The asparagus harvest is now gradually gaining momentum with the first batches coming from sites with heated cultivation. But the main harvest does not start until shortly before Easter. FreshPlaza.de gathered updates and harvest forecasts from the different growing regions.
Baden-Württemberg
Asparagus producers are expecting a good season this year. "In April, there will be relevant volumes, in the supermarkets as well," Simon Schumacher of industry association VSSE told SWR. According to the association, the number of asparagus farms has been declining for years. Accordingly, in 2014 there still were 314 companies, in 2022 there were just 258 farms. Last year, according to his data, 9,591.5 tons of asparagus were harvested in Baden-Württemberg.
Lower Saxony
"We assume that asparagus will be available around Easter, but this will be decided in the next few weeks," said Fred Eickhorst, managing director and board spokesman for the Association of Asparagus and Berry Growers in Lower Saxony, in Sandhatten near Oldenburg. He expects that even at Easter not every farm will harvest large volumes. The weather has recently been too cold and wintry for that. According to Eickhorst, there will be a 10-15 percent drop in acreage compared to last year.
Rhineland-Palatinate
Andreas Eberhardt, asparagus producer in Weisenheim am Sand, has already been able to harvest the first green asparagus under foil, 1730live.de reports. Normally, he said, this is not possible until the beginning of April. "In a few days, I expect increasing volumes and plenty of goods before Easter. We expect to serve the Easter market well, so everyone will be able to eat asparagus then."
Saxony & Saxony-Anhalt
Asparagus farms in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt are expecting the first smaller harvests at Easter. The recent somewhat colder days have slowed the growth of the noble vegetable, said a spokesman for the Association of East German Asparagus and Berry Growers (Vosba). However, the weather in the coming weeks will be decisive for the yields. It is therefore too early to make a forecast. René Heidi, head of the Saxon Agrar GbR Naundörfel assumes that many people will be more price-conscious in their purchases this year due to the increased cost of living. "Of course, we are trying to become even more effective via a tighter cost structure."
Thuringia
Thuringia is also expecting the first asparagus at Easter. "Asparagus has had its cold snap," Jan-Niclas Imholze, managing director of Spargel- und Beerenfrüchte Kutzleben Ltd, told the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung newspaper. Instead of reducing his acreage, Imholze has restructured his asparagus cultivation so that he can manage the harvest this season with as few staff as possible. To do so, he plans to stagger his fields so that the harvest volume is more evenly distributed over the entire period. "The question will still be what the asparagus prices will be," Imholze said. "Do I choose the more expensive regional product or the cheaper counterpart from abroad - or do I not buy it at all?"
Saarland
In Saarland, a relatively smaller growing region with only five major farms, the first asparagus is expected to be cut in early April. "We are hoping for good spring weather and expect to have a good harvest," Katharina Bernauer of the Strawberry and Asparagus Farm in Heusweiler told SR.de. However, she said, it is to be expected that the demand for asparagus around Easter will exceed the supply. "Asparagus will certainly be in short supply because of the holidays," Bernauer said.
For more information:
https://www.spargelundbeerenanbauer.de/
https://www.vsse.de/
https://www.vosba.de/
https://www.thueringer-spargel.de/
https://erdbeerlandernst.de/
https://www.spargelhof-eberhardt.de/