It was a bit cold during the spring for the vegetables, but now they look fine, states Heiko Höltje. The vegetable farmer from Wolfenbüttel in the east of Germany has struggled a bit with the copious amount of rain over the past weeks. “This makes the vegetables dirty and the wet and warm weather promotes pest infestations,” states Höltje. His colleague Steffen Maack is satisfied with his arugula, parsley and kohlrabi. These vegetables are being harvested right now and sold by a farmers association. Those vegetables could deal very well with the warm and wet weather. “During the last few days it was quiet with the irrigation, while the rain was sufficient. And when the crops are smaller their water requirements are lower too,” explains Maack. In the next four weeks the carrots, dill and horseradish are harvested on Maack’s farm. And in the winter parsnips, parsley root and black radish will be harvested.
“The season just started, the crops are taken care of and the first vegetables are already harvested,” states Erich Klug, advisor of the Agricultural Chamber Lower Saxony. The distribution of rain was atypical; in some locations the farms are almost flooded while other have to irrigate their crops. “Especially farms on light sandy soil struggled with the drought during the spring,” stated Klug. Therefore it is impossible to issue a general statement for the vegetable cultivation.
All specialists recommend consumers to buy regional products that are in season. It is useful to check a seasonality table before a shopping trip, for instance at www.aid.de. Currently, cauliflower, broccoli, leeks, radishes, rhubarb, asparagus, spinach, and all lettuce are in season. Different varieties of cabbage, potatoes, pumpkins or carrots from Lower Saxony are stored and thus available all year round.
According to the Statistical Office in Lower Saxony 18,279 hectares are used for the open field cultivation of vegetables. The largest surfaces are used for asparagus on 4,643 hectares, strawberries on 3,413 hectares, onions on 2,325 hectares and carrots on 1,632 hectares.