"As far as energy costs are concerned, I currently see things moving sideways"
Source: HD.com
"We planted most of our greenhouses with new seedlings in mid-January and were able to harvest the first cherry and cocktail tomatoes in week 13/14, followed by vine tomatoes in week 15/16," reports Thomas Rottner, grower and managing director of the family-run business of the same name. So we don't worry too much about that." © Rottner Gemüsebau eGbR Thomas Rottner is the fourth generation to run the family business and grows fruit and vegetables across three locations on approximately 5 hectares.
With a total of about 3.5 hectares, tomato cultivation accounts for the largest share of greenhouse production. Within the tomato category, vine tomatoes predominate (2 ha), followed by plum and cocktail tomatoes (1 ha) and cherry vine tomatoes (0.5 ha).
"In 2023, we built a new greenhouse with a capacity of approximately 1.5 hectares and have been growing peppers ever since. Cocktail and cherry tomatoes, in particular, are especially lucrative for us growers due to their relatively high margins.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
