Since mid-February, the Kasehs family's greenhouse in the Vienna gardeners' settlement has been bustling with activity. "We planted in our cucumber greenhouse in week 2 and were able to start the new harvest as planned," says Karl Kasehs Jr., who grows mainly salad cucumbers and some mini cucumbers on approximately two hectares. "Compared to other years, February was extremely low in sunlight: We had only half the amount of sunshine as last year. Overall, however, it wasn't colder, so the yields so far haven't been significantly lower."
© K. Kasehs Qualitätsgemüse GmbH
Both salad and mini cucumbers are currently in high demand, Kasehs continues. "We are enjoying strong demand, which is likely also due to lower supply volumes and quality issues in Spain. Prices are currently slightly above last year's levels and in line with inflation and the ubiquitous cost increases."
© K. Kasehs Qualitätsgemüse GmbHViennese fruit vegetables from the Kasehs family. Outside of the August vacation period, fruit vegetable sales remain quite stable throughout the entire season.
Diversification in cultivation and distribution
The Kasehs farm is one of the oldest in the Vienna gardeners' settlement and has been dedicated to growing quality cucumbers for many years. In 2022, the portfolio was expanded to include eggplants, followed last year by round, loose tomatoes of the Mondicia variety. "We grow the latter crop on about 0.5 hectares and expect to start harvesting around Easter. Unfortunately, pollinating our tomato plants with bumblebees didn't work out quite as we had hoped this year."
Eggplants are now available in several varieties at the Vienna greenhouse. Kasehs: "Our eggplant cultivation covers about 0.6 hectares: in addition to the standard purple eggplant, we also grow striped, white, and—since last year—round eggplants, which are known as imports from Italy." A similar diversification and risk spreading exists at the marketing level, he continues. "We are not affiliated with any cooperative but work with selected marketing partners such as Metro Austria, Gurkerl, Nah&Frisch, and Steirerland Gemüse."
© Gartenbau KasehsA glimpse into cucumber cultivation: During peak periods between May and August, the Kasehs farm employs approximately 30 workers.
PPWR and workforce
Overall, Kasehs looks to the future with considerable confidence, although he also faces the ever-present challenges. "For now, we are quite relaxed about the introduction of the PPWR packaging law. We are already well-prepared with our cucumbers in double packs with paper sleeves, as well as mini cucumbers and tomatoes in paper cups. Furthermore, the labor shortage remains an issue: We have now been able to address this by phasing in workers from Vietnam, ensuring we are covered throughout the entire year," he concludes.
For more information:
Karl Kasehs jun.
K. Kasehs Qualitätsgemüse GmbH
Hörtengasse 21
A-1110 Vienna
Tel: +43 664 916 58 12
[email protected]
https://www.kasehs-gurken.at/
