Bio-Gärtnerei Watzkendorf
Lamb's Lettuce
At a Glance
Details:
Product:
Lamb's Lettuce
Producer:
Origin:
Documentation scope:
Cradle to gate
Date of documentation:
October 2020
Certification:
Bioland, EU-Bio
Production time: 56-70 days
Seasonality: September to January
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Shelf life: 1 week after production
Production Steps
View process→
Step 2: Plantation & growth
Step 3: Harvest
Step 4: Washing & packaging
Step 5: Transport
Step 1: Young plant production
General Information
Depending on the season and weather conditions Bio-Gärtnerei Watzkendorf plants different varieties of lambs lettuce that have distinct characteristics (immunity against funghi., mildew etc.). Bio-Gärtnerei Watzkendorf produces their own young plants and plants them in their foil tunnels or greenhouse areas
Details
# Workers: 2
Timeframe: 21-28 days
Machines & tools: soil pot production line, transporter, NAPF-boxes
Material input: black turf, lambs lettuce seeds ,gravel, terra aktv mix (green compost, wood fiber, predator mites), water, sunlight,
Locations: Control & production room, germination room, greenhouse young plant area
Waste: excess soil mixture, dirty water
Timeline
Soil pot production
The production of bioland-certified lambs lettuce at Bio-Gärtnerei Watzkendorf starts with creating young plants. First, soil pots consisting of 70% black turf and 30% terra aktiv mix (green compost, wood fiber, predator mites (good against fungus gnat), bio-dynamic compounds) are formed and filled with seeds (5-7 seeds per soil pot depending on their germination ability) by a special production line.
Germination phase
The soil pots are then put into boxes (150 soil pots per box) and stored in the germination room for 5-7 days. The germination room is protected from light and has a constant temperature of 16 degrees – optimal germination conditions. The constant temperature helps the plants to grow evenly over time.
Young plant growth
As soon as the young plants germinate they need light to produce chlorophyll and grow. That is why they are transported to the next section in the greenhouse which is flooded with sunlight. Depending on the season and the weather conditions the young plants stay here and grow for 3-4 weeks. During that time the young plants are checked for diseases regularly and are irrigated as required.
Step 2: Plantation & growth
Plantation
The young plants are transported to the foil tunnel or greenhouse section where the workers of Bio-Gärtnerei Watzkendorf plant the young plants by hand. The young lambs lettuce plants are planted in rows with a distance of 12 cm between the rows and 3.5 cm between each plant. When the distance is too short, the plants compete against each other concerning light, water and nutrients. Furthermore, the plants need air circulation to dry after being irrigated to reduce the risk of mold or plant diseases.
Growth
Depending on the weather conditions the young lambs lettuce needs to grow 4-8 weeks until it is ready to be harvested. During the growing phase the plants are frequently checked for diseases, irrigated, ventilated and if needed fertilised (Vinasse - remnant from sugar beet harvest).
Details
# Workers: 4-6
Timeframe: 28-56 days
Machines & tools: irrigation system, ventilation system
Material input: Fuel (Transport), electricity (facilities, irrigation system, ventilation), liquid fertilizer, plant fortifier, soil (analysis), sunlight, water
Locations: Foil tunnel / Greenhouse plantation area (1-6)
Timeline
Transport der Jungpflanzen zu dem jeweiligen Folientunnel / Gewächshausabteil
Plantation
The young plants are planted by hand in rows with a distance of 12 cm between the rows and 3.5 cm between each plant.
Growth
The plants grow here 4-8 weeks before they are harvested. In the meantime they are frequently irrigated, checked for diseases, ventilated and fertilized if needed.
Step 3: Harvest
General Information
As soon as the salad has reached the right size the workers can start the harvest. Bio-Gärtnerei Watzkendorf mainly delivers their products to wholesalers and retailers. Therefore, the harvest is organised according to daily orders to keep the salad as fresh as possible. When harvesting the salad, the workers sort out damaged plants or leafs and leave them on the ground – e.g. yellow germ layers. A worker can harvest 5-20 kg lambs lettuce depending on weather conditions and the condition of the salad.
Details
# Workers: 4-10+
Timeframe: 1-2 days
Machines & tools: Knife, NAPF-boxes, transporter, scale
Material input: Fuel (Transport)
Locations: Foil tunnel / Greenhouse plantation area (1-6), Distribution & packaging facility
Waste: Damaged lambs lettuce
Timeline
Harvest
During the harvest workers or out damaged leafs and leave them on the ground. After the harvest the damaged salad and its nutrients are incorporated in the soil again.
Temporary storage
The harvested salad is stored in 1 kg NAPF-boxes.
Transport to washing and distribution hall
Step 4: Washing & packaging
General Information
Directly after the harvest the salad is washed in the distribution hall. The 1 kg boxes are washed in a tub filled with fresh water. When the salad has dried it is packaged in 100 g. PET-containers or in 1 kg boxes. The salad is packed onto an europallet and temporarily stored (cooled) until it is collected by the transporter of Bio-Gärtnerei Watzkendorf.
Details
# Workers: 4-10+
Timeframe: 1-2 days
Machines & tools: steel tub, scale, printer
Material input: Electricity (facilities, scale), labels, PET-containers, plastic foil, water
Locations: Distribution & packaging facility
Waste: dirty water, excess packaging material or labels
Timeline
Washing
The salad is washed in fresh water and left in the boxes on the ground to dry.
Packaging
Then the salad is packaged in 100 g. PET-boxes or 1 kg NAPF-boxes and loaded onto an europallet.
Temporary storage
The europallet is stored temporarily until it is loaded onto the transporter.
Step 5: Transport
General Information
The salad is stored max. one day before it is loaded onto the transport vehicle and transported to wholesalers (Terra Naturkost) or regional supermarkets (Alnatura, Bio Company, etc.).
Details
# Workers: 1-2
Timeframe: < 1 day
Machines & tools: Transport vehicle, manual lifting cart
Material input: Electricity (transporter & facilities), fuel (transporter)
Locations: Distribution & packaging facility, destinations of transport (Alnatura, Bio Company, Terra Naturkost)
