Gerard Kenens looks back on the organic hard fruit season with satisfaction. Despite a challenging growing season that resulted in lower volumes, sales went well, the organic grower says. "Sales went reasonably smoothly. Auction-wide, prices were good. I think we were sold out around February or March, and the last organic apples were sold at BelOrta about a fortnight ago," says Gerard of VerKen Bio Deli-Vers.
The Piqa Red pears
For several years now, the farm's final apple variety of the season in Flemish Loksbergen has been the Natyra, considered a promising variety in the organic sector. "Normally, it's marketed after the Jonagold, but this year we saw the Natyra being sold quite early too. There were fewer Jonagolds and slightly higher volumes of Natyra, so we decided to market them simultaneously. The aim isn't to have them compete on the shelves, but a good apple should be able to sell itself. You have to sell it on time. If there are customers, there's no sense in waiting until the quality declines. I think it went well this year."
First Piqa Red harvest
So now the focus shifts to the upcoming season. "The fruits are set, so we are fully preparing for the new season," he says. Has the drought caused any concerns so far? "It hasn't been too bad. We have water available in most areas, so the drought hasn't troubled us much. However, we did see a significant fruit drop in the Conference and Jonagold. The weather was generally fine, but the dry northeasterly wind caused some problems. As a result, not enough moisture reached the flowers, which led to the fruit drop."
"Volumes will likely be slightly below normal again this year. A bit similar to last year, but it's still too early to say anything definitive. What we are looking forward to with confidence is the first harvest of the Piqa Red, formerly known as PiqaBoo. The first trees we grafted are producing well. Some of the saplings also have fruit, so we're heading into our first full crop. We're excited about that."
From Jonagold to GoodnessMe
These kinds of resistant, less scab-sensitive varieties are becoming increasingly important for the organic farm. "It's simply getting more and more challenging, so we do have to focus on resistant varieties in organic cultivation. Besides Piqa Red, this also includes Qtee pears, for example, and for apples, the new GoodnessMe variety. We planted it this spring, and it's already growing well. Some apples are already hanging on the trees, but we won't see a real harvest until next year. Eventually, the plan is to replace most of the Jonagold trees with GoodnessMe."
So, when will the new season start again? "I expect we'll have another early season. Right now, we're at the same point we were last year in terms of development. Back then, we picked the first Qtee at the end of July. Normally, we start around 15 August, but I think next summer we'll be back to the end of July or beginning of August. The season progressed quickly because of the good weather during flowering."
The new GoodnessMe planting
For more information:
Gerard Kenens
VerKen Bio Deli-Vers
Zilveren-Helmenstraat 74
3545 Loksbergen, Belgium
Tel: +32 474199809
https://www.facebook.com/fruitbedrijfVerKenBioDeliVers/