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Numerous consumer and customer seem frequently puzzled at how this ominous phrase relates to the growing of asparagus and other produce. Integrated crop production means as follows:
Production of plants while observing ecological and economic needs. All methods for growing plants and conducting agriculture are to be appropriate to the habitat. All production processes need to be coordinated with each other to ensure an optimum effect.

Only this guarantees the protection of biodiversity. Through the environmentally sustainable and habitat-appropriate method and by accepting additional amount of work involved, we recommend that you strive for a higher standard of quality of the crops and take advantage of the lower demand for operating resources. Integrated farming guarantees a high level of interior and exterior quality of the harvested products, while at the same time saving the natural conditions of agriculture, such as soil, water and environment.

We aim at producing healthy vegetables and save the environment to allow for a sustainable production and excellent quality of the crops. The operating managers commit themselves to a comprehensive documentation of their production that can be checked by neutral instances. There is an obligation for documenting the planting, fertilizing and plant protection processes.
Fertilizers are given according to the deprivation of the soil, which are determined in regular intervals by taking samples of the soil. There is only a supplementary fertilization in the amount to which the plant has been deprived of within a growing season. The sampling of the soil needs to be conducted on a regular and annual basis.

Plant protection is always in accordance with the threshold values. It should be noted at this point that plant protection methods are hardly applied to the cultivation of asparagus and if so, then limited to the harvesting period.

The asparagus, which is rapidly growing during this time, needs to be kept green to enable it to regenerate and gain new strength for the season to come. The control of wild herbs in asparagus fields is increasingly done mechanically.

Every farmer is required to permanently further their education. All measures as described here are regularly monitored by an independent control system and the supplier is awarded a certificate for successful participation.

Since 1992, Walbeck (Germany) has practiced the controlled and integrated cultivation of asparagus. All members of the Walbeck Asparagus Association have committed themselves to comply with these standards of production. The implementation of this system among the asparagus growers on Walbeck has tremendously improved the production of this crop and has also yielded great results as to the quality of the plant.