Butternuts: Know Your Market And Maintain Quality

Butternuts are a reasonably easy crop to grow, with few insoluble problems. The real challenge is to match the cultivar with the market. Mpumalanga-based producer Francois Steyn spoke to Lindi Botha about how he solved this problem

Three generations of the Steyn family have farmed vegetables near Komatipoort in Mpumalanga. They have experimented with a range of crops, lived through the ups and downs of the vegetable market, and know what it takes to run a profitable business in the sector.

When it comes to butternuts, one of their most important crops, Francois Steyn has specific advice for other growers: “Know what your market wants before you start planting, then make sure you deliver good quality. Rather exclude more butternuts from your consignment than deliver bad quality and risk your reputation. You only have one reputation. Ruin it, and you’ll struggle to regain your market.”

Steyn, who runs JF Steyn Boerdery with his father, Jakkals, and brother, Ruan, warns against the danger of taking shortcuts.

“You won’t save money by applying fewer inputs or using an inferior product. In the end, it’ll cost you dearly!”

SOIL PREPARATION

Steyn’s rigorous soil preparation regime involves discing the soil to work in any weeds or grass growing in the land, then ripping the soil. If many large clods remain, the soil is disced again to rotovate it.

The next step is to make ridges; these help to create an ideal seedbed and ensure water runoff during the wet season, as butternuts fare poorly in very wet soil. The roots stagnate under these conditions as there is no stimulus to grow further in search of water. This in turn affects yield. The butternut farmer should aim for well-drained soil, stresses Steyn.