The first crop of UK cucumbers grown for the festive season will hit retailers shelves this Christmas.
The small harvest is good news for growers trying to find a commercial way of beating the UK weather to produce home-grown cucumbers year-round.
The crop is being grown at Stockbridge Technology Centre, near York and has been funded by the Horticultural Development Council, suppliers and growers. Energy efficient sodium lights are delivering the extra light required for up to 18 hours a day and computerised climatic controls ensure that the plants are grown at optimum conditions.
Marks & Spencer is supporting the initiative and will be selling the cucumbers this Christmas.
The Cucumber Growers' Association is leading the research initiative and hopes the trials prove successful, allowing the UK cucumber season to be extended to include the traditionally closed season between October and February.
Chairman Robert Bezemer said: “This is a four-year project and the work will now focus on how we make growing the crop year-round in this country as energy efficient and cost efficient as possible. This is vital if we are to see growers have the confidence to make the considerable investment required to make this a commercial proposition.”
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