We have had a mild winter with a significantly lower cumulative light sum compared to last year and the long-term average. Cumulatively (up to the third week of March), we are about 10% behind 2023 and 5% behind the multi-year average. Locally, light sums are up to 20% lower than in 2023 (e.g., in Friesland and Belgium).

The average outdoor temperature has been higher than last season and higher than the multi-year average since the end of January.

Crop status
In general, we see crops being grown slowly due to limited light. For the snack tomatoes, we are currently observing fruit set numbers of around 80 fruits per square meter per week in growers who are already producing fruits at the end of the row. This is about the maximum achievable with the current light conditions.

In later plantings, we see crops that have more vigor and can utilize more 24-hour temperatures. In crops that are not being generatively controlled enough, we observe an excess of open flowers (more than 3 flowers).

The earlier plantings are now all in the harvesting phase, with fruit weights ranging from just under 10 to just over 13 grams, depending on the variety. The quality is undoubtedly good.

Head distances; at planting, additional and final spacing. 
Generally, planting started with 2.0 – 2.5 heads/m2. For snack tomatoes, this is usually doubled to 4.2 – 4.7 heads per m2. However, we observe that the average final distance continues to decrease; 5 heads per m2 is now only applied in the most modern greenhouses with ample available CO2.