Fruit farm's busy winter preparing for another season of berries and breakthroughs |
But with the days already lengthening, one of Britain’s biggest premium berry growers is spending the winter busily preparing for another bumper season in 2026 - including its ongoing efforts to extend the growing season and introduce cutting-edge new crop technologies.
Place UK's 342-hectare farm in Tunstead, near North Walsham, harvests 1,500 tonnes of strawberries from around 1.5m plants every year on average, alongside raspberries, cherries and blackberries.
Norfolk berry grower Place UK, at Tunstead near North Walsham, is spending a busy winter preparing for the 2026 season (Image: Place UK)
In January, the first stems of its indoor-grown "forced" rhubarb also begin heading off to retail customers.
Dan Yordanov, head of fresh, oversees the whole operation with the support of an experienced farm team.
“You might associate fruit growing with warm, bright months,” he said. “But even in the crisp winter period we don’t stop as a team.
"These weeks are essential to ensure the British produce we grow next season is the very best it can be.”
Dan Yordanov, head of fresh at Place UK, pictured with summer strawberry crops (Image: Denise Bradley)
The Place UK team picked their last strawberries in early November, marking the end of an........