At Rothkopf Eifelgemüse GbR in Euskirchen, the last greenhouse strawberries of this year's spring harvest are being picked this week. "The season got off to a good start overall. We had steady sales and were able to command relatively good prices for the early produce over the first half of the season. Now the marketing of regional open ground produce is starting as well, which is reflected in a volume decrease for greenhouse strawberries, as well as falling prices," says owner Heiner Rothkopf. He started this year's greenhouse harvest on April 26, about one week later than last year. In addition to this, the first strawberries of the Lady Emma variety were harvested under foil in early May on shelves.
The greenhouse strawberries are largely grown on sustainable coconut substrate.
Still, the harvest volumes could have been a little better, according to the strawberry producer. "The overcast spring weather has not only led to a delay in the harvest start, but also to a higher proportion of Class II fruit, especially the Elsanta. Because of this, I have now decided to plant only the Falco variety in the early area from next year," adds Rothkopf. The first autumn strawberries are normally ready for harvesting at the end of August. At the same time, the company grows remontant greenhouse strawberries from May to October.
The shelves in Rothkopf's greenhouse. Thanks to the cooperation with Cologne-based fruit retailer Früchte Rosenbaum, the greenhouse strawberries can be found in numerous regional food retail outlets.
"The harvest window of the Falco variety is somewhat shorter compared with Elsanta, i.e. the major harvest peak is concentrated in one to two weeks, but the variety has excellent visual qualities. The differences are not so much in cultivation methods or yield, but rather in propagation," Rothkopf concludes.
For more information:
Heiner Rothkopf
Rothkopf Eifelgemüse GbR
Am Nonnenhof 5
53881 Euskirchen
Tel.: +49 160 9794 1406
Email : [email protected]
