Conserves
Sweet corn
Sweet Corn photo: Joris van den Heuvel
We grow sweet corn on our farm for two purposes: for an industrial processor and for fresh corn on the cob. For the fresh market, the cobs are picked using a special machine which strips the green and packs them either individually or in pairs.
The ground where sweet corn is to be cultivated will be worked over during the spring up to three or four times to level it, create a seedbed and kill any emerging weeds. The crop is sown in mid-May by a contractor and hoed using a special hoe with 75 cm row spacing. The cobs are picked in September.
French beans
French Beans
We also grow French beans for an industrial processor. We drill the crop ourselves using a precision seed drill with a row distance of 30 cm. During the season the crop is hoed multiple times using a special inter-row cultivator. The crop is harvested in August or September and transported to the factory.
Vining peas
Peas
Depending upon contract prices and our crop rotation plan, we will grow a small quantity of vining peas. We drill these using our own precision drill. The customer arranges harvesting and processing independently. Unfortunately, we will not be cultivating any vining peas in the 2010 season.