Grow strawberries all year round with control technology
At Featherbed Fruits in Oxfordshire, England, ambitions are sky high. To meet UK consumers’ year-round demand for strawberries, Featherbed Fruits has invested in a brand new climate-controlled plastic greenhouse. The greenhouse has space for 76,800 strawberry plants.
But is it even possible to produce strawberries all year round when you’re located in the UK? And what if you’ve never grown strawberries before? By combining a double layer of heat retaining polyethylene and control technology from DGT by Senmatic, Featherbed Fruits can actually do just that.
Control technology is the secret
With control technology from DGT by Senmatic, including our LCC4 climate control and our AMI Penta fertilizer mixer with full SiiP system, the temperature and humidity in the greenhouse are constantly monitored to ensure optimal growing conditions for strawberry plants all year round.
“The owners of Featherbed had never grown a strawberry before this year. In the first year, they have achieved higher production volumes than even the best growers achieve annually after years of experience. The key is the SiiP system. The SiiP system constantly monitors that all growth conditions are met. Once the set points are entered, the system runs with minimal direct input from the grower,” says Stewart Penny from Penny UK Ltd, the DGT by Senmatics distributor in the UK.
“Featherbed grows amazing strawberries with no heat and minimal labor. This is the future of strawberry production,” says Stewart Penny.
The project was carried out by Penny Technical Wholesale Irrigation – our distributor in the UK.
