Alf Krause, a berry farmer in the Fraser Valley, says the hot weather means an earlier harvest for his crop. Alf Krause, a berry farmer in the Fraser Valley, says the hot weather means an earlier harvest for his crop. (CBC)

Although the dry, hot weather blanketing parts of B.C. this week is being blamed for setting off some wildfires in the Interior, some farmers in the Fraser Valley are celebrating the heat.

More sunshine means crops will be ready for harvest earlier this year, said Henry Wiens, manager of the Fraser Valley Strawberry Growers' Association.

The strawberry harvest is expected to begin on June 15, almost a week earlier than last year, Wiens said Thursday.

Steady warm weather over the past two weeks, coupled with the hot weather this week, sped up this year's strawberry and blueberry growing season by a week to 11 days, said Alf Krause of Krause Berry Farms.

"Beginning of April, we looked at it and thought we're never going to harvest until July 1. And then since mid-April, things have just caught up immensely," he said.

'Heat is good at this time. Probably more important is an absence of frost at the blossom time.'— Glen Lucas, B.C. Fruit Growers' Association

The heat and the lack of rain is welcome news for vineyards and orchards in the Okanagan as well, said Glen Lucas, general manager of the B.C. Fruit Growers' Association.

Last year, frost during the spring blossom wiped out much of the crop, Lucas said, but the weather conditions this year have so far been ideal.

"Heat is good at this time," he said. "Probably more important is an absence of frost at the blossom time."

Lisa Cameron, communications manager of the B.C. Wine Institute, said warm temperatures in the high 20s or low 30s are great news for grapes after the chilly spring.

"We just had a cooler and longer-than-average spring, and there were fears from our growers that they were slightly behind in terms of where we are by a calendar year," she said.

"And what this heat has done, it's really exploded things, and the grapes are loving it."

She said it will be even better if the rest of the season stays dry, which will be ideal for harvesting of various crops.