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Rows of a vegetable garden with leafy greens growing. Some rows are covered with white mesh netting for protection, while others are uncovered. The garden is bordered by a wooden fence on the right.
Garden | December 22, 2025 12:29

November & December in the Feierabend Garden

Garden Update from our Head Gardener, Saskia Detz.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been able to prepare the first garden beds for winter. This means that we harvested the summer/fall crops from the open field, filled the bed with fresh compost made from stale bread without tilling the soil, and covered it with plastic sheeting. This method keeps the beds under the plastic dry and warm. This allows soil organisms to break down crop residues under the compost layer over the winter and convert them into the finest humus. We can then cover the garden beds in early spring and start working on them right away.

Hibernation is slowly setting in

The days are getting cooler and shorter, but the lower temperatures make the vegetables more flavorful. Cold temperatures cause vegetables to store more sugar as a defense against frost, which is why carrots, radishes, and other vegetables are significantly sweeter and more pleasant-tasting.

To ensure we can harvest fresh greens for our two restaurants even during the winter, we have been continuously planting and sowing winter crops in our plastic tunnels and in open fields since the end of September. From a variety of salads, radishes, and herbs to specialties such as rosette tatsoi, butterhead lettuce, and young fall turnips, which are ready for harvest by Christmas.

A greenhouse with rows of green leafy plants growing in the soil, a few dried brown plants on the left side, potted plants on the right side, and a yellow hose running along the floor on the right side.
Rectangular raised beds with irrigation pipes, lined up in a grassy courtyard. In some flower beds, there is soil with small green plants or weeds, and in the background, you can see a wooden fence and an old brick wall.
A vegetable garden with green plants growing in rows, some of which are covered with white netting and plastic sheeting; a wooden fence runs along the back of the garden.
Two long garden beds covered with white wire mesh to protect the plants from the cold. The flower beds are located in a grassy garden area with bare trees and a metal fence in the background on a foggy day.
A close-up of fresh, green cabbage leaves with visible veins and water droplets on the surface, creating a textured and vibrant pattern.
A greenhouse with rows of ground beds, some of which have small green plants sprouting from them. Irrigation pipes run along the sides, and the area is partially planted. The room appears to be set up for farming or gardening.