Kruudhof starts tomato season: subscription for fresh vegetables!

Kruudhof starts tomato season: subscription for fresh vegetables!

Fresh, colorful and sustainable – these are the first tomatoes from Kruudhof in Delmenhorst, which were delivered last Thursday. As operators of the small but fine organic nursery at Langenwischstrasse 24, Jeremias and Elisa Heinze started this year's harvest two weeks earlier than last year. They are relying on an innovative cultivation strategy that both maintains diversity and focuses on soil-friendly cultivation. Around 40 different types of tomatoes, ranging from spicy to sweet and from red to colorful stripes, delight subscribers who can pick up their vegetable boxes weekly.

The Heinzes attach great importance to sustainable methods when it comes to the quality of their tomatoes. They grow 800 plants from solid seeds and avoid chemical-synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Instead, they rely on environmentally friendly practices such as crop rotation, mulching and green manure to minimize water consumption. The tomato plants are regularly “pruned out”, which not only promotes growth but also ensures a rich harvest.

Insights into agricultural strategies

The principles of sustainable ideals are of great importance throughout the field of organic agriculture. An example of this is the organic market garden on Buchberg, which is run by the Steinbrenner family. Located in the eastern Styrian Alpine foothills, the company works on a leased area of ​​0.6 hectares with, among other things, seed-resistant seeds. This nursery uses innovative growing methods such as no-dig beds to promote a healthy layer of humus, which is particularly important for heat-loving crops. They also offer their products through solidarity farming, which creates a closer relationship between producers and consumers. Sustainable in Graz reports that the market gardening center is surrounded by a biotope that is home to numerous animal and plant species.

The SoLaWi Arable Diversity, founded in May 2022, also shows how community and ecological thinking can go hand in hand. Not only are fresh products cultivated here in solidarity farming, but an orchard is also maintained. Here members are invited to enjoy active participation by helping with the harvest or in community activities. For those who are still unsure, there is a trial offer where you can purchase fresh vegetables for two months without having to commit to a cooperative straight away. Bio Hof Brinkmann emphasizes that social farming not only functions as a business model, but also as a living part of the community.

The benefits for subscribers

For Kruudhof customers, the subscription system is a welcome opportunity to get fresh vegetables directly from the field to the table. For 17 euros you can get an organic vegetable box that is enough for one or two people for a week. If interest is aroused, they can also become active as harvest helpers in the bush bean harvest. So far, around 100 households have taken out a subscription, including two Bremen restaurants that are also enthusiastic about the fresh products from the farm. The weekly pick-up is on Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and there is also “Recipe of the Week” – for anyone looking for cooking inspiration.

Overall, it shows that the region is rich in innovative and sustainable agricultural projects. The neighbors in Delmenhorst and Eastern Styria are exemplary of a movement that not only values ​​quality, but also ecological responsibility.