Warmer than average temperatures mean that the first English strawberries will be arriving in supermarkets up to a week earlier than last year. The temperatures in central England have been an average of 7C (44.6F) this winter, making it the warmest since records were first collected in 1659.
The arrival of the fruit in stores later this week is remarkable evidence of Britain’s bizarre weather over the past three months. At the same time, early figures up to February 24 released by the Met Office also show that the season is on track to be the second wettest since UK records began in 1910.
The strawberries have been grown and ripened on the Hall Hunter Farm in the village of Leythorne, near Chichester in West Sussex. But the conditions there have been replicated across much of the rest of the country.
However, the warm weather has often combined with storms and downpours that have caused chaos in many parts of the country, particularly North West England, parts of Scotland and Yorkshire.
Britain’s farmers have found innovative ways to increase the growing seasons for crops like strawberries, tomatoes and asparagus. Hardy varieties have been developed and many of the crops are now grown under the protection of vast polytunnels.
Some producers are even using LED lights to keep plants growing even when the nights draw in at the end of the summer.
Waitrose strawberry buyer Nicki Baggott said: ‘The arrival of these first English strawberries shows that, despite the recent cold snap, spring is now well on its way.’
Source: dailymail.co.uk