Van der Linden Participaties became the new owner of a tomato greenhouse in Vierpolders last Friday. With this purchase, the cucumber growers add another 5 hectares to their production area, in addition to their existing greenhouses of more than 4 and 3 hectares in Kwintsheul and Oud-Beijerland. With this new site, the cucumber growers also join the Growers United cooperative.
The greenhouse on Kerkweg will soon undergo an upgrade, explains co-owner Floris van der Linden. "We're investing in a second energy screen, which will allow us to keep the current blackout screen in place. This setup gives us the option to install grow lights in the future."
Starting a lighted cucumber crop has been on the wish list of Floris and his business partner Tom Koot for some time. Together, they've been looking for the right greenhouse to make it happen. "We've been searching for a location nearby, in a horticultural area with long-term prospects," says Floris. Because lighting requires a strong power connection, the new greenhouse needed to meet that condition.
If they decide to move forward with lighted production, the current HPS lighting will be replaced with LED systems. The growers are currently exploring the various options to find the best setup for their future plans.
First unlit cultivation
Once the greenhouse has been converted, the plan is to start growing unlit cucumbers there in February 2026. This will become the growers' largest production site to date. As part of the takeover of the greenhouse, which previously belonged to RedStar, the cucumber growers will also take on part of the tomato grower's staff.
All of the growers' companies are members of Growers United, and their cucumbers are marketed under Green Diamonds, Growers United's high-wire cucumber brand. The cucumbers harvested in Vierpolders will be centrally sorted at Growers United's facility in Maasdijk. But before that happens, this winter will be all about renovating and preparing the new site for the first crop cycle.
With the sale of the greenhouse on Kerkweg, all of RedStar's Dutch greenhouses now have new owners. Earlier, HortiDaily reported that Hoogweg Paprikakwekerijen, The Flavour Farm, and Young Grow had already purchased other RedStar locations. As part of its deal, The Flavour Farm is also taking over RedStar Sales, including all associated RedStar brands.
For more information:
Growers United / Green Diamonds
[email protected]
https://greendiamonds.nl/
