Dr Danie Visser, an agricultural adviser and strategic analyst, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the factors that a farmer should consider when choosing which...

 Thursday morning cup of hot tea here as I listen to thunder rumble in the distance. Rain is forecasted for the next 2 days so I will put the garden away and concentrate on some housework and cooking. Thought I would share some more pictures of the gardens. The gooseberries above are swelling now and all the 8 bushes have berries on them now. Yesterday I got all my broccoli and cabbage plants in the boxes. They were the perfect size and ready for their permanent homes in the garden. Planting them right before rain will allow them to acclimate for the next two raiy days and not even wilt. Also got some romaine plants in...

A tool in its element! Wheel hoes are great, and this particular one* is fantastic. Unchecked, you can see what weeds get up to given a week or two. This stretch of dirt was protected under the edge of the row cover that’s been protecting the zucchini to the right from cucumber beetles. Now there’s a dense mat of dandelion (weed or excellent salad green?: right now, weed), thistle, mallow, and lambs quarter. And there’s the steel blade that will run through them, gliding just under the soil, slicing them down. Brutal sounding, and all part of the garden balance. (The zucchini have powdery mildew, those white splotches on the leaves, which usually happens when...