Asparagus growers in Koo Wee Rup are expecting to harvest in normal time, in the face of a ‘very very’ cold winter. “We’re a little bit cautious to predict an exact starting date for harvest, but our season usually starts in September,” says Joe Vizzarri, of Vizzarri Farms.
The Koo Wee Rup region in Victoria, where more than 93% of the Australia’s national supply is grown, is experiencing different conditions to Western Australia, where one grower on the South Coast has seen the earliest harvest in decades. “Asparagus is a very very weird plant that does funny things. In previous years we’ve had product come through and it’s turned out to be a false start,” adds Mr Vizzarri.
Supermarkets will be looking for a consistent supply of asparagus, Mr Vizzarri cautions, and at the moment growers are set up to stretch more into the summer months, rather than start early. “At the moment we’re probably 50 percent spring production and 50 percent summer production. Mildura tends to start two or three weeks earlier than Koo Wee Rup, and they haven’t started yet. When we come on line we produce up to 300 tonnes per week, so that gives you some idea of the scale we’re dealing with at full production.”
The fact that shoots are appearing early in the season does not mean they will continue to grow, Mr Vizzarri says, because a change such as a cold snap can cause them to retreat back into the ground until it’s warmer again in Victoria’s temperamental climate. “While it’s so cold it leaves the plant in a dormant phase. It could be two or three weeks until we get volume through that allows us to cut it and pick it.” He says the warmer part of the country, such as Western Australia and the Northern Territory, should start looking into winter production potential before Victorian growers.
For more information
Joe Vizzarri
Vizzarri Farms
Phone: +61419 367246
E-mail: joe@vizzarri.com.au