Strawberry season in the Czech Republic is getting underway earlier than many expected.

Several farms are welcoming pickers from mid-May, with the bulk of the season running through late May and into June.

Kunratická Jahodárna in Prague is among the first to open, targeting a start date no later than May 20. Other operations across the country are planning to follow in late May or early June, though exact dates remain weather-dependent.

“The weather is unpredictable and difficult to forecast,” says Jan Simandl, who runs Farma Simandl in the Vysočina region. “We expect to begin picking in early June.”

Prices are going up — but only slightly

Most farms are not planning dramatic price hikes, though nearly all acknowledge that costs have risen. Inputs like fertilizers and chemicals have become more expensive, and that is beginning to show at the farm gate.

At Kunratická Jahodárna, assistant to the director Eva Jakoubek Čorbová was direct: “The price will definitely be higher. Our costs have increased — everything has become more expensive.”

At Albaflor, manager Jiří Sixta put a number to it. Prices will rise by ten crowns compared to last year, when a kilogram sold for 79 crowns. That said, the consensus among growers is that increases will remain modest and prices will stay broadly in line with last year.

Frost and drought take their toll

The bigger concern this season is not price but supply. A combination of spring frosts and prolonged dry conditions has damaged crops across the country, and growers are warning that berries may be both smaller and less abundant than in previous years.

Berry Servis in Český Brod estimates it has lost between 50 and 60 percent of its crop. At a well-known farm in Vrňany, co-owner Dagmar Hančová says spring frosts destroyed roughly 30 percent of the strawberries, though part of the harvest was saved by covering the plants with protective textile film.

The season itself is also expected to be shorter than usual. Pickers planning a visit should keep a close eye on farm announcements, as opening dates could shift depending on conditions in the coming weeks.

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