Climate change makes apricot and peach cultivation possible in the north

"Apricots play a huge role in Baden-Württemberg and the Palatinate." Everywhere where wine is grown, apricots and peaches have also been cultivated for decades. Due to climate change, cultivation has shifted further north. However, "it remains a marginal crop," emphasizes the fruit cultivation advisor. Out of 10,000 hectares of fruit cultivation in the Altes Land, 15 hectares are now dedicated to apricots, peaches, and nectarines, reports Claus Schliecker, chairman of the State Fruit Growers' Association of Lower Saxony, who runs a farm in Guderhandviertel in the district of Stade with his wife Sabine. The Altes Land, with around 500 farms between Cuxhaven and Hamburg, is the largest contiguous fruit-growing area in Germany according to the municipality of Jork. "We have seized our opportunity and it is working really well," adds Sabine Schliecker, "although with a roof because of the rain. In southern Germany, it is also possible without." Soft fruits remain a niche - imported ...