In the past few days, the first strawberries have been harvested in the Rhineland. This was stated by the Provincial Association Rheinischer Obst- und Gemüsebauer (Bonn).
The first of these red fruits were harvested in greenhouses in the Rhineland. The Rhineland is the national leader in early strawberry 
maturation. The acreage of strawberries in greenhouses is almost 20 ha. Strawberry cultivation in foil tunnels takes place on a much larger area. With each warm day, the crop will grow larger so that consumers can look forward to locally grown strawberries.
By growing in greenhouses and film tunnels, the fruits are protected from moisture. This can save on treatments with pesticides against fungal diseases. Since the fruits are protected from wind and weather, they have an excellent quality.
Since this is all quite labor intensive, greenhouse strawberries have to fetch higher prices than open field strawberries. The local fruits are due to their much better taste and higher price than the imported goods. Due to the short transport distances, other varieties can be cultivated, which are selected mainly for taste and not for firmness.
However, domestic strawberries also have to fetch a higher price than those coming in from many southern countries, because the labor costs for the harvest are many times higher in Germany. It will still be some time before the open field strawberry harvest starts.
Source: Provinzialverband Rheinischer Obst- und Gemüsebauer e.V.