Dutch seed giant Rijk Zwaan welcomed higher numbers of visitors than expected at its recent Organic Days event.
Held on 24 and 25 September, some 260 growers attended with the good weather and excellent condition of the crops making it a “very successful” event, according to organisers.
Just like last year, the Organic Days were organised together with distributor Tucker Seeds. As a result, a broad assortment was on display. “The Rijk Zwaan lettuce assortment again was regarded as one of the highlights,” said Rijk Zwaan crop specialist for organic, Andrew Henderson. “But also our carrots and brassicas drew a lot of attention. A special trial with an outdoor demo of tomatoes was undertaken. It was remarkable how well they grew.”
Luckily, pest problems also were very limited. “There were many slugs, but no signs of aphids or caterpillars,” said Henderson.
New for this year were the trade stands provided by a number of companies involved with supplying the trial site, for example demonstrations of a harvesting machine and companies that sell organic compost or mulch materials.
