“Our Georgia crops began around about two weeks later than normal this year,” said,” said Jimmy Myrick, vice president of Edward L. Myrick Produce in Andersonville, GA. “We will start on May 15 with squash and beans, but things may speed up a little depending on the weather. The crops, we’re happy to report, are all in good condition.”

Mr. Myrick added that the region got a lot of moisture that slowed the growth of the crops, but the company was fortunately spared any hail damage that affected some other growers in Georgia.

While change can be a good thing, the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” seems to be the philosophy of Desert Fresh, located in Coachella, CA.

For 20 years, partners Tony Bianco and Blaine Carian, two third-generation Coachella Valley grape growers and marketers, have been participating in the short-lived local grape deal and doing quite well. “It works great for us,” said Mr. Bianco, who serves as the president of the company and lone salesman. Mr. Carian is the grower for the partnership.

The key to being successful with seasonal supplies is to be able to fill a niche, said Steve Root, who is president of East West Unlimited LLC, a grape grower-shipper in California’s Coachella Valley.

“You’ve got to have a niche, and my niche is I am early,” he said. “I’m in the deal when there is still great demand. Most of my crop is sold in May when you just can’t get enough grapes.”

Anchored by its line of colored peppers, Prime Time International of Coachella, CA, offers a variety of vegetables to its customers on a year-round basis, but always looks forward to field production moving to its home base at this time of year.

Southern Valley Fruit & Vegetable has made several facility and internal improvements over the past year.

Dug Schwalls, director of sales for the company, headquartered in Norman Park, GA, said, “We added nearly 80,000 square feet of cooling space to our Georgia facility this year. And we have installed a new squash packingline in the past year.”

Mr. Schwalls said that the company grows and packs its own farm-grown product.

With the Bell pepper market of all colors continuing to show great strength at retail, Mecca, CA-based Pasha Marketing has increased its acreage of that commodity this season and dropped a couple of others.

“We’ve opted out of green beans and seedless watermelons this year,” said Franz De Klotz, who wears the title of managing partner along with Nick Bozick. Pasha Marketing is the vegetable arm of Richard Bagdasarian Inc.