Tyrol’s largest vegetable garden. In Thaur
Visible from afar, Thaur lies nestled amongst vegetable fields and has always benefited from its south-facing location and the mighty Nordkette mountain range behind it. A place that embodies traditional customs and is synonymous with relaxation and hospitality in every season.
For centuries, the locals have made intensive agricultural use of this climatically favourable location, and it is no coincidence that it is known as “Tyrol’s largest vegetable garden”. After all, 60 per cent of all radishes grown in Austria and many other vegetable varieties come from this “North Tyrolean Vegetable Region of Delight”. The harvest is celebrated at the annual Radish Festival in Hall with music, local delicacies and, of course, radishes. Many millions of these crisp little tubers are bundled up here every year. The farmers’ market and the stalls at the Thaurer Bauernladen provide food and drink, as do the Austrian diet chefs, who prepare original dishes using radishes. Music, Schuhplatteln dancing, a prize draw and a children’s programme make up the supporting programme. The focus, of course, is on the fresh radishes, which are available to sample in abundance.
Star product: radishes
Crisp, tangy and bright red, they are the first sign of spring from local cultivation! Alongside lettuce, radishes are the most important crop in Tyrol in terms of area (approx. 160–200 ha of annual cultivation area). With a yield of around 100 radishes per square metre, this amounts to the incredible figure of around 200 million radishes or 20 million bunches. All radishes are pulled from the ground by hand, inspected and bundled. They are the little siblings of the black radish and belong to the cruciferous family – they are therefore related to cauliflower and cabbage. The scientific name ‘Raphanus sativus’ is derived from the Latin word ‘radix’ = root; ‘sativus’ means ‘sown’, ‘planted’ or ‘cultivated’.
Crisp or fibrous? If radishes grow evenly, are always supplied with sufficient water and are harvested in good time, the roots become firm and crisp. ‘Fuzzy’ or ‘woody’ radishes are usually the result of heat and drought.
The home of Tyrolean radishes has been awarded the ‘Genuss Region Österreich’ label. During the 2006 Radish Festival, the Minister for Agriculture, Josef Pröll, personally presented the award. Requirements for vegetable growing: soil and climate
The inner-Alpine microclimate of the Tyrolean Inn Valley is ideal for vegetable growing. Significant day/night temperature differences encourage the growth of robust and healthy plants. The strong influence of the Föhn wind ensures that the soil and plants dry out quickly.
The vegetable farmers’ fields consist mainly of light gravel or Inn sand soils. The south-facing slopes between Rum and Absam are particularly favourable for the first sowing in spring: like a solar collector, they warm up quickly even under the low spring sun, allowing sowing to begin as early as mid-February. Vegetable growing relies exclusively on the work of family-run farms. An astonishing variety of different produce is grown: alongside the main varieties such as radishes, lettuces, brassicas and carrots, over 60 different items are available, ranging from artichokes to onions.
