Strawberry yields forever as tech breakthrough sees Tesco growers produce fruit all year round
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Strawberry producers in West Sussex have come up with innovative strategies to supply Britons with home-grown strawberries for Christmas festivities. This year, they've ramped up production by 40%, yielding 38 tonnes of the festive berries. The advanced system, which has the backing of supermarket giant Tesco, reduces water usage by half and generates a 3.5 times more strawberries per square metre, ensuring a steady stream of the fruit all year round.
The pioneering duo – Wicks Farm in Ford, and The Summer Berry Company (TSBC) in Colworth – are behind this fruitful venture. Wicks Farm's managing director, David Moore, describes their high-tech farming technique: "This is grown hydroponically, with a water feed instead of in soil, in multiple stacked layers in an indoor environment.
"This guarantees yields while improving the supply of healthy, nutritious food and minimising the miles involved in its distribution.". TSBC, Britain's biggest greenhouse strawberry grower, will harvest winter strawberries for the first time after a £6m investment in the new technology.. They're aiming to fill 600,000 punnets from 175,000 plants.
Chief executive David Sanclement highlights how the tech, including a unique heat network and LED lighting, cuts down on fossil fuel dependency. "We’re all familiar with British strawberries at Wimbledon and Royal Ascot but not so used to them being served on Christmas Day after the Turkey. We believe our new technology provides a superior-tasting fruit, all grown within West Sussex.".
