Limburg (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Belgian asparagus from greenhouse cultivation is currently starting to appear in shops across the country. Greenhouse farming produces these fresh asparagus while contributing to only 2% of our agricultural field hectares.
Limburg asparagus farmers have pushed up their yearly harvest with innovative methods that include heated fields and plastic air tunnel systems. Greenhouse-grown Belgian asparagus harvested under controlled heating methods with winter sun support already appears in shops and represents 2% of all Belgian asparagus fields. The cultivation methods have pushed open-ground asparagus to reach maturity earlier than expected, but it still requires additional weeks compared to the accelerated growth achieved by these methods.
“We expect the first asparagus around March 20. The sun did not cooperate last month. It was much too cold, too dark and too wet,”
Says asparagus farmer Sooi Bries.
“By heating the fields we can harvest a little earlier and there is also an even spread. We burn wood chips and heat pipes with hot water under the beds, the same as a heater at home. In this way we try to get the top of the plants warm. We must not heat too hot because then the plants will burn.”
“There are two foils over an asparagus bed. There is air between the two foils that warms up during the day thanks to the sun. The heat from the sun goes deep into the ground. It may freeze during the night, but the temperatures in the asparagus beds remain positive. The top foil is a thermal translucent foil that lets the sun through and converts the sunlight into heat. There is black plastic underneath to absorb that heat. If it gets too hot in the summer, we turn the foil from black to white to keep out the sun because otherwise the heads of the asparagus will burn,”
Sooi continues.
What is the history behind Limburg’s early Asparagus harvest?
The asparagus farming industry in Limburg, Belgium, depends on positive weather conditions because its crops require warm sunlight to thrive in dry, sandy conditions. The traditional cultivation methods struggle with unfavourable weather patterns, such as the recent combination of cold weather with darkness and wetness. The Limburg farming region employs heated fields alongside plastic air tunnels for improved plant cultivation. The methods provide controlled temperature management which enables growers to maintain optimal growing conditions.
Greenhouse-grown asparagus makes up 2% of Belgium’s total asparagus fields, and new harvests are already available for purchase in shops. Open-ground asparagus needs additional weeks beyond traditional maturity times. The Bries-Tijskens family from Peer implements hot water pipe systems together with wood chips to heat their agricultural land while trying to bring in their harvest on or before March 20.
