Green bean planting times are crucial since they are sensitive to frost They can be cultivated only when there is no longer any danger or risk of frost.  The different planting times for bush and runner beans in various parts of South Africa are listed in the table below Green beans planted during early summer [...]

Lettuce pests can be controlled in large commercial plantings. Due to the high planting densities and large fields, scouting is often neglected. Most pests are found near a specific location or concentrated in an area close to either other crops or forests. If these areas are sprayed first and regularly the spread of pests deeper [...]

According to botanists the current variety, Lactuca sativa, was developed from Lactuca scariola, which is a common weed in Europe, Abyssinia, East Asia and the USA. Lettuce is very important in a diet because of its high-quality content of Vitamin A and C. There are three basic commercial types: Curly leaf or cos lettuce Butter [...]

Pumpkins and squashes belong to the family cucurbitaceae and are related to calabashes, watermelons and muskmelons. Pumpkins and squashes probably originated in America from where they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Pumpkins were introduced to South Africa when the first Europeans arrived and they imported the seed from Brazil. An interested [...]

Green bean seed germination is epigeal. that is the cotyledon is pushed above the soil surface together with the young leaves. From planting it takes about 6-10 days for the seedlings to appear, depending on the soil temperature. At an optimum soil temperature of 24-30°C the seed will germinate rapidly and the seedlings emerge after [...]

The basics of green bean fertilization Green bean fertilization is quite easy as it has a short growth season, but if neglected can have a significant effect on yields. Proper preparation of the soil and an adequate amount of well-balanced nutrients are essential for good yields and a large proportion of first grade pods. The nutrients [...]

Maximising farm profit starts with a lot of things and one of the is the right variety for the production system. The right variety will provide the grower with the right product for his market and climate. The most important is climate. If the variety is adapted to the farm climate, a higher portion of [...]

The nutrient uptake of vegetable crops are used to determine very rudimentary fertilizer recommendations if you have nothing else to go by. A lot of purists will be up and arms of these guideline tables, but none of them can come up with a simple method of determining fertilizer recommendations that an average non-scientific farmer [...]