24
THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • JULY 2017
THENEED
FOR INVESTMENT
Most of their cherries are solddirectly to consumers off-
site in 400gpunnets (they also have a vendingmachine).
Keen to explore all avenues to attractmorebusiness,
this spring they organised apicnic inside the greenhouse
during flowering. Promoted solely via the firm’s Facebook
page, 350people attended the first event!
Finally, they also sell cherries through a couple of local
retailers, andPatrick is currently involved in talks to sell
cherries through awell-knownBritish supermarket. The
twomen are hoping the current treeswill continue to
produce fruit for the next 15 years, and if needs be they
have the option to extend the season even further by
planting cherry trees on an adjacent 6,000sq.m. of land.
Thegrowerwouldhavepreferred tohaveusedhoneybees
for pollination, but opted for bumblebeesbecause they are
activeat cooler temperatures.
• DUTCHGREENHOUSES
For over 25 yearsUKSalads has beenone of the
country’s leadingglasshouse growers. ItsCommercial
Director, PasMillazzo talks toAdrianTatum about the
company’s commitment to investment andwhy growers
needmore support.
From themoment he starts talking about the industry, you
canhear thepassion inPasMilazzo’s voice. He speaks
enthusiastically about the glasshouse sector and is clearly
very proud tobe growing in the LeaValley, alongside
some of thebest producers in the country and in a region
steepedwithhorticultural history.
“I am very, very proud tobe growing in the LeaValley, to
represent the horticultural community here and tobe a
UKgrower,” he tells TheCommercial GreenhouseGrower.
UKSalads is in fine shape aswell. Nowgrowing from
three sites in the region, the company has developed
significantly over the last decade.
Like all glasshouse growers, UKSalads has had to invest
to survive. “We are investing in abigway-over £1million a
year andobviouslymuchmore in the yearswhenwe have
built newglass,” he tells TheCommercial Greenhouse
Grower. “We have to invest tobe efficient and to ensure
webuild a sustainable future,” he adds.
The company’s latest glasshousewas finished in 2015,
with the first cropplanted in January 2016. In the first year
vine tomatoeswereplantedbut this year the crop has
been switched to cucumberswhichwas a commercial
decisionbasedon thedifference in last year’s cucumber
and tomatoprices and the associated costs ingrowing
thedifferent crops.
The newglasshouse, whichwas built byCMW
Horticulture andCerthon, is 1.2ha and has a height
of 6mwith a growingheight of 4m. It is coveredwith
thermal screens to act as both insulationon colder days
and also toprovide cover on hotter ones. There is an
in-built recycling system in the glasshousewhere aUV
recycling tank collects gutter water from the roof and
thenpasses it through a filter which kills all bacteria
beforebeing collected in a separate tank togoback to
the crop. The glasshouse grows two crops a year with
all plants grown inCocopeat slabs. All environmental
controls inside are controlledbyHoogendoorn computer
systems. The company has alsoworkedwithRural Energy
Open to thepublic for the ‘Come in theGreenhouse’ event,
Dutchgrower Ron vanZwet isbelieved tohavebeen the
first in theworld touseagreenhouseas an
indoor allotment.
