Strawberry, celery growers in Laiwu district enter busy season

A Donglonggu villager shows off his celery crop. [Photo by Wang Xinyu for chinadaily.com.cn]

Fruit and vegetable growers in Laiwu district, Jinan, capital of Shandong province, have entered their busiest season of the year.

Despite the cold weather, spring is in the air of the organic strawberry farm in Cuiliangpo village, with fresh strawberries lying between verdant vines, exuding refreshing aromas.

Zhang Rongjuan, head of a strawberry farm, explained that their strawberries are pollinated by bees and the fruits will be available on the market from now until May. His farm is planted with 16,000 strawberry seedlings, which can generate revenue of nearly 200,000 yuan ($28,000) per year.

A 30 mu (2 hectares) celery planting base in Donglonggu village houses about 50 celery ponds. The celery, a local species featuring solid stalks, is fertilized with farmyard manure and watered with natural spring water from the Longgu River. Compared with other varieties, Donglonggu celery features a longer growth cycle, a sweeter taste, and no dregs.

Following the recent New Year holiday, approximately 5,000 kilograms of the village's celery has already started hitting the market. (Edited by Gong Jun)