The Swiss pumpkin harvest is exceptionally early this year. "Some of our crops are specifically intended for early harvesting and are grown on organic mulch film and under triple fleece cover. However, it is very unusual that we were able to harvest butternut and Hokkaido pumpkins on the 'regular' plots at the end of July. This means we are about three to four weeks ahead of the normal harvest start," explains Benjamin Keil, farm manager at Switzerland's largest producer, Jucker Farm AG, based in Seegräben (Canton of Zurich).
Farm manager Benjamin Keil
The first deliveries to wholesalers and regular promotions with local pumpkins will not begin until week 35, Keil continues. "The early start to the harvest was not foreseeable in the previous season, as sowing could not begin as planned. However, June was very hot and dry with daytime temperatures around 30 degrees and relatively cool nights. These are ideal growing conditions for edible pumpkins. We have also further optimized our cultivation process and are now applying fruit lime to our crops so that the pumpkins can absorb the sunlight even better. We have also invested in our own irrigation technology this year and can now irrigate about half of our land."
Butternut squash in storage. Due to the above-average harvest, prices are expected to be below last year's level.
Unlike Hokkaido pumpkins, which are mainly listed during the domestic season, butternut squash has developed into a year-round product in recent years. Keil: "We can usually offer produce from our own cultivation until around the end of the year, and have now also received confirmation from retailers that the season will be extended, so that we will be able to supply imported produce from Portugal. In addition, we have invested in appropriate storage technology and have also been able to recruit several producers in other parts of Switzerland for pumpkin cultivation. This has enabled us to expand our cultivation area by almost 20 percent compared to last year."
© Jucker Farm AG
BBQ pumpkin
The signs so far in terms of yield and quality are particularly promising. "We have seen very little pest pressure so far," says the specialist, who grows edible pumpkins on around 60 percent of his land. "The Swiss food retail trade has clear product specifications in terms of product weight, which in practice means that the pumpkins must weigh between 1 and 1.5 kg. Products that do not meet the standard are used in the wholesale market, by processors, and in our own farm restaurant, among other places. Nevertheless, food retailers are also increasingly striving to market the second-grade produce, for example, in the form of halved, seeded products, as part of salad mixes or diced as a ready-to-cook convenience product."
© Jucker Farm AG
Jucker Farm AG primarily produces Hokkaido and butternut pumpkins, followed by Halloween pumpkins later in the season.
Promising start to the melon harvest
Parallel to the pumpkin harvest, the first melons from the company's own cultivation were also harvested in week 29. "We grow sugar and watermelons, and can usually harvest them by the end of August. Our melons are primarily sold to consumers via the Zurich wholesale market and our own farm shop. Based on the results so far, this year's yields and Brix values are outstanding," concludes Keil.
© Jucker Farm AG
Swiss melons
For more information:
Benjamin Keil
Jucker Farm AG
Dorfstrasse 23
CH-8607 Seegräben
Tel: +41 44 934 34 84
[email protected]
www.juckerfarm.ch
