The benefits of treating seed before sowing it
Pathogens can be removed from vegetable seed by treating it with hot water at 51°C for about half an hour. Bill Kerr explains this procedure as well as using trisodium...
A different seedling tray for each specific purpose
Bill Kerr explains the different types of seedling trays available to vegetable producers. They vary in type of material and shape of cavities.
The nurse who became an award-winning vegetable producer
Vegetable farmer Sophy Litshani Musabeni doesn’t miss an opportunity to broaden her knowledge on agriculture. Doing her own research and speaking to those in the know, she has catapulted herself...
How to make the decision to throw out old seedlings
Whether older seedlings will be productive depends on their size and age, and with seed prices going up, one needs to think carefully before throwing out plants that could still...
Preparing seedlings for the season and your conditions
Seedlings should vary according to the season. Bill Kerr shares how he learnt this vital lesson, and offers tips on how to harden seedlings.
Viruses that can attack a bean crop
Bill Kerr explains how bean common mosaic virus and bean yellow mosaic virus can infect a field and spread, leading to major crop losses.
What growers gain by having a seedling germination room
A germination chamber set at about 25°C leads to a high germination percentage and shortens the time span before seedlings are placed out in the nursery, saving the grower money.
New farmers’ seedling pitfalls
Inexperienced farmers may be tempted to grow seedlings from seed themselves, but they have much to gain by trusting a seedling grower at a nursery to perform this task for...
Use the correct growing medium for safe seedling production
Instead of buying expensive growing mediums for seedlings, farmers can make their own mixtures from local resources, such as manure, which are economical and produce excellent results.
Learn to solve your own crop problems
So-called experts often tell farmers what the problems are with their crops without being sure and just hoping for the best when suggesting solutions. Rather use your own experience to...
The pitfalls of gambling with vegetables on the market
The decision of what to plant should be based on average market prices in the long term, which enables vegetable growers to calculate what the market price fluctuations will be,...
How quality and marketing drive success for small farms
It is one thing to have a good product, but we need to bring its outstanding features to the attention of the purchaser, writes Bill Kerr.
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