Soft fruit growers from The Summerfruit Company, Redbridge Worldfresh's specialist soft fruit supply company, recently enjoyed an informative tour around Gaskains Ltd, near Maidstone, Kent.

Host Charles Gaskain showed the visiting growers his current crops of Elsanta and Elsinore strawberries, cultivated in the ground and by the tabletop method, as well as Tulameen raspberries. Visitors also got a chance to see the latest results from the Redeva trials, Redbridge's breeding and development programme for soft fruit, which celebrates its 3rd birthday this autumn.

Selections have been made by Redeva experts of plants chosen specifically for UK growing conditions, soil, climate and cultivation methods. The trial plants are being grown in tabletop polytunnels in Kent for further evaluation, before being released commercially. Trials of the same selections are also ongoing in Redeva sites in Hull
and Scotland.

The Summerfruit Company growers were also treated to a blind taste test, evaluating the Redeva selections under trial against current market leaders and new releases from other breeding programmes.

Early indications from this year's trials are looking good. Selections are yielding heavily, producing sweet, tasty, good-coloured fruits, which performed extremely well in the blind taste tests.

Summerfruit Company growers will also have an opportunity to see hydroponic strawberry growing under glass at a visit to Pole House Nursery on 18th October 2005. Pole House’s owner, Peter Wensak, was the strawberry grower featured on Sainsbury’s recent television adverts. Contact James Carew on 07768 335641 for details of the walk.

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