British-grown Tenderstem broccoli has provided a significant proportion of retail sales over the summer months for the first time.
Following limited trials in 2007, this year’s season has seen UK crop being grown across southern England, in areas including Jersey, Kent and Worcestershire. The main season started in June and will run through to October. It is estimated that the successful harvest has seen 20 per cent of the Tenderstem on shelf during the period coming from the domestic crop.
One grower Matt Gedney of Southfleet in Kent, who grows organic Tenderstem broccoli, has seen his acreage dedicated to the crop grow from eight acres in 2005 to 20 acres this year. The Tenderstem broccoli is grown on a raised-bed system, where six- to seven-week-old modules that have been raised in a nursery are planted. The plants spend eight to 10 weeks maturing and are then hand harvested on a daily basis, with five or six harvests forthcoming from each crop. The vegetable is then trimmed and packed on a field rig and first cut until refrigeration takes only one hour.
Andy Macdonald at Coregeo, Tenderstem’s UK marketing arm, said: “British Tenderstem has proven to be extremely popular with consumers during summer 2008 and while it will continue to be grown overseas to ensure year-round supply, it is hoped that the volumes of UK crop will continue to augment year on year.”
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