British growers are enjoying a bumper crop of strawberries this year, as the warm autumn weather helped them harvest fruit late into the season.
More than 60,000 tonnes of strawberries have been produced so far this year, already 8% ahead of 2013. The season is expected to continue into early December, thanks to rising use of glasshouses. A warm start to the year meant the growing season kicked off seven weeks earlier than in 2013, while outdoor crops were fruiting for about two weeks longer than usual. The growing season lasted 38 weeks – more than two-thirds of the year. Warm weather means that individual plants produce more fruit, increasing yields for farmers.
Anthony Snell, who runs AJ & CI Snell farm with his wife Christine in Herefordshire, said: “Thanks to the fantastic growing conditions that we’ve seen throughout the year, we have been able to provide flavoursome, sweet strawberries starting in spring and continuing all the way into mid-autumn.
“We use polytunnels to protect our crops. This crucially meant that the crop and soil were protected throughout the season, so they could grow naturally without any damage.”
While the vast majority of British strawberries are grown outdoors, the use of glasshouses and polytunnels, as well as new fruit varieties, have helped British growers grab a bigger portion of the market. They now provide about 60% of the £800m worth of strawberries bought in the UK, rising to more than 90% at the peak of the season.
Laurence Olins, chairman of British Summer Fruits which represents 98% of the country’s industry, said the warm weather had not only been good news for strawberry growers. This year’s raspberry crop was up by a quarter on last year and blueberries were up by 60%, as the weather combined with new growing techniques to lift production.
“I can’t remember a year so blessed with good climate,” Olins said.
