On a recent sunny Sunday, we visited the Tasker Partnership‘s Harwill Farm in North Wheatley, near Retford and were treated to a guided tour around their strawberry and raspberry farm.
If you saw a recent M&S advert in about their strawberry suppliers, then you will have seen this farm featured. The tour took us through the full journey of the berries from planting to picking. We heard about hiring and caring for their workers, in a well equipped static-caravan park on-site, and the on-going work to ensure that the operation is sustainable and friendly to the environment.
The estate has 100 acres of polytunnels growing two varieties of strawberries, along with raspberries which they cultivate on site.
It’s a huge operation which supplies the major high-end supermarkets with about 145 million strawberries every year. (Enough we were told to stretch all the way to New York, if laid end-to-end)
They plant strawberries at a pickable height in plastic “sausages”, filled with coir, which is recycled at the end of the season. They buy in new plants every year to maintain the purity of the variety.
The need to make the spaces between the rows work effectively is very important too. In some parts of the farm they are experimenting with cultivating various habitats to enable insects to control pests.
Stephen Tasker who guided our tour, is the third generation of the family, and is taking great pains to ensure that the farm moves ahead in a sustainable and eco-friendly way. He explained how they are moving away from chemicals for pest control, to strategies involving increasing use of natural preditors to pests, and ensuring that fruit is grown in the most suitable locations throughout the farm.
At the end of the ride around the estate we experienced a very cold few minutes in the chiller area, where the fruit is stored after picking, before being packed and despatched.
Rotary member Chris Toyne examines the fans powering the chilling process
The end rest-stop included a full Strawberry Tea…. Oh and everyone bought lots of the highest quality strawberries. An AWESOME afternoon enjoyed by everyone!
Scroll down for more pictures of the visit.
