Broccolini growers lift soil and their productivity

19/07/2007 4:35:29 PM

Graeme and John Pitchford began their Adelaide Hills vegetable growing venture with a piece of land and a desire, but no previous experience. They are now highly successful broccolini growers under contract with Sydney based Perfection Fresh.

A cross between broccoli and Chinese kale, broccolini is a specialist line vegetable that sells from between $2-$3 a bunch. There are only about 12 growers around the country and the Pitchfords are the only South Australians.

With a strong commitment to sustainable agriculture, the father and son team are set to expand their 24-hectare operation at Echunga, having just purchased 142-hectares at Currency Creek.

It has taken some years for Graeme, 32, and his dad to create a viable business.

The turning point came five years ago when they saw a presentation on the Albrecht soil testing method. The comprehensive nature of the Albrecht system impressed them and so they set out to find someone who could help them test and improve their soils using this method.

They found Phil Barnett, a former farmer, who was running Australian Perry Agricultural Laboratory, the only independent soil laboratory in Australia using the Albrecht method.

“I think farmers’ mentality has been NPK, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, a basic three element approach. But the Albrecht system goes way beyond that by balancing all nutrients in the soil, including trace elements, and getting ratios of nutrients right, in particular calcium and magnesium,” says Graeme.

Not just quantity but the ratio

Phil helped them understand that even though one element in their soil might be low, such as magnesium, it was not a matter of simply adding more magnesium to get the desired level. That nutrient was related to other elements in the soil so there was a ratio to get right; it was not solely an issue of quantity.

“We actually had to apply more calcium to get the correct ratios, 6 calcium:1 magnesium—it’s all about the balance of the soil,” says Graeme.

As a result of Phil’s advice, the pH of their sandy loam over heavy clay has gone from 4.6 to near ideal at 6.5-7.

Phil has also helped them realise that it is important to look at the uptake of nutrients in the plant. Even though Graeme and John had been adding calcium to their soil, it was still not enough for the plants. With Phil’s advice they have remedied this with the use of foliar sprays, which has resulted in significant productivity increases.

Broccolini is the major source of income for the Pitchfords and since using Australian Perry Agricultural Laboratory, and Phil Barnett, they have had a 40 per cent production increase.

This season they have produced 650 styrofoam boxes a week, with each one holding 12 bunches of broccolini.
Not only has productivity gone up, minor problems such as stem curl have been addressed through the application of calcium, a measure that has increased the plant’s shelf life.
The Pitchfords apply foliar sprays every fortnight during the growing season and conduct about three leaf tests.

“We’ve certainly learned that soil testing on its own is not enough. Soil and leaf tests should go together,” says John.

Broccolini is planted every week from late August to early March on the Adelaide Hills property and harvest runs from November to June. The plants stay in the ground for about 14 weeks in total. It takes 2-4 weeks to fully harvest a broccolini plant as its shoots re-grow after the initial picking. Once the crop is finished the Pitchfords allow their plants to flower as it provides a food source for beneficial wasps that control any grub problems.

The broccolini will stay in the ground in flower for 6-8 weeks and is then mulched and turned into the soil.
The Pitchfords choose not to grow broccolini in the same ground each year, preferring to rotate it with lettuces, a good complementary crop to brassicas.

Over the winter, a green manure such as oats or vetch is grown and then mulched into the soil. Organic sprays and fertilisers are also used to improve the soils and reduce chemical use.

“It’s a continual improvement program. As we learn what works, we build it into the program,” says Graeme.

Destined for life on the land

While many people are born into agriculture, it seems Graeme Pitchford, 32, was simply destined for a life on the land. The son of an accountant and youngest of three boys, all he can remember is "wanting to be a vegetable grower”.

The passion for agriculture is definitely in the Pitchford boys’ blood. The eldest, Wayne, has a PhD in agricultural science and works at the University of Adelaide, the middle son, Glenn, is a dairy farmer at Meningie, and Graeme has followed his life-long interest in vegetable growing.

While father John is a retired accountant, now working in the business, the agricultural yearnings are believed to have come from the boys’ great grandfather who was a market gardener.