A 2.3 hectare greenhouse is currently being built at Ad Coolbergen. This will expand the radish grower to 10 hectares. "We see space in the market during the winter. In the summer we want to let the soil rest more," says the grower.
The piling for the construction has already been driven into the ground and this week the first frame has been set up in Oude Tonge as well. It concerns Ad Coolbergen’s greenhouse, which is being expanded by 2.3 hectares. “We see that there is more trade in the winter. It was down for a few years, but is on the rise again. This provides space on the market,” says the growers. He points to growers’ desire to spread risk as the cause of this. “In the winter months Italy is the market leader, but trade continues to come to the Netherlands. The production in Italy can be varied,” says Coolbergen, who also grows in Italy. “Customers mostly go for Italian product and add to it with Dutch produce. This way we aren’t competitors for our own Italian production, but do see opportunities for the Dutch cultivation.”
The tendency can be seen throughout the Netherlands, where the area of radish has slowly been growing again in recent years. “About ten years ago a lot of growers stopped – smaller all year round growers and opportunistic growers, who only grow in the spring for instance. There are less companies active in the radish cultivation, but the companies that are here have become bigger. In recent years you can see the area grow step by step.”
Growing colder
A second matter involved in the expansion is the possibility of growing at a colder temperature. “Growing with less energy is a general trend. In radishes we maintain longer growing hours when it’s cold compared to a few years ago.” Saving money isn’t the only motivation for this. “We also see that there is no disadvantage in quality. I even think we might have been compromising the quality to get it to grow faster. The gas costs were also more controllable and especially in winters in which we needed a lot of heat, we would ramp it up. Now we grow at a colder temperature. You can be a week later, but it’s still better. And with the expansion we now have more space for this.”
Summer rest
The situation on the radish market is different in the summer. "The market can be tighter then. There is a lot of growing in Germany and Poland around that time. You can get it just right, but there can also be too much product on the market." This is why Coolbergen opts not to be in full production then. "We want to give the cultivation more space. Sometimes you're going round in circles for three weeks and can continually harvest and sow - but we choose not to. We want to let the ground rest in between cultivations. This way we can give it more water, or sow green manure. We do this in Italy too."
The piling for the construction has already been driven into the ground and this week the first frame has been set up in Oude Tonge as well. Sowing is planned for November 1 and to do this the soil has to be treated with organic dirt and steamed. This means the builders have to work quickly, but Coolbergen is full of faith. "The greenhouse is the same as we have now. A lovely simple greenhouse, according to the builders," he laughs. Matters such as diffusing glass don't concern radish growers. "We tested diffusing foil in Italy. This means less direct rays on the ground and realises a lower soil temperature. That's not what you want! In the summer we do put down chalk. This takes the edge off the sun and stops the leaves from burning."
For more information:
Ad Coolbergen
Coolbergen BV
www.coolbergen.com
Verkoop via The Greenery
For more information:
Ad Coolbergen
Coolbergen BV
www.coolbergen.com
Verkoop via The Greenery