So few peaches survived the cold on Auman's N.C. 73 farm, spraying and selling what was left was not worth the money and the labor. That cold snap damaged some of the area's strawberry crop, driving up prices and reducing the selling season, and cut wheat yields in Cumberland County, according to county extension agents. Small strawberries usually don't appear on plants until April, said Kenny Bailey, an agricultural extension agent for Cumberland County. But Bailey has seen some berries already. Growers will have to be ready to move to protect the plants if there is a freeze, Bailey said.
Most growers have irrigation systems they use to insulate the plants in a coat of ice.
The ice holds in enough heat to salvage fruit in most cases, he said. At Cape Fear Botanical Garden, grounds manager Nancy Smith has security blankets for some of the more vulnerable plants and flowers. The garden off U.S. 301 has four frost blankets that resemble mosquito nets. If forecasts warn of frost, workers will drape those blankets over plants near the garden's gazebo, hoping to preserve some spring color for a wedding to be held there March 22. Dogwoods and azaleas at the garden are on the verge of blooming.