During 2012 1,174 companies in the German federal state of Lower Saxony produced a total of 587,100 tons of vegetables and strawberries. This according to figures of the 'Landesbetrieb für Statistik und Kommunikationstechnologie Niedersachsen' (LSKN). Of these, 207 companies cultivated in glasshouses. Vegetables from the open ground were produced by 1,022 companies on a growing area of 18,791 HA.
Asparagus were grown last year on the largest area, namely 5,237 HA and with that on more than a quarter of the total cultivation area. Their harvest volume was 21,500 tons. After that most of the area was used for iceberg lettuce, namely 2,466 HA. The harvest volume of iceberg lettuce was, however, with 115 thousand tons by far the largest.
With an area of 1,997 HA and a harvest volume of 103,500 tons consumption onions followed and after that carrots with 1,789 HA and 106,900 tons. Curly kale, the traditional winter vegetable from Lower Saxony was grown on 451 HA with a harvest volume 7,800 tons.
Strawberries were grown on the open ground by 330 companies on an area of 3,913 HA. 33 companies grew strawberries in glasshouses on an area of 42 HA. The harvest volume of this fruit amounted in 2012 to 42,400 tons in total.
