Organic cultivation

Where exotic vegetables grow from Carinthian soil

Anna and Johannes Wedenig feel at home in the countryside.

(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

Environmentally friendly cultivation is the top priority at Anna and Johannes Wedenig's vegetable farm in Klagenfurt!

The Wedenig family's organic vegetable farm is located in the middle of untouched nature. The idyllic spot in Wölfnitz near Klagenfurt can only be reached via a gravel path. Two foil tunnels can be seen as soon as you enter the farm. "This is where we grow our exotic fruits," explains the 38-year-old father.

Physalis, okras, spinach, ginger and various types of tomatoes and lettuce grow there. "We don't have a fixed range, we just try things out," explains the passionate vegetable grower. When it comes to cultivation, he relies heavily on the circular economy. "For example, we use the wool from our sheep as fertilizer for our tomatoes. We rely on permaculture, so we work as naturally as possible."

It's clear that growing vegetables requires hard-working hands. "We also run our plots as a community garden and are happy to let other families work and grow something," says the vegetable farmer couple, who also take on trainees from abroad every year. "This year, we have a dedicated girl from France who is helping out on the farm."

Self-production is a luxury
For Anna and Johannes, it is important to know where the food comes from. "Having good, top-quality food that also tastes much better than that from the supermarket - that's simply a luxury," beam the Wölfnitz couple, for whom producing their own vegetables is a real sense of achievement.