The heat and sunshine hours have really moved the soft fruit on in the UK.
"We started the strawberry harvest with small volumes through April and good volumes through May with great fruit and great quality, and we have had virtually no problems moving it," said Chris Rose from Asplin's Growers Organisation. "We had the normal dip between the early fruit and the main season, but due to the high temperatures, this was shorter than normal, and we have been back to main volumes for the last few weeks."
Demand has been good with Wimbledon going on and people having BBQs.
"To date, we have had no heat damage, and the plants are handling it well, but it may lead to smaller fruit sizes. We are now heading into our third heatwave this weekend, which may cause the plants some stress."
Raspberries
The raspberry harvest started back in May, but just in small volumes. "This was not such an early start as with the strawberries, but they have caught up quickly and are ahead of this time last year. Demand is good for raspberries; there has been a lot of work done in the last few years to improve varieties, and this has really made a big difference."
© AsplinsPO
The quality of the fruit at the moment is very good, but if the heat persists and the berries are picked while they are too warm, there is a risk of quality issues by the time they reach the shelves. "We are starting picking at 5.30 am and trying to get finished before the fruit or our pickers get too hot."
For more information:
Chris Rose
Asplins Producer Organisation
Tel.: +44 1795 594811
Email: commercial@asplinspo.com