Everything grows and thrives on the sunny field in Andechs

Created: 06/16/2022, 14:19

By: Petra Straub

Judith Birken (left) and Jana Schmaderer are involved in the solidarity community "Starnberger Land" for the sunny fields.

On the day of the open garden door, they informed interested hobby gardeners in Andechs directly on the field.

© Petra Straub

District/Andechs – The first small courgettes are sticking out from under the leaves.

The heads of lettuce are already forming a solid core and the bright red radishes are waiting to be harvested.

On Sunday, as part of the "Garden Open Day" event, there was an opportunity to take a look at local gardens in the Starnberg district and be inspired by the design and planting ideas.

Hobby gardeners and those who would like to become gardeners also took advantage of the opportunity to obtain expert information on the sunny field of the solidarity community "Starnberger Land" in Andechs.

Judith Birken from Frieding am Andechser Sonnenacker has set up a small table under a shady tree on the regional cultural hiking trail in Andechs.

Information material about flowering meadows and sunny fields can be found there, as well as recipes with all the types of vegetables that grow on the sunny fields.

The expectant mother of a third child loves gardening.

She is now passing on to her children what she learned from her mother Jana Schmaderer, who, like her, is very committed to helping out with the “Starnberger Land” sun fields.

“Especially the older ones have a lot of fun in the vegetable garden.

It is something special for them to harvest a lettuce in the garden.” This is how children learn where the food comes from.

Nine sunny fields in the district of Starnberg and a total of 400 hobby gardeners

There are a total of nine sunny fields in the district of Starnberg, explains Judith Birken while walking through the Andechs complex, where hobby gardeners have been growing vegetables for two years.

Before that, the Sonnenacker was in a different place in the village, which was not optimal due to its location and humidity.

With the move to the outskirts at the level of the Peace Chapel, the interest of the local residents has increased.

This year there are 24 tenants cultivating the field.

They usually get on with half a strand (a so-called bifang), explains Jana Schmaderer.

That is about 40 square meters of cultivation area.

The largest sunny field in the district of Starnberg is in Krailling.

There are around 130 users there.

And since not all towns and villages in the district have Sonnenäcker, there are always a few hobby gardeners from the surrounding area who are active on the existing fields.

For example, garden fans from Tutzing and Starnberg also garden in Andechs.

However, they form a minority.

And that's just as well.

For ecological reasons, the solidarity community is not only pursuing the goal of gardening as naturally as possible with the sunny fields, but also of cultivating soil as close to home as possible.

Everything sprout on the Sonnenacker in Andechs.

Beans, zucchini, potatoes and lots of herbs.

© Petra Straub

"A lot of things grow better here than in the garden," explains Judith Birken.

That has to do with the soil conditions, her mother adds.

The earth were piled up by farmers.

Additional advantage: "The sun shines on it all day long," says Jana Schmaderer.

This also allows the air to circulate well.

Pests don't like that.

In contrast to the local vegetable garden, there are also fewer snails on the sunny fields, "because they don't find any shelter there," explains Schmaderer.

Gardening without water - and without snails

Anyone looking for a water source at the Sonnenacker will not find one.

"That usually unsettles the tenants at first," Judith Birken knows from experience.

But you can do without it, she says.

As a rule, the dew provides sufficient moisture for the plants.

And if it is very hot and you have just planted, you can "give a little help" by bringing water with you.

If you let your eyes wander over the oversized vegetable patch on the outskirts of Andechs, you really want to dig in the ground yourself and then watch the plants grow.

Numerous cyclists and pedestrians stop along the hiking trail on Sunday and take a look at the sprouting plants, the healthy potato plants and spring onions, the beans on the trellis, and the corn and sunflower plants.

Try out in the Sonnenacker whether gardening suits you

Like Jana Schmaderer, many Sonnenacker gardeners also have vegetable beds in their own garden.

However, some also use the field to try out how much work such a garden is and whether it is worth creating a garden at home.

"It's learning by doing" is what some non-profit organizations in Andechs also rely on when they order a Bifang.

The workshops for the disabled in Machtlfing, for example.

Last year, the Andechs kindergarten was also there.

The fact that so many citizens are interested in gardening is also shown by the number of tenants of sunny fields in the district of Starnberg.

There are around 400 this season.

They pay 33 euros for half a Bifang.

There are nine sunny fields in the district of Starnberg.

The interest in the cultivated areas there is great.

© Petra Straub

There is currently relatively little to do on the Sonnenacker.

Jana Schmaderer loosens the soil a bit and searches her potato plants for Colorado potato beetles.

But no eggs can be seen on the underside of the leaves.

Thanks to the heat and humidity, they have already grown well.