After starting in the asparagus season the strawberry harvest is about to start in Brandenburg. As with white vegetables, the area under cultivation has decreased. The Berlin-Brandenburg Horticultural Association in Teltow (Potsdam-Mittelmark district) officially opens the local strawberry season on May 5th at a farm in Jacobsdorf in the Oder-Spree district.
According to figures from the statistical office, the area under cultivation for outdoor strawberries was around 220 hectares in 2022. That was almost 90 hectares less than in the previous year. The last time so few strawberries were grown outdoors was in 1998, it was said. However, the yield per hectare was 17 percent higher than that of the 2021 season. The area for growing the fruit under polytunnels and in greenhouses was also reduced by around 5 hectares to around 50 hectares.
The horticultural association promoted local strawberries because they had short transport routes and had lower CO2 consumption. “Strawberries, which are already available in supermarkets in March, are imported from the south and produced under questionable conditions,” said the association, which referred to heavy pesticide contamination in some imported goods. On the other hand, it is possible to use biological crop protection in strawberry cultivation to combat aphids and spider mites, for example. According to the association, parasitic wasps are used for this. (dpa)
