Peeling bulbs is not always nice for your fingers, but it is important for the flower bulb. Baby bulbs and dirt must be removed to prepare the bulbs for export. This work is often done by Polish workers or young people from the area, which makes it one of the most fun summer jobs there is!

Usually you all sit together on a long conveyor belt and the bulbs, such as tulip bulbs , pass by, after which someone at the end of the belt ensures that the peeled bulbs end up in a box, bag or crate. This is a fun affair all summer long, especially when everyone drinks beer together on Friday to celebrate the end of the week! But of course, we work very hard to be able to deliver all the bulbs on time.

Why do bulbs need to be peeled?

On the bulb are old plant remains and baby bulbs. The baby bulbs have to be removed from the large bulb, because they are too small to sell. They are put back in the ground to continue growing. The old plant remains have to be removed as well, because they are not clean and therefore may not be exported. The diseased bulbs also have to be removed, these can of course no longer be used or sold.

How are bulbs peeled?

After harvesting, the bulbs are peeled, nowadays often with a machine: first the small bulbs are separated from the large bulbs, the small bulbs are too small to sell. These small bulbs are put back in the ground. When the bulbs are separated, they go into a machine that removes loose skins and roots.

When the bulbs leave the peeling machine, they are put on a sorting machine again, where the small bulbs are distinguished from the large bulbs. After this, they roll onto the conveyor belt, where the last bulbs are peeled by hand. The bulbs are sorted by size and dried again. When the bulbs are properly dry, they go over the conveyor belt again for a final check and go through the counting machine, after which they end up in a crate to be shipped.

Who, when, where?

Bulb peeling is mainly done in North Holland, which is known for its vast tulip fields . Bulb peeling is a holiday job: the flowers are sold and the flower bulbs are dug out of the ground at the beginning of the summer, with machines or by hand.