Asparagus harvesting is only just getting back on track after a recent cold snap threw a spanner in the works.
Asparagus picking usually starts in mid-September and runs through until Christmas.
Asparagus Council chair Geoff Lewis says the harvest initially appeared to be running two weeks earlier than normal, with some picking already having started, but the weather then made a turn for the worse.
"We got quite a cold snap ... it took us about 10 days to recover from that," Mr Lewis says.
He also manages Tendertips Asparagus in the Horowhenua and says it lost about 20 tonnes of this year's crop.
"We're harvesting daily now. The first promotions of the season from some of the supermarket chains are coming underway next week. The quality we're harvesting now is very good - it's beautiful".
