North Texas berry farmers ready for 'u-pick' season

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

Some ripening blueberries. They'll be ready in early June. -Staff photo by Montgomery

May 30, 2002 -- Remember picking blackberries when you were a kid? The purple stain that wouldn't wash off? Those memories can be relived at Bailey's Berry Patch in Sadler, a pick-your-own operation.

The patch, owned by Pearce and Ann Bailey, is a labor of love.

"We love to see people enjoying themselves. We tell them to eat all they want and when they are through, we will clean the berries so that they (the berries) are ready to put in the freezer or make into preserves," Ann said.

"Berries should be ready in early June and we are expecting a good crop," Ann replied. "We charge $10 per five quart bucket. That's a little more than a gallon."

The patch has four varieties of blackberries- two thornless and two with thorns; and three varieties of blueberries. Besides blackberries and blueberries, visitors can also pick wild plums, muscadine grapes, and mayhaws. In the future, some unique fruit will be available for picking.

"Something new are the pulot and aprium trees. A pulot is 75 percent plum and 25 percent apricot. An aprium is 75 percent apricot and 25 percent plum," Ann explained. "The first crop should be available in 2004.

The operation also offers a family-fun atmosphere.

"We invite people to bring a picnic lunch and sit out under the oak trees at the picnic tables. We try to make it a family affair. The kids can feed the catfish in the pond," Ann continued.

For the Baileys, who have been opened for business since June 1, 1999, life in the country is grand.

"We lived in Plano. I worked in Dallas and Pearce worked in Fort Worth. In the city, you have all those people, cars and lots of noise. Our dream was to move to the country. In January 1996, we found this land and bought seven-and-a-half acres. My son, Craig and his wife Joy, bought the adjoining seven-and-a-half acres."

Once the land was purchased, they tossed around ideas of what to do. Finally the appraiser from the Texas Veterans Land Board suggested raising blueberries and the idea stuck.

"After closing on the house in May, we went to work clearing shrub trees, mowing, burning trash and marking areas for development. We built a barn and dug a one-acre pond," Ann said.

Luck was on their side in 1997. Ann, who worked for the Texas Workforce was transferred to Sherman. In April, they decided to put the house in Plano up for sale thinking it would take six to nine months. Little did they know that a couple passing by would purchase their house the very day Pearce would get a "for sale" sign; and they would have to move within 30 days.

In a short period of time, the couple moved into their "new home" at the newly-purchased land in Sadler. The home was a fifth-wheel trailer parked in the barn. The barn had one room and a bath. They lived there for the next 16 months while their house was being built.

Meanwhile, all the berries were planted and a complete irrigation system was installed. Pearce was still driving 160 miles back and forth to his job with the federal government in Fort Worth. He retired in September 1998.

After retirement, Pearce, who has a degree in ag economics, got busy. The first summer, 25 percent of the berry bushes died and had to be replanted.

"It was, and is, a lot of work," Pearce said. "If someone wanted to go into this line of work, I would suggest that they talk to someone who has been successful in the business and learn as much as you can. The Extension office has a lot of information. We talked to Marty Baker over in Overton (Texas A&M Research Center). He really helped."

Ann, who retired in May of 2001, and Pearce are members of GO TEXAN and the Ark-La-Tex Blueberry Growers Association. They also market a full line of salsas and preserves.

Bailey's Berry Patch at 905 Crawford Road in Sadler, is halfway between Gainesville and Sherman. They are open Tuesday thru Sunday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and can be reached at (903)564-6228 or online at txberry.com.