28
THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • MARCH 2018
• CUCUM"ERS
As the areadedicated toUKgrown cucumbers increases
again, AdrianTatum review the last season and looks
forward to the next.
The arrival of the first UK-grown cucumbers each year
is awell-celebrated event thesedays. Until recent
investment over the last few years the sector in theUK
faceduncertain times, withoverall planting in theUK in
decline and imports on the increase for several years in
a row. Across theUK, it is estimated that there are now
just over 100ha of cucumber glasshouses in commercial
production, according toDefra.
But according toThanet Earth, in2018 there is an
estimated10% increase in the number of cucumbers
grown in theUK, as a result of a newglasshouse at the
company’sKent-based site. It is the first glasshouse in
theUKgrowing cucumbers tobe equippedwith sodium
lights toprovide extra light andwarmth throughwinter
months andwithdiffuse glass for better distributionof
light. Harvesting in the 6.1ha glasshouse started at the
beginningof February.
There are now two cucumber glasshouses at Thanet
Earthwithover 12ha of growing area in total. One of its
growers, ArjandeGier is usinghighwire growing systems
that have resulted in ‘considerably’ higher yields than
some conventional systems. It is intensivebut sustainable
production.Mr deGier says: ¸Sincewebeganplanning
our business here inThanet almost ten years ago,
we’ve aspired tohave twogreenhouses inproduction
for cucumbers. I’mpleasedwe’ve achieved this goal,
developingour reputation for innovation and investment in
technology too.¹
One of the country’s other biggest suppliers andgrowers
of cucumbers isAbbey ViewProduce. ItsCommercial
Director, LukeHibberd reports goodprogress. ¸Ingeneral,
last seasonwas a good season. Lower retail values
and raisedhealth awareness aredriving an increase in
consumptionof glasshouse-grown salads. Therewere
some residual cucumber virus issueswhich carried
over from2016but thiswasmainly cleared up through
goodhusbandry and resistant varieties,¹ he tells The
Commercial GreenhouseGrower. As far as theproduction
process is concerned,Mr Hibberd says some growers
are changing their growing cycles. ¸There has been
UKGROWNCUCUMBERS
SHOW PROMISE
AS PLANTINGAREA
CONTINUES TOGROW
carry out extensive testingof our ownon topof this to
ensure that thematerial is fit for purpose. This includes
screening for herbicides as there are still one or two active
ingredients that canwithstand the intensive composting
that greenwaste undergoes.¹
Klasmann-Deilmanndoes use green compost, but
asHermann explains, ¸TerrAktivgreen compost is
produced inour own composting units and certified to
theDutchRHP standard for green compost. It is also
controlled according toGermanRAL scheme. All input
rawmaterials and the green compost itself are regularly
analysed for residues and against general chemical and
biological parameters. GreenFibre is alsomanufactured
inour own sites"made fromFSC certifiedwood and
specifically certified to theRHP standard for wood fibre.¹
There is nodoubt that the growingmedia industry is
workinghard tomeet the environmental targets being
set by politicians and consumers, but further research
is needed toovercome a number of technical issues,
particularly in certain sectors such as plant raising. ¸At
ICLwe are constantly exploring new responsibly sourced
rawmaterials and testing their adequacy,¹ stresses Eleni.
¸We areparticipating in researchprojects, alongwithother
industry and academicpartners, for thedevelopment
of the next generationof growingmedia, such asCP
138 and theN8Agri-FoodProgramme - Developing and
testing sustainable horticultural growingmedia for food
crops, fundedby theUniversity ofManchester and ICL.¹
At the endof last year, Klasmann-Deilmannpresented its
sixthSustainabilityReport, andover the last fewdecades,
the company has re-wetted and afforested just over 8,000
hectares of former peat production sites, or prepared
them for agricultural use. ¸More than3,800hectares of
this area are nownatural habitatswhichpermanently
promote nature conservation and climateprotection,¹
addsHermann.
Superior root growthwithwest plus fromSinclair.
