NL: How to replace 8.5 ha of roses with bell peppers?

A few weeks ago it was announced that Dutch rose grower Rosa Natura has been sold to the Dutch pepper grower Paprikakwekerij Overgaag. In the 8.5 hectare greenhouse Red Naomi! was being grown and the pending sale must have come as a surprise, with the possible exception of to the owner and inner circle. After all, the crop had just been pruned completely, to give the plants the extra boost to produce the finest stems for a number of years still.

Anyway, the greenhouse is destined for peppers, not roses, so it all had to go. And because you can’t sweep a 8.5 ha greenhouse clean in one afternoon, there are lots of parties on the market that can lend a hand. The boys at Modderkolk for example. In three weeks time they will remove the crop and the gutters, disassemble the lamps, get the heating pipes out, remove lines and clean the cultivation floor. Subsequently, Loonbedrijf J.P. Nieuwkoop Gouda will level and profile the floor.

Garben van der Velden sends some 50 men to do the job. He currently has the experience for this type of operation. Modderkolk bv, along with Loonbedrijf J.P. van Nieuwkoop Gouda, has specialized in crop rotation and installing new cultivation systems.

In the meantime the crop and a large part of the gutters have been removed. The lamps won’t have to be replaced. No new ones will be installed in their place. However, a new screen must be installed, but that’s someone else’s business. "Every job is always different," says Garben, "and that makes the combination Modderkolk - Loonbedrijf Nieuwkoop Gouda such a well-oiled machine. What sets us apart is that a grower doesn’t have anything to worry about, because we take care of everything from A to Z without complicated, unexpectedly higher invoices afterwards. We calculate an advance price based on the square meters and that's it!"