Making no-till beds

No-till vegetable production is not practical for everyone and is more suited to the small-scale organic farmer.

Many types of organisms affect the quality and health of our soil.

Of all soil organisms, earthworms can be by far the largest component by weight. Their benefits are generally insufficiently appreciated by farmers.

Each group of organisms living in the soil has a different function and these organisims’ interaction with one another should create a balance that benefits

Healthy ‘living’ soil can contain up to 15t/ha of bacteria, actinomycetes, protozoa, algae, fungi, nematodes, earthworms and arthropods.

Chemical fertilisers came into their own after the Second World War. They were convenient to use and food production became much easier, relatively speaking.

If this is not the case, you can convert the amount yourself. To better illustrate the process, let’s look at an actual analysis of a soil sample from one of my

Many growers fail to recognise the disease as powdery mildew on peppers and tomatoes as the signs are different to other powdery mildew species

The cyst nematode (eelworm) get its name from the hardened cyst that it forms to protect its eggs.

Of the pests that damage beans, perhaps the best known is the bollworm.

The most well-known fungal disease in beans is rust (Uromyces phaseoli). But it has become less of a problem due mainly to the emergence of resistant bean

Bacterial diseases are a menace to all crops, because unlike the case with fungal diseases, we have few means of controlling them.

Given the high cost of labour, using chemicals is the only realistic option for weed control in most crops.

Harvesting is one of the big expenses in bean production and consequently needs to be done efficiently.

Although beans are generally a quick and easy crop to grow, problems can occur before the plant emerges.

Beans are a quick, easy crop – provided all the precautions are taken.

Green bean farming in South Africa has changed considerably over the past twenty years or so. Not long ago, beans were planted and weeded by hand.

Green and dry beans are the same species, Phaseolus vulgaris. The scarlet runner (P.coccineus) which is still popular in many countries as a home garden variety

Exotic Sharon fruit was introduced to South Africa in the late 1990s, but it took years to establish in which regions the trees would produce optimally