Every year, it’s a special day when our tomatoes move into the plastic tunnel. For me, it marks the beginning of summer.
The varieties are selected with great care, always with the primary focus on flavor, not yield. Our single-variety plants are grown by Jungpflanzenhof Mogg from their own seeds—this year there are about 10 different varieties.
Since the “Ice Saints” in Austria are becoming milder every year, we’re able to plant our tomatoes a little earlier each year. We make sure to provide a particularly healthy, nitrogen-rich soil for the heavy-feeding tomato plants. Thanks to our stale bread compost, sheep’s wool pellets, and rock dust, we can give the plants the perfect energy boost for rapid growth.
Just one week after planting, we begin to prune and train the plants weekly. By limiting the tomato plants to just two shoots, the plant can better focus on flowering and fruit production and rewards us with the maximum number of fruits.
Now all we have to do is wait… until the end of July, when we’ll be able to enjoy the first sun-warmed tomatoes and deliver them to our two after-work restaurants.
