Estonian raspberries thrive as new methods help farms weather changes
Estonian raspberry growers are reporting a strong season this year as farms turn to new growing methods to protect crops from increasingly unpredictable weather.
Recent years of volatile spring and summer weather have pushed growers to experiment with new ways of cultivating raspberries. This summer, those adaptations combined with favorable weather conditions have helped berry farms achieve a strong harvest.
At Tontoli Berry Farm in Põlva County, raspberries are now grown in outdoor pots instead of directly in the ground.
Owner Kardo Tamm said the plants are also set out later in spring, with early-season raspberry plants initially kept in greenhouse-like tunnels to shield them from spring frosts.
The later planting schedule has helped protect their plants from cold.
"This year's raspberry harvest has been good," Tamm said. "We haven't had heavy rains that damage the berries during harvesting, and the cold this spring didn't do too much damage."
At Joosepi Farm in Ahja, the first tunnel-grown raspberries ripened around Midsummer, while outdoor potted raspberry plants are now reaching peak production.
Owner Kaire Roositalu said their harvest is expected to continue through late August.
"We have a lot of raspberries," she said, calling this year's harvest good. She noted that the outdoor crop is only just getting started.
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Editor: Johanna Alvin, Aili Vahtla
