Bob's Berries
  • Sign In
  • Create Account

  • Bookings
  • Orders
  • My Account
  • Signed in as:

  • filler@godaddy.com


  • Bookings
  • Orders
  • My Account
  • Sign out

  • Home
  • Shop
  • U-Pick Info
  • Appointments
    • Booking
    • Live Weather
  • Photos
  • Chloe's Kitchen
  • Special Stuff
    • Events
  • More
    • Home
    • Shop
    • U-Pick Info
    • Appointments
      • Booking
      • Live Weather
    • Photos
    • Chloe's Kitchen
    • Special Stuff
      • Events
Bob's Berries

Signed in as:

filler@godaddy.com

  • Home
  • Shop
  • U-Pick Info
  • Appointments
    • Booking
    • Live Weather
  • Photos
  • Chloe's Kitchen
  • Special Stuff
    • Events

Account


  • Bookings
  • Orders
  • My Account
  • Sign out


  • Sign In
  • Bookings
  • Orders
  • My Account

Open by Appointment only

Open by Appointment only

Since Covid we have changed to an appointment based system.  You now will book a private picking appointment for you and your family/friends.


Bob's Berries, U-Pick Rules

U-Pick Rules and Guidelines

Upick Happy Customers

 

  1. Absolutely NO smoking anywhere in the food production or picking areas.
  2. Check in at the farm market to pick up your picking containers  and allow our farm staff to direct you to the proper pick-your-own area.  
  3. We have containers and bags that you can pick into. At this time, to ensure the picking area is contaminant free, we ask that you use only our buckets and bags.
  4. We know it’s human nature to taste while you pick, but please refrain from eating while you pick! Please do not eat any fruits or vegetables until you have paid for them.
  5. Do not pick undesignated crops in undesignated areas. No wandering around the farm or into undesignated fields.
  6. You MUST pay for EVERYTHING that you & your family pick. Please pick only what you plan to purchase.
  7. Our picking fields are within walking distance from the farm market & parking area. No unauthorized vehicles are permitted in the fields.
  8. To make sure this is a fun and educational experience for all, please WATCH, MAINTAIN, and CONTROL your children.
  9. No throwing of fruits, vegetables, rocks, sticks, etc.
  10. No coolers or picnic baskets are permitted in our picking areas.
  11. ALL bags, containers, baby strollers, etc. are subject to search by our staff.
  12. Be careful when walking in our fields. Do not step on the plants, climb on the trees, or break branches and do not cross rows by stepping over plants. 
  13. No running in the fields – some footing may be uneven. 
  14. Drink plenty of water while picking in the fields, and wear sunscreen as needed. Drinks are available in the farm market.
  15. Dispose of any & all trash in our garbage cans.
  16. For safety and health reasons, please, NO pets on the farm or in the picking areas.
  17. We are a working farm. Be aware of and keep away from trucks, tractors & all farm machinery, whether parked or in use.
  18. Bob's Berries, LLC reserves the right to remove guests from our fields at any time.
  19. The most important farm rule: HAVE FUN!


About Our U-Pick

Plant growing

Organic is a buzz word

Although we have not yet retained our Organic Certification from the USDA, we have taken great care in selecting the best organic starter plants and using all organic practices on them from day 1 to provide the best fruit possible. We do, however, feel that the practices we use are above and beyond "Organic" certification in that we use no salt based chemical fertilizers and no pesticides aside from an occasional Neem treatment.

Garden supplies

Our Practices

  • Triple Action Neem Oil by Southern AG.  (Other Neem Concentrates are being investigated as well including a Cosmetic Grade Organic Cold Pressed Pure Neem Oil, used only if incident is detected.) Some research has shown that due to its systemic properties, it increases overall plant health and stimulates root growth. We are doing this study on a select few rows of crops currently.
  • Thuricide BT Caterpillar Control by Southern AG. (Only used in the event of caterpillar outbreak which is relatively rare)
  • Worm Gold Plus, Premium Mix, and Solution by California Vermiculture. (Helps to break down Organic Matter and adds Chitin to plants, which effectively reduces the incidence of pest problems. Also increases Brix Levels and acts as a delivery device to make the nitrogen and other trace minerals immediately available to the plants.  This also has high quality worm castings and loaded with trace minerals plants needs to thrive.
  • ThermX Natural Wetting Agent Yuca Extract "makes water wetter" mixes with foliar sprays to allow them to stick to foliage better and add to soil drench to help penetrate soil.
  • Hydrolyzed Fish Fertilizer  by Organic Gem. This product is one of the most fantastic fish fertilizers on the market currently and uses a cold enzymatic process to break down bonefish which are harvested as non usable fish in commercial fishing operations and typically discarded. They make use of these fish and through that enzyme process are able to harvest 100% of the fish and convert to a liquid fertilizer. Most fish fertilizers utilize only small portions of the fish or only fish emulsions, leaving the rest to go to waste.

Ground cover

This is where it gets Sciency

We have a system in place to ensure the healthiest plants possible. More information will be coming soon regarding  our procedures  for various pests or problems with plants. Below are some common terms used in the garden.


  • Agronomy - the science of soil management and crop production
  • Biology - The study of living things
  • Chitin -  A tough, semi transparent substance that is the main component of the exoskeletons of arthropods, such as the shells of crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, shrimp, etc.) and the outer coverings of insects. Chitin is also found in the cell walls of certain fungi and algae. Chemically, it is a nitrogenous polysaccharide (a carbohydrate.) Note the root word, Nitrogen.
  • Chitosan - a compound that is created from the breakdown of chitin. Chitosan is the product that you may find most commercially available as both a plant growth regulator and a "no risk" systemic pesticide. Note: per my current understanding, most chitosan is produced using a synthetic process on an organic product, thus is not truly organic. Not only that, but if you are using it to reverse an outbreak, it may not be the best option.
  • Chitinase - the naturally occurring enzyme that breaks chitin down into chitosan.  Some living organisms produce this chitinase enzyme. Most of these organisms are bacteria (and some fungi). Some plants even produce this enzyme in order to fight off disease (this is the "system" that we will use to model our pest control treatment).
  • Soil Food Web - the community of organisms living all or part of their lives in the soil. It describes a complex living system in the soil and how it interacts with the environment, plants, and animals.
  • Food Web - describe the transfer of energy between species in an ecosystem
  • Foliar Nematodes - Foliar nematodes, also called bud and leaf nematodes, prefer moderate temperatures and moist or humid conditions. Foliar nematodes are tiny, only 0.02 to 0.04 inch (0.5-1 mm) long, and must be sent to a diagnostic laboratory to confirm infestation. Damage can be confused with damage caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, nutrient deficiencies, or chemical injuries. Nematodes may interact with certain fungi or bacteria to cause severe foliar blight.


Chitosan has been repeatedly found to exhibit potent antimicrobial activity in plant tissue as well as the induction of plant  defenses, and/or the stimulation of beneficial microbes. These beneficial microbes also stimulate root growth which in turn reduces irrigation consumption. Fertilizers and pesticides not only destroy the microbes that make healthy soil, but also promote soil compaction by destroying the food-soil web, which are the organisms which keep soil loose and fertile. Loose soil better maintains an aerobic state, which promotes beneficial organisms over the harmful anaerobic ones. Our system should boost water conservation by over 50% in the coming years.

Watering tomatoes

Water Usage and Conservation

 We are using well water from our farm to provide irrigation to the plants and trees. The well water is from a well drilled approximately 150 feet down to ensure best water quality. It is being filtered by a disc filter system to remove any debris to prevent drip irrigation malfunction. Our water test results will be posted when they are complete and will be updated regularly to ensure its within appropriate ranges for our soil biology and the health of the plants. Our drip irrigation system is open source and controlled by a custom built micro computer. We will provide instructions and step by step setup for those interested in building their own system. This, combined with real time weather data provided by the micro computer and our on site weather station, will ensure we are saving water whenever possible. All of this will be available through a web page designed to control the irrigation system from anywhere in the world. Our drip irrigation system is also specifically designed to help alleviate leaf fungus since we are not spraying the plants overhead with water. High amounts of moisture on leaves will lead to foliar nematodes and other fungal issues.

Harvesting veggies

Advantages to U-Pick

A trip to a local U-pick farm makes a fun family outing. You can enjoy fresh air and sunshine while choosing the best quality fruits and vegetables at the peak of ripeness. There are lots of benefits to picking your own. You’re reconnecting with nature, supporting your local economy, and getting to know your local farmers. A visit to a U-pick farm is a great learning opportunity for kids. They experience firsthand where their food comes from and how it grows; and studies show they’ll be more likely to eat their fruits and vegetables if they have a hand in the harvest.

Dress comfortably for your trip to the farm. Bring a hat, sunscreen, and insect repellent, and wear sturdy shoes to protect your feet.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services maintains a list of U-pick farms throughout Florida, but, because such farms are not required to register with the Department, the list is not a complete one. Being listed does not imply that a U-pick farm is endorsed, approved, or otherwise sanctioned by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Digging in dirt

Florida Agritourism

 Agritourism marries Florida’s two largest industries, tourism and agriculture, to provide an on farm recreational experience for consumers.  Florida experienced record tourism in 2015, with 105 million visitors spending more than $85 billion, according to VISIT Florida.  The number of Florida farms offering recreational experiences more than doubled from 281 in 2007 to 724 in 2012, according to USDA Census of Agriculture data. 


 

Florida has recently passed new laws, key to developing agritourism.  A 2013 change in the Florida Statutes reduced the liability for agritourism farms so long as a warning sign is posted indicating participation in agritourism activities involves inherent risks and notifying participants that by choosing to participate they are accepting these risks.  The change does not protect gross negligence, but provides some assurance for farms on the fence about opening their farm to the public.


Included in those changes was language to prevent local authorities from imposing regulations to prevent agricultural operations from engaging in agritourism, however, many questions arose after the ink dried.  Several operations found themselves in difficult circumstances, as local authorities grappled with the new law, which lacked a reference to enforcement of existing local regulations.  The definition of agritourism itself was a point of confusion, especially where the on-farm activities were not clearly related to agriculture.  Rustic on-farm weddings have become a hot trend but were not specifically cited as an agritourism activity.

  • Home
  • Shop
  • U-Pick Info
  • Live Weather
  • Photos
  • Chloe's Kitchen
  • Events

Bob's Berries, LLC

11501 Winn Road, Riverview, Florida 33569, United States

813-586-3262

Copyright © 2020 Bobs Berries, LLC - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by

Cookie Policy

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.  NOM NOM NOM

Accept & Close