Valley growers — as well as gift items, such as jelly, jams, syrups, dressings, pickles, relish, candy, cookbooks and gift boxes.

From now until Jan. 1, the market at 3440 Musella Road will be open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday. Soft serve ice cream, including butter pecan ice cream, is available every Friday and Saturday.

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Midstate peach farm will offer a new fruit come spring."