It is still going only getting started, but the first strawberries from Lower Saxony are already on the market. "Growers have already harvested the first sweet fruits from their tunnel and under film-cultivation," Fred Eickhorst of the Association of asparagus and berry fruit producers told the Landvolk press service. This harvest is not enough to supply large grocery chains, but products are already on offer in farm shops, farmers' markets and regional weekly markets. This early strawberry pleasure provides a first taste of the summer in May, while the open field strawberries are just beginning to blossom. "At Pentecost, we can then look forward to fresh open field strawberries," Eickhorst cautiously predicts.
Image: Landvolk Niedersachsen
Focus on western Lower Saxony
According to data from the State Statistical Office, 992 Lower Saxony farms grew 23,900 hectares (ha) of vegetables and strawberries last year, of which 3,500 hectares were reserved for strawberries. The focus is on West Lower Saxony, where in Langförden Vechta Germany's largest "marketplace" for strawberries has established. At just under 30,000 tonnes (t), the total tonnage in Lower Saxony was slightly lower in 2018, as the summer drought reduced yields. Otherwise, farmers reap more on a slightly smaller area, because cultivation has been steadily improved through better technology and new varieties.
Source: Landvolk Niedersachsen
Lower Saxony producers starting the season