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First asparagus of the year harvested in Swiss fields

First asparagus harvested in Swiss fields
First asparagus harvested in Swiss fields Keystone-SDA

The first Swiss asparagus this year have been harvested. Before Easter, however, there are still not enough for large-scale distributors. Thanks to the beautiful spring weather, the harvest is now picking up speed.

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For the time being, asparagus lovers will have to look around in farm shops or on the vegetable market, the Swiss Vegetable Producers Association said on Monday. Larger harvests are not expected until after Easter. A full harvest and good market supply throughout Switzerland are expected by asparagus producers from Tuesday after Easter.

+ When there’s plenty of work in the fields, but few workers

The growth of the asparagus depends heavily on the temperatures. The shoots only sprout from 8°C and growth starts slowly from around 10°C. From 13°C, the asparagus grow two to three centimetres a day, and at 17°C even up to five centimetres a day.

Last year, 856 tonnes of asparagus were harvested in Switzerland, almost 130 tonnes more than in 2023, including 501 tonnes of white asparagus and 355 tonnes of green asparagus. With a total volume of 10,155 tonnes, domestic production accounted for only 8.4%/*. Last year, 446 hectares were cultivated.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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