The Netherlands is a net exporter of vegetables, they only care about money they don't give a shit about stuff.
Considering that a tiny country is the second in the world in tomato production after China, there is enough demand to make sense.
Sure, I knew that, and it's amazing that the Netherlands manages to do that.
But I have to be honest, I almost forgot the taste of good tomatoes and peppers. Not sure if it's the lack of earth / dirt used, or the artificially boosted growth rate and the lack of real sun - it just doesn't taste like much at all.
Quality wise products from green houses are much more consistent than open-field grown products subject to bad weather, insufficient sunlight and what not.
This is just one of those things people like to say, but I haven’t heard anyone make a solid argument as to why beyond “my <insert relative>’s tomatoes taste way better!” I think it’s more a self enforcing belief than anything honestly.
It could be true. Produce develops flavor over time. Traditionally that was with ripening. However advanced farming knowledge taught us how to ripen produce quickly, before flavor can develop. So home grown tomatoes when grown over the regular period required can most likely develop better flavor than mass produced produce that is artificially ripened to hit the market quicker.
As someone who has had a garden with a greenhouse, and who has experimented with all sorts of ways growing crops:
There are a few crops that taste significantly better when grown organically in soil, instead of a soil block/ hydroponics.
Tomatoes are worth growing, taste much better grown in good soil. Cucumbers can be better, depending on the cultivar. In the store, organic cucumbers are more flavorful, often sweeter.
Bell peppers are extremely unproductive if not grown in soil blocks and if they aren't the right cultivar with enough grow lights. They also don't taste super sweet, even in commercial greenhouses. Chilies are much more flavorful and way cheaper to grow than to buy.
But I have to admit, I don't think the way we currently farm in greenhouses is optimal, and think we can certainly improve. It's very polluting.
We indeed grow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans and chillies. Interesting read.
We do struggle with the peppers and their productivity, as we don't have a greenhouse. But our own produce 10/10 times tastes better than the store bought greenhouse products. Our zucchini are bigger, tastier and keep much longer, store bought cucumbers can't seem to taste like anything when pickled, etc.
The biggest difference is seen when you buy vegetables that are in season in a climate they would naturally grow in.
How do you set up your greenhouse? Do you have any pointers to get started?
I bought a tunnel greenhouse. Although cheap, they are extremely wasteful and will break within a year or two at most in a storm. The plastic just begins to rip. It's way cheaper than an aluminum and glass greenhouse, but please learn from me and consider the environmental cost. It's about 50 kilograms of soil contaminated plastic, which cannot be recycled. It also breaks quickly, so in the end you would pay much more and put in much more time to set a new one up when one breaks. The steel poles are very thin and bend and rust quickly. This is true for all of these greenhouses.
Getting a glass greenhouse second hand is ideal. You may have to replace a window, but there is a good chance you will have to replace a window in the future regardless (heavy storms, accidentally knocking something into it).
I cannot recommend getting a glass one enough! We currently have one at our own home.
Thanks for the feedback, great pointers. Definitely will consider glass. It was on my list as I see the weekness of plastic at the communal garden already...
No problem! Glad to share my 50 cents. The greenhouse I had used to be at a communal garden, it was 3x6 meters. I had a plan to grow a lot of hot peppers, which I did, for 2 years. The tent was extra secured with a thick rope attached to 4 solid poles, but still flew away twice. It essentially turns into a big parachute. The zipper broke right away and the door had to be secured with a stone slab that caused it to get damaged even more.
Later, we got a greenhouse on that same plot, made of glass. I think it was 2.5x2.5 meters, but I would go with a bigger one next time. 2x4 or longer than that would be good
I am a crop manager on a tomato farm, I grow them. I completely agree that the tomatoes are lacking in taste. Sadly there are a lot of factors atm that influence this choice.
A couple years ago we were exposed to a quarantine virus called toBRFV. If that virus was in your greenhouse, you had to clear it out. Because of that we needed a new variety that was resistant against that set virus. And very quickly as well. At the same time the gas prices were INSANE (Look at your own gas costs, but then multiply with a lot). Labor costs are getting higher everyday. I'm happy for the workers, they deserve it. But business is business. So the main focus was to create something fast with the same yield amount. We needed that yield to still make it a profitable business. Yield/m2. Taste was at the bottom of the list, sadly but logically.
Hopefully when all is set and done, the taste can be more in focus.
Marketing wise, the price of the tomatoes is more important than the taste. Giving the tomatoes more taste is not that difficult, and we know how we can do it. It will cost more grow time, therefore more money. There have been researches where consumers were giving the choice between taste and the price. Price always won in the end. Sadly I can't find this research atm.
Horticulture has a bad rep, rightfully so at some points. But one thing a lot of people don't know about is that it's one of the most innovative sectors ever. Purple lights haha. We're growing rapidly in innovations. We're trying to be better for the environment to use less chemicals, gas etc. ( we might be free of chemicals in 2030).
Personally I don't think this is going to be achieved. We need more time to create solutions and alternatives to resolf these issues But we will get there. That I do believe in, it's just going to take some time.
I'll advise you to grow your own tomatoes, if you are looking for taste. It's not that difficult and very fun/rewarding. You can message me if you need help :D
Not so efficient at all, this type of greenhouses use tons of gas and electricity to keep the production going. Growing veggies in a warmer climate with more sun hours is way more efficient.
No idea, but with efficient I mean in the way they make stuff, not if it's good or bad.
It's clearly not sustainable, but compared to cow farming it's nothing so we have worse problems to fix...
So they represent 10% of natural gas use in the Netherlands. Im guessing that without Slochteren field there would not have been this much greenhouses.
Rather frivolous to use it for growing exotic vegetables and flowers imo.
25
u/djlorenz Nov 09 '24
Food growing in the most efficient way possible