FLOWERS
Orchid grower turns hobby to business
A
fter retiring from the
freight industry Andy
and Carol Pearce
turned a hobby growing
cymbidium orchids into a full
scale operation on a 5 acre
plot in Sundra.
Pearce conducted significant
research into local demand for
From page 22
winter delivers,15kW per
day)10kW per hour is not
possible for nine hours.
Over weekends Stephen's
wife operates a 13kg washing
machine, a 2 000W tumble
dryer, and a dish washer
simultaneously, while he uses
a welding machine, woodwork lathe and drill, during
the same period without
any problems although, again,
Smit points out that while the
cymbidiums and found that
local, ie East Rand, flower
production focused on bulk
crops such as carnations,
roses, chrysanthemums etc.
The current major supplier of
cymbidiums and other orchids
is Duckitts of the Western
Cape, who are focussed on
the export market.
Pearce adds that the
Johannesburg wholesale
flower market is an excellent
end point for a farm wishing
to deal with wholesale
markets, being a sophisticated
seven day a week, six day
auction that provides weekly
cash income into the business.
“Retail end points are great
for extra profit,” he adds.
Since stock sold at the market
is paid for weekly, the running
costs of the business are easy
to manage and do not require
complicated accounting.
Continued on page 24
ENERGY
10kW inverter will be capable
in handling this load indefinitely, his system will not,
adding that he only has 15kW
available per day, although he
can add a
few from the generator.
Stephen adds, however that
at 15:00 all power hungry
systems are shut down to give
the panels' time to top
up the system for the night.
When it is overcast or rains for
a long period, the household
just uses the essentials.
He also has a 200 litre solar
geyser mounted on a stand
that supplies hot water, and a
small portable gas
geyser for emergencies.
Cooking is done on an Elba
828 gas stove and oven.
As advice to anybody thinking
of going off grid, Stephen has
these pointers:
K Don't go for a smaller 3kW
system with the option to
upgrade or add on another
23
www.sasmallholder.co.za
3kW. Rather buy the
system to suit what you will
ultimately need in one go.
K Don't change to a 12V
lighting system. Unless you
really can't afford an inverter,
financially it's not worth it,
particularly if it means running
an extra set of wiring and
switches, and 220V wiring
can accommodate 12V
anyway.