The lettuce harvest began last week in Romagna (Italy) at the Fellini Patrizio farm. Thanks to the newly built greenhouses, it was possible to anticipate the start of traditional open-field cultivation. We interviewed Sales Manager Andrea Pignato.
Andrea Pignato in the lettuce greenhouses
"Before Easter, we harvested our lettuces in greenhouses. It was the first real harvest for us after the tests carried out in autumn. At the moment, we have 2 hectares of greenhouses, and we are very satisfied with the results. The product has grown well and evenly. Thanks to these greenhouses, we are extending the period of availability of our own lettuces."
Agretti (monk's beard) in greenhouses
Lettuces grown in the open field will be available soon on Farm 67, also owned by Fellini. This is a production that, in a matter of minutes, goes from the field to the processing plant and, in a few hours, to the supermarket counters.
Lettuce in open fields
"We also grow monk's beard in the greenhouse. Greenhouse cultivation allows us to offer quality products at a time of strong demand, namely the Easter period. I think from now on, we will grow monk's beard only in greenhouses."
There is no lack of experimentation at Fellini Patrizio, which planted the fennel very early this year to have crops as early as mid-April. "The trial went very well. The quality is excellent. It encourages us to roll out production on a large-scale next year. Here in northern Italy, we harvested the first fennel as early as April 12."
The entire Fellini team will be present at Macfrut (stand 113, pavilion B1) to share details of the entire range of vegetables with customers, as well as to present novelties, including the jujube fruit spread (see agf.co.uk 16/03/2023).