Sharing some herb farming wisdom
Greenhouses and Undercover
Vineyards Herbs under cover
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the herbs . “ We send samples of the borehole water for chemical and microbial analysis each month . The raw water has an EC of 0.4 and a pH of 6 and when I add the fertilizer the pH comes down to about 5.7 The microbial analysis always comes back ‘ clean ’ and I ’ ve never had any problems ,” says Moolman .
Drip irrigation is used to irrigate the plants , so that the water is delivered straight to the root zone and no water is wasted in pathways . The overhead misters are only
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used in summer if the temperature inside the tunnels get too high for the plants and also for the staff working inside .
The Allée Bleue team trial new technologies and methods , for example the NFT ( Nutrient Film Technique system ). This is a hydroponic system where the seedlings are planted in horizontal gutters that are attached to vertical PVC pipes and a nutrient solution continuously flows and recirculates through these gutters .
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“ So far we ’ ve had great success with watercress and salad crops . The salad leaves can be harvested individually or you can take the whole salad head and keep the roots on like the “ living leaves ” concept . Because the herbs are grown in gutters that are staggered on top of each other you can really utilise the space in the greenhouse efficiently instead of just growing floor level . It ’ s fun to try different types of herbs and see how they perform in the NFT system .” |
Foodies , gardeners and families , anyone who is interested in how herbs are cultivated - experience the innovation , fun and great tunnel farming at Allée Bleue by joining Lario Moolman for a Friday Herb Tour ( R185 per person includes a comprehensive tour and a three course herb-inspired lunch and wine pairing ).
www . alleebleue . com
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Sharing some herb farming wisdom
Lario Moolman , the Allée Bleue herb farmer , offered many generous tips to aspirant and large herb farmers , reading SABI magazine , when we asked her to offer some advice to fellow farmers and herb growers .
New farmers :
“ Remember growing on a small scale is not the same as growing on an intensive and commercial scale . It ’ s better to start small and grow gradually than going big and you find it ’ s actually much more difficult than you thought . Capital and input costs for greenhouse production is very high and the last thing you want is to fail miserably after you ’ ve put in so much money .”
And be hands on , Moolman emphasises . “ Even if you have a greenhouse with all the bells and whistles and practically everything is automated , nothing can replace the growers ’ eyes and instinct that something might be off or the plants aren ’ t 100 % happy .
“ Someone once told me , a farmer ’ s tracks in the land are like fertilizer to the plants , and that ’ s completely true . Also , it is good to be hands-on and involved in your workers ’ activities , otherwise you don ’ t know what challenges they might have . If your staff keep complaining their harvest scissors are blunt , you might wave it off as them “ just complaining ”, but if you don ’ t pick those up and use the scissors yourself , for example , you won ’ t realise just how bad it is .
“ In one of my greenhouses there was this one spot where the seedlings would always wilt because it didn ’ t get enough water or it would lie flat on the tray because it got too much water . One day I picked up the hosepipe to water it myself and then I saw that the pipe was too short to reach that spot ! So the worker either just left it or he opened up the hosepipe on full blast to reach the seedlings . So being hands on is crucial to the success of your crop !”
Experienced farmers : “ My advice would be to always keep on learning and researching , whether its new seed cultivars or new equipment or new production methods , always keep learning . Buy industry magazines ( like SABI !) and go to farmer days . Many suppliers host farmer or information days to promote their products and even if you are not necessarily interested in the products , you will meet other farmers or growers with whom you can have a chat . Networking is very handy and it is important to stay on top of new technology trends .
Home gardeners : If your leafy herb plants like coriander and dill or rocket flowers before you hardly get any leaves off them , it means they are getting too much sun . Hardy herbs like rosemary and thyme are the only ones that can really tolerate full sun for the whole day . If you plan to start an herb garden , instead of allocating one spot in the garden for all your herbs , rather plant them in between your ornamental plants around your garden . If you plant coriander and rocket in several places , you will see later where they are happy and want to be .
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SABI | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2016