Tanaka Farms in Irvine is experiencing one of its most abundant strawberry harvests

IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) -- Spring is in full bloom and Tanaka Farms in Irvine is bringing a sweet surprise: an abundance of fresh, ripe strawberries.

The family-owned 40-acre farm is experiencing one of its biggest strawberry harvests yet.

"This is probably the most strawberries we've had at this time this early in the season," general manager Kenny Tanaka said. "We've been picking ever since January, and hopefully no more rain and we'll be good to go."

While the harvest has been impressive, Tanaka said the recent rainstorms have posed a challenge. Excessive or sudden downpours can damage strawberries, causing them to turn into mush.

"If we get hail or hard rain, even these green ones can be damaged. So we could lose a month of strawberry production," Tanaka said.

So what's causing this record-breaking harvest? Tanaka credits their success to a new fertilizer mix.

"Water comes through the watering system, we put fertilizer in there and the plants really took off," Tanaka said. "In past years, we were kind of experimenting with different composts, and we kind of found the right mix now. You're talking about hundreds and thousands of pounds right now."

At the farm, visitors can enjoy a variety of activities including petting animals, taking a train ride and picking their own fresh strawberries and vegetables.

"It's fun. It's just so refreshing. The weather has just been perfect" said Victorville resident Jael Reiss.

The best tip for finding the perfect strawberry is to look for one that has that bright red coloring all the way around. Then to pick it, you gently grab the stem and then pull.

"Springtime is the perfect time for strawberries," Tanaka said. "We're just getting a little bit warmer - 70s, 80s is what they really love and as long as this temperature kind of stays mild like that, you should have a long strawberry season."