At Maatschap Van Overbeke, a strawberry growing operation based in Waregem, Belgium, the season is approaching but has not yet begun. "We expect the first harvest in about ten days. The first fruits are starting to colour, but we haven't started picking yet. Everything depends on the weather — we need sun and warmth to really get going," says Philip van Overbeke, who runs the business together with his daughter Jorien.
According to Van Overbeke, the current season is tracking similarly to the previous year. "The start is in line with earlier years. If it had been warmer, they would have started colouring sooner, and we could have begun earlier, but that hasn't been the case. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. The cooler weather allows the fruits to bulk up more, which will result in larger strawberries. Our first variety is Sonsation, but there are very few available at this point, so everyone is waiting for the first ones to come through."
"We expect to start picking around 10 April. Demand is already good for this time of year, and if there is more sunshine, it will certainly increase further. Ideally, you want strawberries available at Easter, but with Easter falling early this year, that's very difficult. You would need supplementary lighting for that, and that's not an option for us."
Quiet start-up, good prospects
The plants are in good condition, which gives Van Overbeke confidence for the weeks ahead. "It looks like the plants are somewhat heavier than last year. It depends on whether they can develop well in the coming week, but if that's the case, the yield per square metre could be somewhat better than last year. That's positive, though of course it remains to be seen how the market will respond."
"It's always a matter of waiting to see how prices develop, but I think strawberry growers haven't had much to complain about in recent years," Van Overbeke continues. "Compared to potato growers, for example, we're not badly off. Potato growers can barely give their product away, but fortunately, strawberry sales have not declined. Strawberries are still very much in demand, so I don't foresee any problems this season either."
© Aardbeien Van Overbeke
This year will be a sabbatical year
While Sonsation has traditionally opened the season at the company, it has in previous years been followed by Elsanta. This season, however, different plans had been made. "We had actually planned to plant more of the everbearing variety Karima this season. We had a small trial with Karima last year. I'm not yet fully convinced about the flavour, but in terms of production and pricing, the variety has a lot of potential," Van Overbeke explains. "Unfortunately, we've had to push that plan to next year. Planting material for Karima was in very limited supply, and demand was so high that it was virtually impossible to source. We had a lead on plants through contacts, but that fell through in the end. So we'll have to wait until next year, which has made this something of a transitional year for us, with a reduced growing area."
That decision was also driven by the lack of suitable alternatives for summer production. "In a genuinely hot summer, Elsanta yields are often too low. Few other varieties perform well in warmer temperatures. In those conditions, it can sometimes be more economical to leave a greenhouse empty than to produce without a return. It avoids labour costs and unnecessary stress. That's why we've chosen to scale back this year."
Looking ahead, Van Overbeke sees significant potential in Karima. "You plant it once, and it carries you through the entire season. With yields of one and a half kilograms per plant, and up to 1.8 kilograms under ideal conditions, it is a highly productive variety compared to Elsanta. I expect Elsanta will only be used for autumn crops under glass, where temperatures are lower. In summer, the fruits simply become too small too quickly. I hear from many people in the sector that Elsanta is expected to disappear from the market within a couple of years. Few growers will continue with it. With the increasingly warm climate in recent years, Elsanta simply produces too few kilograms, and everbearing varieties are broadly seen as the future, including by us."
For more information:
Philip Van Overbeke
Aardbeien Van Overbeke 
Bessemstraat 65
8790 Waregem (Belgium)
+32 (0) 56 61 43 88
[email protected]
www.aardbeienvanoverbeke.be
