Cultivation
About our farm
Aside from the potato trading company Galathea BV the Van Nieuwenhuijzen family has their own arable farm: Willemshof. On 180 hectares other crops are grown along with potatoes, for the best possible crop rotation. All work is carried out in co-operation with fellow-growers. The farm features a 3.000 tonne potato storage that was built in 2015. By implementing the most modern storage technologies the quality is warranted almost year round. All our potatoes are certified. This can be either the Food Safety Arable farms (VVAK) or GlobalGAP. Click here to see our certificates.
Watch how our potatoes grow.


From planting to harvest
The potatoes are planted in March and April, as soon as the clay soil has sufficiently dried out. Ideally we have had some frosts during the winter months to improve the soil structure. In a single pass the land is prepared, planted, fertilised and a tuber protection product applied. Finally the potato ridge is formed. During the growing season the crop is regularly fertilised and protected against diseases such as potato blight. Because fresh water is readily available irrigation can take place when required. Aside from a stress-free growth it improves the tuber quality because of an undisturbed growth. In September and October the potatoes are harvested and stored.
From planting to harvest
The potatoes are planted in March and April, as soon as the clay soil has sufficiently dried out. Ideally we have had some frosts during the winter months to improve the soil structure. In a single pass the land is prepared, planted, fertilised and a tuber protection product applied. Finally the potato ridge is formed. During the growing season the crop is regularly fertilised and protected against diseases such as potato blight. Because fresh water is readily available irrigation can take place when required. Aside from a stress-free growth it improves the tuber quality because of an undisturbed growth. In September and October the potatoes are harvested and stored.

Precision agriculture
During the growing season we use precision agriculture wherever possible to guarantee the lowest possible footprint and work in a highly efficient way. The planting distance of the tubers is variable and based on the soil type. Fertilising takes place based on actual soil and plant samples. Crop samples are taken on a weekly basis to follow the growth and apply the right amount of crop protection chemicals. There is no longer over dosing of chemicals. By registering the yield this data can be used to learn more about the field and the following crop. Winter wheat is sown after potatoes to give the land time to recover.
