Large potential for organic strawberries

The demand for organic strawberries is rising and organic production faces a bright future if with the selection of variety and growing practice you can pre-empt associated problems.

Only a very small percentage of the Danish strawberry production is organic, but it could grow considerably because there is an increasing demand for it.

If you wish to grow organic strawberries, there are several important elements that should be in place before the production can be started.

There should be good irrigation facilities and tools for soil tillage. An organic production is also very time-consuming and there has to be time for regular inspections of fields and for administration of the berry-picking, which is done by hand.

Senior scientist Holger Daugaard from the Department of Horticulture at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences has reviewed the suitable varieties.

- Experience from experiments and practice show that in an organic production you should choose varieties that are not too vigorous, but are resistant to pests and diseases, he emphasises. Holger Daugaard also recommends that growers should choose varieties with different ripening times to ease pollination and fruit picking.

The leaflet deals with topics such as:

· Plant material, establishment and crop systems

· Fertilisation and leaf analyses

· Soil tillage and irrigation

· Harvest and yields

· Winter protection

· Pests and diseases