The SC Grower Exchange: April 7, 2025

You’d be hard pressed to find a roadside produce stand that doesn’t have a few buckets of strawberries for sale (unless they’ve sold out for the day) around the state. Juicy red fruit has been hitting the market, and reports from across the state indicate good yield so far. Andy makes us aware of a new bacterial issue showing up in the upstate and some symptoms to look for. Peaches and blueberries are moving along, and it looks like it is going to be another heavy yielding year for both crops. Andy and Sarah hit on some points on plum curculio. Phillip gives us an outlook from his side of the midlands “near the lake,” and Zack shares a coastal update. We get a brief update out of Sandhills from Justin as well as a “question of the week,” a submission from Zack about the native Pawpaw. Zack shares some facts about this interesting fruit tree with some help from Phillip, who compares the taste to that of a pina colada. Tell us, have you tasted this funky fruit? What are your thoughts? Oh, we can’t forget about the return of the “dad joke.” Thanks to Zack for keeping us chuckling (or rolling our eyes).