Changeable chillies
There are approximately 22 species of Capsicum, of which five are grown commercially. However, some of these can be crossed with one another to produce different varieties.
A socialist dream in the making?
Once upon a time, the CEO of a certain fresh produce market in South Africa decided that his market would be run differently. He did away with the ‘market agency’.
Marketing fresh produce
TechnoServe South Africa is providing small-scale fruit and vegetable growers, who often have difficulty in finding established markets, with a ready market for their produce. The organisation’s operations director, Mandla...
What is a pepper, actually?
Peppers belong to the Capsicum genus (family Solanaceae). It’s when we come to common names that things get confusing.
The Draft Agricultural Produce Marketing Agencies Bill – A recipe for failure?
The Draft Agricultural Produce Marketing Agencies Bill is somewhere in the pipeline on the way to becoming an Act.
Likely diseases of Swiss Chard
Some diseases of Swiss chard are weather-related. These include Cercospora (leaf spot), downy mildew, mosaic virus, and a fungal disease I have yet to identify.
Other Swiss chard pests
In addition to those already discussed, there are other pests likely to be a problem with Swiss chard from time to time. Let’s look at three of the most common...
Competition benefits all
Anybody who has spent time on a busy fresh produce market floor will agree that it is a madhouse of noise and frenetic activity – especially at the daily trading...
Leaf miner: still a threat to Swiss chard
The leaf miner was once a major headache for producers, having a wide range of hosts and a particular fondness for Swiss chard.
What Colour! What variety!
Over the years, I’ve made it a habit to observe as much as possible about the fresh produce sector, be it while walking the market floor, shopping at my local...
Consistency of supply
I rate consistency as one of the ‘Big Five’ in fresh produce marketing, along with supply, demand, quality and communication.
Keep nutrition up and eelworms down
Swiss chard is easy to grow and exceptionally productive, but it does take a lot of nutrients out of the ground.
So, what’s a fair price?
Getting paid a fair price for a product is surely uppermost in all farmers’ minds. Having said that, what is a fair price?
Planting swiss chard
With Swiss chard, the cork-like ‘capsule’ that you plant is actually the fruit, which contains up to four seeds.
Packaging: get it right!
Finding ways to minimise the high cost of packaging is an ongoing challenge.
What is spinach?
The term ‘spinach’ refers to different species in different countries. In South Africa, there are two common species that we call ‘spinach’ – Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris) and baby spinach...
A culture of care
This is not the first time in this column that I’ve addressed the crucial need for care.
Regulating nitrogen in vegetable crops
Farmers have long been advised to use standard fertiliser mixtures for crops as a matter of course.
Wish list for election time
Dreams of money flowing in from government to rejuvenate our markets have partly been realised over the past year.
Wonder products
In Weimar Germany back in the 1920s, Dr Max Gerson developed what he claimed was a cure for cancer based on the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables.
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