One would normally expect gariguette strawberries around the 1st or 2nd March, but they arrived about 10 days early. Jean-Marc Pra, strawberry producer in Cours-de-Monségur, is not surprised. The high temperatures in December are behind this phenomenon. Mr Pra explains that “The strawberry plants began to flower on 15th January. We immediately put in the reared bumblebees for pollinisation. We work with bumblebees because bees need higher temperatures and longer days than bumblebees”.
With 10 beehives per hectare and 50 to 55 bumblebees per hive, pollination was successful and the first fruits appeared. During this period, Mr Pra’s workers went between the rows, placing the stems with fruit onto strips that will support the fruit as it grows and bring them to eye level ensuring an easy harvest (which is why Mr Pra decided to use “hanging gardens” to grow gariguettes). Mr Pra has 5,800m2 of greenhouses set up for strawberry farming.
Mr Pra prefers to refer to his way of farming as “hanging gardens” rather than “above soil farming”, and he pays particular attention to “maintaining our natural resources”. The greenhouses have 2 plastic sheets that when required fill with air in order to save energy and keep the temperatures between 18-20 degrees in the day and 8-10 degrees at night. “I also collect rain water. It is weak and I only add the fertilisers that the strawberries need. They are fed, and the water that is rejected goes through a basin of reeds that in turn clean it”.
The strawberry's three pests, aphids, spiders and thrips are controlled using insects. “We have a real desire to meet consumer demands” ensures the farmer, who probers 30 or so tons of fruit from his 60,000 strawberry plants.
Mr Pra’s strawberries are delivered to the Marmande cooperative, Rougeline.
