In many growing areas in Germany, the first local asparagus is already being harvested. However, asparagus from Greece and Peru is still available at the discount supermarket Netto. The food retail chain is triggering a heated discussion. Meanwhile, an initiative is complaining about wage and rent extortion, precarious accommodation, and violence. The annual report reveals numerous violations of the law.
Rhineland-Palatinate:
"Compared to 2024, there are no noticeable price increases," says Ludger Aldenhoff from the Spargel und Erdbeeren e.V. advisory service in Haßloch. However, each farmer has their own sorting and pricing structure. "This makes it difficult to compare prices," says Ludger Aldenhoff. The quality of the spears looks good because it was humid enough for the plants in 2024. Sarah Schreiber from the Dirk Schreiber asparagus farm in Gerolsheim assures: "The taste is very good." Compared to last year, the harvest there started eight days later.
North Rhine-Westphalia: Prices similar to 2024 expected
Consumers in North Rhine-Westphalia can expect a wide range of asparagus from local fields from the end of March. However, in some cases, heating systems under the fields are enabling growers to harvest smaller quantities of asparagus. "The growers with heated asparagus have already started," said Peter Muß, deputy managing director of the Provinicial Association of Rhenish Fruit and Vegetable Growers. "For heating the fields, waste water from industrial plants is used, with which the soil is then heated in underground pipes. However, only a few companies work with this method."
The Spargelstraße NRW, which points out the asparagus offered by more than 140 farms in North Rhine-Westphalia, expects prices for this year's season to be similar to those of last year.
Baden-Württemberg: Widespread supply expected at Easter
The asparagus season in Baden-Württemberg picked up speed in calendar weeks 12-13. According to the Association of South German Asparagus and Strawberry Growers (VSSE), the earliest asparagus is available in the Heidelberg area, around Karlsruhe and Bruchsal, but also in southern Baden in the Freiburg area. "The quantities are still relatively modest," says Jörg Schreiber from the Spargel- und Beerenhof in Waghäusel (district of Karlsruhe). "I expect the normal harvest quantity by next week at the latest, so we will definitely be well supplied at Easter." According to Schreiber, he grows asparagus on 40 hectares. Schreiber points to a wide range of varieties – from 8 euros a kilo for soup asparagus to 20 euros for the best quality asparagus. The farm sale is scheduled to start over the weekend.
Producers in the Ortenau region expect the asparagus season to start at the beginning of April. The soils in northern Baden tend to be ready a little earlier. When the harvest begins, experts estimate that a kilo will cost around 20 euros. How prices develop from then on depends on the weather. According to the State's Statistical Office, in 2020 there were 13 farms in the Ortenau region that grew asparagus on a total of 46 hectares.
Saarland: Wet soil delays start of harvest
The first local products are expected to be harvested as early as this week or next. This has Katharina Bernauer from the strawberry and asparagus farm in Heusweiler told the SR upon request. Preparations are already in full swing. According to Bernauer, the Saarland can often only start harvesting a little later than other federal states, where it is warmer on average. In addition, the comparatively rainy winter also influences the asparagus harvest. "The soil is still very wet and is therefore warming up slowly. However, asparagus needs a temperature of twelve degrees at the root to grow," explains Bernauer. But the spring-like, warm, and mostly dry days of the past few weeks have done the asparagus good. "If the weather stays as glorious as it is now, things will pick up quickly," Bernauer assures.
Hesse: "Great season" in the starting blocks
"We are in the starting blocks for a great season," Chantal Wendel, the new chairwoman of the South Hessen Asparagus Working Group, told the German Press Agency. "We are continuously facing cost increases," Wendel says. This means that workflows have to be redefined and redesigned. "We producers are not changing anything." But they will manage. The staff shortage in direct marketing is the same for everyone. "We will start at around 15 euros, give or take," Wendel says about the price per kilo. "However, there is something for every budget." She says that so-called broken local asparagus can be found for less than 6 euros.
Brandenburg: Large-scale sales starting at the beginning of April
The first spears of the popular vegetable went on sale in Brandenburg at the end of week 12. In the asparagus-growing region of Beelitz, asparagus sales began on Saturday with smaller quantities. "We are talking about a few hundred kilograms," said the chairman of the Beelitz Asparagus Association, Jürgen Jakobs. By way of comparison, his farms alone produce 10,000 to 15,000 kilograms daily during the season. According to Jakobs, the reason for this is the slight drop in temperatures. The price per kilo for early asparagus is around 15 to 18 euros, according to Jakobs. Large-scale sales with street stands will begin at the beginning of April. The price per kilo will initially be between 15 and 18 euros, which is roughly the same as last year, explained the Beelitz producer.
Lower Saxony: Lüneburg asparagus from the second week of April
The first spears will soon be harvested on the Lüneburg Heath as well. "If it gets too warm and too much asparagus comes onto the market, then the price will, of course, drop quickly, although it should actually be kept up because otherwise you can no longer pay the wages," says producer Susanne Burmester. Last year, her average asparagus price was €12.90 per kilo. The marketing of the asparagus follows a certain rhythm. "At the beginning of the season, there is not much asparagus here yet – then the first one from the south comes here and is marketed," explains Burmester. Only a little later are the local spears sold. The farmer will probably be able to offer her own produce around April 11.
Lower Austria: Success with organic asparagus
Matthias Ölzant and Kerstin Müller from the district of Gmünd are the only ones in the region to successfully grow organic asparagus. The asparagus was planted last year in May, and Matthias also completed his certification as a strawberry and asparagus specialist in Germany (similar to the skilled worker in Austria). "This year, we have an area of half a hectare, and next year, we plan to expand to one and a half hectares. The harvest begins around the end of April and will take about a month and a half," say Matthias and Kerstin.
Switzerland: Harvest starts with small quantities
Thanks to warm spring days, the first Rafzerfeld asparagus will soon be available. Green and white asparagus are grown on a total of 22 hectares in the Rafzerfeld. Around 70 employees harvest the asparagus with special care. "The first harvest quantities are still very small," says the producer of Jucker Farm. "We expect to be able to offer the first, very few asparagus in the farm shop over the weekend."