Lots of colorful vitamins

“Paradise apples” from the Neusiedl district are ripe

Lukas Sattler from Tadten with his cocktail tomatoes. They have been harvested since Holy Week.(Bild: Charlotte Titz)

Everything is early this year, and tomatoes from the Neusiedl am See district are now glowing a beautiful red. This means there are plenty of local vitamins again.

Two different varieties of tomatoes grow on five hectares at Gartenbau Sattler in Tadten.

They have been harvested since Holy Week and are supplied to the country's supermarkets. "The harvest is good, the light conditions were great, especially in January and February," say Walter and Lukas Sattler. The plants were planted in mid-January and are now being harvested until the end of November. The fruits are bright red, smell wonderful and taste aromatic.

Patrick Haider from Perlinger Gemüse in Wallern is also satisfied. The tomatoes, peppers and many other vegetables are ready for sale and delight local vegetable lovers. The open-air season has also begun, and Reiner's Erdbeeren&Gemüse in Frauenkirchen already has a wide variety of radishes, lettuce, carrots and coriander in the farm store. The full range is not yet available, but you can already stock up on local vegetables.

However, the farmers are still feeling the effects of the high gas prices. "We're still buying gas at twice the price it used to be," says Luki Sattler.

Alternative energy for greenhouses too?
The greenhouses in Tadten were built with this in mind. They are actually huge solar systems that are used to generate hot water for the farm. Due to the high costs, the Sattlers are now thinking even more about using alternative energy. "The topics of geothermal energy, heat pumps and photovoltaics are on the table," says Sattler. What makes the most sense for the greenhouses still needs to be evaluated. "But we definitely have to do something," they both say. The tomatoes don't care, they enjoy the warmth and get beautiful red cheeks.