Persistently high temperatures have led to a significant delay in the glasshouse spinach harvest. "Due to the heat, we had major problems with pests, which have never been experienced to this extent before. Some of our plants were completely eaten away, which is why we were able to harvest the first set much later. It is only this week that the harvest, as well as the marketing, are really getting going, whereas we normally start the season as early as the end of September," says a statement from the Munich-based Gärtnerei Oellbrunner.
Christine Biedermann markets the produce she grows herself in the gardener's hall at Munich's wholesale market. Her main customers include weekly market traders and specialist stores.
The greenhouse spinach is grown in batches and cut by Christmas, depending on the weather. The leafy vegetables from unheated greenhouse cultivation are much smaller and finer-leafed compared to the domestic or imported outdoor products, she said. "Conventional root spinach grown outdoors is about three times larger and goes mainly to the restaurant trade, while our spinach is particularly well received by specialty retailers. Our product is the size of half a hand, making it an intermediate form between baby and root spinach."
Greenhouse Spinach
The second product mainstay in winter is lamb's lettuce, which is also produced in the greenhouse. "It is sown weekly and, like the greenhouse spinach, is much finer than the field-grown equivalent and also less susceptible to frost. We cut our lamb's lettuce a little shorter, so we don't have too high a yield, which is why the produce is priced a little higher. But in return, you have a fine, unique product."
Clouded mood in the gardener's hall
The Oellbrunner Gärtnerei is one of the long-established direct marketers in the nursery hall of the local wholesale market in Munich. "Across all crops, the additional costs and staffing issues are making themselves felt, which is reflected in a clouded mood," it concludes.
Images: Gärtnerei Oellbrunner
For more information:
Christine Biedermann
Gärtnerei Oellbrunner
Großmarkt München
Tel.: +49 89 3137753
gaertnerei.oellbrunner@gmail.com
www.instagram.com/gaertnerei_oellbrunner/