With winter approaching, the unexposed strawberry season is also drawing to a close, but at grower Demedts - De Mey, the volumes are still holding up. "It is declining bit by bit. The focus now is on winding down, keeping a close eye on heating costs, and deciding how long it remains profitable to continue. That will be roughly until the New Year," says Benoit Demedts.
© Benoit Demedts
This does not mean resting on their laurels for the Gits-based nursery. "Because we work with everbearers nowadays, we can continue producing longer than in the past. There is still plenty of fruit on the plants, so picking will likely continue until around the New Year. From mid-December, one of the departments will switch over, which means production will stop there, but elsewhere we will still have sufficient volumes. Alongside strawberries, raspberry production is also still ongoing. Despite a brief winter peak, we heated enough to maintain quality. We grow both Kwanza and Tulameen. Tulameen is especially popular with customers, real 'sweets'. For pastry chefs and wholesalers, we mainly supply Kwanza. As long as the quality stays high and heating costs remain manageable, we will continue with raspberries as well."
Looking back on autumn, the grower is satisfied. "Quality has been very good, and both pricing and yields were excellent. We avoided extremely warm periods, which benefited cultivation. Demand also remained fairly stable. It is slightly lower now in direct sales, but this is offset by patissiers, who are traditionally busier during the colder months. In the farm shop, sales remain strong, and we are even seeing more customers than last year."
© Benoit Demedts
Suffering from mildew
In this regard, Benoit also experiences little competition from Spanish strawberries. "Although Spanish fruit can be an alternative in winter, especially for price-conscious customers, our customers clearly prefer the taste and quality of home-grown strawberries. Soon, the exposed crops from colleagues will also come on the market. Customers are willing to pay a little extra for that. In the farm shop, we try to offer smaller strawberries to keep prices reasonable, while bakers need larger fruit. They generally pass on the higher cost to their customers."
"What we did notice this year is that pressure from white disease, or powdery mildew, was higher than in previous years," he adds. "Agents may be becoming less effective, or resistance is increasing. Now and then, a diseased plant slips through despite all our efforts. Therefore, we are considering solutions such as a UV robot for next season. Reducing the use of crop protection products is an important focus for the future. Such decisions must also consider practical feasibility on the farm, but it is something we will need to monitor."
© Benoit Demedts
Everbearers the future
What stands out at Demedts - De Mey is that everbearers are the future. "Through breeding, varieties have become increasingly important in terms of both yield and quality. There were still concerns about flavour compared to classics like Elsanta, but by allowing the strawberries to remain on the plant a little longer, the flavour stays excellent. This does require extra organisation and clear instructions for pickers, but it pays off. Customers keep returning as long as the quality is reliable. We grow Karima and Furore. Both varieties taste good, but Karima performs particularly well in terms of shelf life. Even after a week in the refrigerator, quality remains high, which is a major advantage for pastry chefs."
For more information:
Benoit Demedts
Kwekerij Demedts - De Mey 
Middenstraat 97z
8830 Gits, Belgium
Tel: +32 479 69 08 67
[email protected]
www.demedts-demey.be
