| Information sheets | | | Elsenburg infopaks | | | Crops, vegetables: 1 |
Consider carefully before you produce vegetables
Afrikaans | Xhosa
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Consider carefully before you plant those vegetables!
You may well say that you have already decided what you are going to sow or plant. You have prepared your soil, you have applied fertiliser or manure, you have irrigated the land and you have a sound knowledge of pests and insects. |
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Say you have decided to begin with pumpkins. Everything goes right until harvest time. You stand in the land and you expect a yield of 80 t per ha. What do you do now?
Easy, you may say. Unload the produce at the market and receive a well-deserved cheque. However, this is often where the problems begin. |
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Who is my market? Where and how far away is that market? Can I be sure that the market will not be glutted with pumpkins at this time? What kind of pumpkin does the buyer prefer and in what
form - whole pumpkin, half a pumpkin, or in slices? Must the pumpkins be large or small? Those of you who have stood at the market door with your harvest on your lorry or pick-up will know all the questions.
Back, therefore, to my remark: Consider carefully before you plant those vegetables. |
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A good point of departure is to know the market. When are pumpkins at their scarcest? That will to a great extent determine their price. Will I be able to supply the market with pumpkins at that particular time? What kind of pumpkin is preferred on the market? Can I obtain that specific seed from a reliable seed dealer at the right time?
And more - do I have any previous experience of the cultivation of that particular pumpkin cultivar? Exactly when must I plant, how long is the growing season, how many pumpkins are borne by a plant? Can the pumpkins of that cultivar be stored, and how large does it grow in my area? Questions and still more questions and no answers, you may say, However, that is exactly what I had in mind when I said CONSIDER CAREFULLY! I must put my brains to work before I put my hands to work. Together, the two can contribute to my success as vegetable farmer and, of course, to the profit I can put into my pocket at the end of the day. |
CL van Rooyen
ELSENBURG / CALEDON Extension
