September 2000
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Tulbagh Show Tulbagh has a large showground and the Spring Show is the highlight of the farming year. The permanent stand holds several thousand people and the horse showing and jumping is enthusiastically attended. There was a permanent barbeque on and from mid morning to late at night the wine garden was full of happy families eating vast quantities of meat and drinking local wine, brandy and Namibian beer. As dusk approached the band started up and a visitor would not fail to be impressed by the stylish dancing of all the couples, young, old, sober or not so sober. The music was modern rock but the dancing elegant and stylish, waltzing and jiving in the old fashioned style. The show is a grand excuse for the wide spread farming community to meet up. They show off their beautiful flowers, their vegetables and chickens as well as their horses in a 3 day agricultural extravaganza. Each farm and business contributes R1000 to sponsor an event at the show. We sponsored an event - the Hackney Ponies in Harness. There was a bar reserved for sponsors under the stand with a fridge full of mixers and many cases of Klipdrift brandy stacked up against the wall. This is the staple of the local farmer. As our eyes adjusted to the darkness inside from the bright sunlight outside, we soon saw that the sponsors were getting their money's worth of "dops". The air was thick with smoke and the guttural Afrikaans language. When our turn came to present the rosettes we staggered out into the bright sunlight and were warmly welcomed into the centre of the arena by the announcer. "Thank you Mr Merriman and Mr Wolesley for your kind sponsorship. Ladies and gentlemen of Tulbagh, they have come all the way from far off London to be with us. Thank you again. We hope you bring some wonderful memories of our beautiful valley with you..." (Little did he realize we had been sold on whole "package" a long time back)....thank you, thank you..." on and on he went obviously using this chance to practice his English, his speech hoarse from being stuck in the small commentary box perched above the centre of the arena for three hot days now..... "All the way from London ladies and gentlemen" he went on. We waved at him in acknowledgement but it wouldn't put him off..."please welcome them to Tulbagh". It was getting faintly embarrassing. Eventually the winners were chosen. Prizes went down to fifth out of an eight carriage field so good value for all concerned. Each time the prize winner was called in one of us stepped forward to pin the rosette to the carriage driver's coat pocket. The ponies were in a high state of excitement and standing between the front and back axles to reach the driver we were in some danger of getting flattened. Back in the safety of the sponsors bar we were avidly questioned by some well oiled souls. "You from the UK" "Yes" "Oh my daughter's friend lives in California"
being one memorable exchange. The staff had the day off on the Friday of the show to attend, and with a public holiday on Monday there were a few bleary eyes on Tuesday. With our vines now pushing out their first green shoots there is still lots of work to be done. The two strongest shoots of the vine will be led up to the horizontal wire, spiraling themselves around a length of string which is tied to the vine with a piece of soft plastic wrapper. When they are firmly established on the cordon the strongest is left to form the basis of next years growth.
Cape Organics delivered 150 cubic metres of compost which forms the basis of the soil management program. A small bucket full is spread out evenly around each vine and then covered in a straw mulch which runs all the way down the rows. The mulch keeps the soil cool and prevents weeds growing among the vines. The dripper lines have to be suspended clear of this mulch so the small roots don't grow into the holes and block them. Each vine has a dual root system with small filamentous roots in the top 10 cm of the soil and a deep tap root which goes way down below looking for water. The surface roots will grow like a mat below the mulch absorbing the ions needed for life that are released by fringe nematodes and other microorganisms as they break down the carbon compounds in the compost. It is the enhancement of the environment for these "good" microbes that, along with the growing of cover crops between the rows, will encourage them to produce the nitrates and phosphates that the plants need to grow. The soil management program replaces the need for constant addition of chemical fertilizers that slowly degrade the soil.
Manie is really getting into the organic bit. One way of having more control over what the vines are living on is by making a compost "tea" and applying it to the vines through the dripper irrigation system. He is now in the process of building a large tank with a huge array of hoses, sprays and so on that will grow this culture. Like a huge yoghurt machine this will be growing all the goodies the plants need. Another idea is to ferment vegetative material from weeds to extract their hormones. This can be concentrated and sprayed between the rows. If the seed senses that other plants are around it it will not germinate and the hormones will make it think it is surrounded. Next month we must plan for next year's planting. This year's blocks are in place and apart from a summer cover crop between the rows that is it. They just need nurturing. In December we start preparing the ground for next year's blocks and we will have come full circle. A time now for reflection, preparation and thinking how we could do better next time round. Copyright © 2000 Tulbagh Solutions. All rights reserved. |
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