The strawberry season began under ideal conditions: with plenty of sunshine, cool nights, and little rainfall. The tunnel harvest went smoothly, and the outdoor harvest also went well until the end of calendar week 21. The temperature differences between sunny but moderately warm days and cool nights meant that there were no surpluses, which ensured high price stability. The many hours of sunshine and cool nights also allowed the strawberries to ripen slowly, enabling them to develop their flavors particularly well. The heavy rain last Wednesday has meant that the shelf life of some fruit is limited. This means that strawberries are currently available at favorable prices for making jam or freezing.
"The current warm, humid weather is challenging for the strawberry harvest. However, the weather in the weeks before was ideal for strawberries, which led to good sales of tasty strawberries. So far, we are very satisfied with how the strawberry season has gone. Now we hope that the weather will stabilize again so that the second half of the season will also be successful," explains Simon Schumacher, spokesman for the Association of South German Asparagus and Strawberry Growers (VSSE).
Incredibly optimal, stable strawberry weather during the early season
"In my 30 years of experience in strawberry cultivation, I have never experienced such consistently stable weather. Single-digit temperatures at night, double-digit temperatures during the day, and lots of sun—it's a dream come true compared to last year. The tunnel harvest was quite good. Prices were reasonably stable. Demand is good, and direct marketers are satisfied. Since the start of the outdoor season, the weather has deteriorated. Over the following days, we will have to pick the damaged strawberries to restore the crop to good health. Farms in central and southern Baden now have around a quarter of their strawberry harvest left, if that," explains Christof Steegmüller, strawberry cultivation consultant for southern Germany.
The weather deteriorated at the start of the outdoor season
The heavy rainfall following the long dry spell has caused the ripening fruit to become softer and less durable. As strawberry growers are offering these strawberries at lower prices, now is a good time to buy strawberries for making jam and freezing.
So far, damage from frost and hail has been isolated and local
"It was a very good start to the season. The tunnel season went without incident. Hopefully, the outdoor crops will survive the heavy rain without major damage. There was isolated frost damage in northern Hesse. Picking went so well that there were no overripe strawberries. There were no surpluses, and demand and prices in direct sales were good," Katrin Hetebrügge, strawberry cultivation consultant in Hesse, explains.
Good strawberry season with rather average strawberry yields
"All in all, the strawberry season has gone well so far. The temperature differences between day and night and the many hours of sunshine have ensured very tasty fruit. The strawberries are ripening in stages, so there have been hardly any surpluses so far. There is currently slightly more produce on the market as strawberries are being picked from different cultivation systems. Normal outdoor crops are currently producing strong harvests. Heavy rain and hail have only had a local impact. Until calendar week 21, retail prices were good and slightly higher than at the same time last year. Direct sales are satisfactory. We expect yields in North Rhine-Westphalia to be average," summarizes Steffen Finder, strawberry cultivation consultant from North Rhine-Westphalia.
Northern Germany hopes for a good main and late season
"We had a good early season with very good quality. Strawberry sales were good because the weather was ideal for eating them. So far, we haven't had any severe thunderstorms or hail. We are now in the main harvest and hoping for a good late season," said Tilman Keller, strawberry cultivation consultant for Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.
Domestic strawberries slightly above last year's price level
According to Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft mbH (AMI), demand for German strawberries and buyer reach have been roughly comparable to recent years. As Spain had a cool March and a delayed start to the season, imports from Spain were still on the shelves in the first few weeks of the German strawberry season. It was also noticeable this year that the north enjoyed an early start to the harvest thanks to the sunny and warm spring. Prices for strawberries have been slightly higher than last year, but have already fallen slightly. This week, prices are below last year's level due to special offers in food retail.
Pick-your-own strawberries still a trend
Pick-your-own strawberries remain as popular as ever. Many farms give strawberry fans the opportunity to pick their own strawberries in the fields. The first strawberry growers are now also offering back-friendly pick-your-own strawberries on racks (grown in shoulder-high channels in humus soil) in tunnels. Due to the lower prices and the quantities required, self-picking is particularly suitable for making strawberry jam. Demand was so high this year that fields had to be closed early because they had been picked clean.
Second German Strawberry Day on May 24, 2025
For the second time, Germany's favorite fruit was celebrated on German Strawberry Day on May 24. This year's celebrations included raffles, competitions, special offers, and strawberry prosecco.
Photo credit: VSSE e.V./Christoph Göckel
For more information:
www.vsse.de