Strawberry supplies expected to return to normal after weather extremes

Strawberries have been harder to find on the supermarket shelves as growers across the country face challenges with the weather.

Queensland's main strawberry season usually finishes in September and October, when growers further south take over.

But hot, dry weather in the Sunshine State is ending the peak season early there, while berries in other parts of the country are ripening later.

Matt Gallace, a strawberry grower from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, said a cold winter had set his plants back.

"We're still probably two weeks behind where we would normally be at this time of year," he said.

Production down in Queensland

With unreliable strawberry supplies in recent weeks, prices in the shops have edged up.

Strawberries are currently retailing in the major supermarkets f