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Papenburg bell pepper producer Björn Schubert:

"Due to the ToBRFV virus, we have also converted our tomato cultivation to bell peppers"

© Hugo Huijbers | HortiDaily.com

This year's bell pepper harvest took place around two weeks earlier than last year. "Thanks in part to the beautiful weather, we were able to offer the first domestic yellow and red peppers to retailers in calendar week 15, closely followed by the first oranges, which came into production a little later," reports Björn Schubert, bell pepper grower and member of the Papenburg Horticultural Cooperative in Germany, in an interview on site. "In principle, we are also aiming for an earlier harvest in the coming years, but not at any price. When you consider that we plant up to eight weeks later than some of our Dutch colleagues and harvest only three weeks later, that is quite remarkable. Against the backdrop of energy costs, I therefore see little room for maneuver in the early stages at the moment."

© Hugo Huijbers | HortiDaily.com
Bell pepper producer Björn Schubert

Bell peppers instead of tomatoes
Schubert originally grew both tomatoes and bell peppers on two sites, each covering around two hectares. However, in 2021, the ToBRFV virus appeared on his tomato farm. "I felt that the risk of growing tomatoes was too great in the long term, which is why I also converted this site to bell peppers. We now produce bell peppers on around 4 hectares, which accounts for more than half of the horticultural center's total production (7 hectares). Red peppers continue to dominate cultivation (65 percent), followed by yellow (20 percent) and orange peppers (15 percent). We are observing that yellow is declining slightly, while orange peppers are gaining ground. However, we still do not see a market for green peppers in Germany."

© Hugo Huijbers | HortiDaily.comInsight into bell pepper cultivation: The first plants were planted this year in calendar week 5.

This year's bell pepper harvest on track
The color is an absolute prerequisite for domestic bell peppers, according to Schubert: "The color must be right; the produce must not be too light or too green, which may be very different in neighboring countries. In terms of yield, we are on track and have now harvested around a third of our target quantities. Initially, the net yield was significantly higher than last year, but the difference has since shrunk considerably." In calendar weeks 23-24, there was a shortage on the bell pepper market, but currently, there is plenty of produce available. "However, these are normal fluctuations, some of which can be remedied by short-term measures."

© Hugo Huijbers | HortiDaily.comA wood-fired heating plant was built and commissioned in 2024. To reduce virus pressure, both sites have now switched from rock wool to substrate.

Expansion of crop diversity
In addition to the standard bell peppers, pointed and mini peppers are now also being produced. "From a horticultural point of view, the cultivation process for bell peppers and pointed peppers is almost identical. They are harvested from mid-April to mid-November. By then, we want to disappear from the market before Spain enters the market. Now it's time to gather experience with regard to marketing. After all, we don't know what we can charge for the product. The most difficult thing, however, is to convey to customers that our product is slightly more expensive than imported goods, but that it has been produced with a special focus on aroma and taste. Our task is therefore to make consumers aware that quality and regional origin are also rewarded accordingly," concludes Schubert.

© Hugo Huijbers | HortiDaily.com
Mini and pointed peppers

For more information:
Björn Schubert
Gärtnerei Schubert GmbH
Halte 37
D-26826 Weener
gaertnerschubert@googlemail.com