This year, UK strawberries and cream, the treat made popular by the famous tennis tournament, has made headlines, including the first price increase at Wimbledon in 15 years and the controversial launch of the Marks & Spencer strawberries and cream sandwich.
© TomTech
As supply chain disruptions and rising costs continue to impact imports, the production for UK-grown strawberries and other soft fruits has become more critical than ever. "The Wimbledon season is always a fantastic time to enjoy delicious British strawberries – but with increasing challenges when importing soft fruit, UK growers are playing a vital role in meeting demand! To help achieve this, British strawberry growers can use technology to optimise growing conditions under glass, ensuring their plants receive the right conditions for big, fresh and juicy strawberries" says Krzysztof Hernik, Managing Director at Tomtech.
In addition to opportunities arising from import challenges, domestic strawberry production is also set for a bumper year due to 2025's higher quantities of sunshine and warm weather.
To further support the British strawberry industry in their bumper year, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) organisations, including Tomtech, are developing solutions to give greenhouse growers better control over their environmental conditions, produce better yields and reduce input costs. "Strawberries thrive when they have the right balance of temperature, humidity and light in a greenhouse! Our environmental control systems, such as the T100, are giving greenhouse growers the tools needed to create, monitor and maintain these elements within their structure" adds Krzysztof.
For almost 40 years, Tomtech have been a UK provider of commercial greenhouse monitoring and control systems. Their adaptive control systems are used to monitor temperature, humidity, light, carbon dioxide, pH, nutrients and more. Products by Tomtech are widely used to optimise growing conditions for various crops grown within greenhouses across the UK, Europe and further afield.
"Through improved insights and greater control over environmental conditions, strawberry growers can eliminate guesswork and make precise adjustments that create the ideal environment for thriving strawberries. This means our much-loved Wimbledon tradition of strawberries and cream can be enjoyed with more home-grown fruit than ever before!" concludes Krzysztof.
For more information:
Tomtech
[email protected]
www.tomtech.co.uk
