January 2008 Update

MAD MARCH SALE 2008

Welcome back and we hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year.

Now that everyone is back at work and the children will be back to school shortly, its time to start planning for your winter projects. 

Harford's ( Head Office) are offering March Madness to all customers, existing and new. March Madness will give you a 10% discount on all structures ordered in the Mad March month! So, start thinking about expanding or starting up a new venture, give us a call and we can advise/visit on your requirements, take advantage of the 10% discount to order!  All kits ordered between 1st March -  31st March will qualify for this discount. This offer is available for customers south of Taupo to Bluff( includes New Plymouth to Gisborne) and our Australian customers

We also have a full range of spare parts for greenhouses, replacement clipping systems, plastic film in a wide range of widths with length to suit your individual needs, commercial and domestic range of greenhouses, windbreak, controllers and motors, shade screens. Contact us for your requirements.

With the incredibly dry spell we are having, we would advise caution not to overlook using a greenhouse. Your crops will be well protected and the evaporation process will be a lot less than outside, thus saving on the precious resources of water, hydroponics is a great way to maximise the protection of water resources. Harford's can have your project designed and built to suit your particular crop and greenhouse type. It will give you peace of mind against the elements and better control of your environment inside the greenhouse. There are a wide range of controllers available from basic to sophisticated, so talk to us about it.  We also have a dedicated contractor for the construction of your greenhouse if you dont wish to build it your self. Help can be also given at any stage should you require it. The construction teams are authorised for construction, repairs and maintenance of all Harford structures.

When you have made up your mind to grow under cover, make sure that you have chosen a crop that you can market, check out the markets, the competition, your location with regards to  freight and labour costs, then call us to discuss the right type of greenhouse for that crops needs. This is very important and mistakes can be made, crop losses occur when you don't have the right sort of environment for your particular crop. Some crops, particularly the higher growing crops, require roof ventilation, where as most of the lower growing crops can be ventilated using sidewinders. This is where the whole side of the greenhouse plastic is rolled up, windbreak is fixed on the side to protect from wind damage. The choice is yours, with our help!   The choice of crop is varied, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are all done by the "big guys" and over the years this has knocked out the smaller grower, hard to compete with hectares of greenhouses and big market money behind them. But there are so many niche crops, plants and

Growing in a greenhouse is exciting and rewarding, a great life style and room for expansion. All the greenhouse models can be added to with the modular design. We can also advise and supply packing sheds and implement storage sheds to complete your project. We can give you advise on how to maximise your budget to get your project on the go.

Using a horticultural advisor is also a great way to ensure that things go according to plan, they will ensure crop health and advise on plant management on a regular basis, sure there are costs involved, but these far outweigh the worry of how things are growing, especially when you are first starting out. Later on with experience you will feel more confident, but we still recommend using an advisor, even if you are a professional grower.

We also emphasise the plant health issue with good housekeeping inside the greenhouse, keeping it free of prunings and dead plant matter is essential. Bacteria and bugs breed in dead plant matter so its essential to keep the floor and the environs of the greenhouse cleared. If you are growing hydroponically, do not have leaks anywhere in the system, this forms puddles that can stagnate and breed all sorts of nasties. For staff it also presents hazards of slipping over and difficulty harvesting.

So if you have some land and want to change your life style or supplement your income,  talk to us for ideas or help.

Will shall be attending the Central Districts Field Days in Feilding again this year, this is a great event and this year we are advised of even more exhibitors and the expectation of greater crowds, so if you are in that area call in an see us. The dates are 13 -15 March 2008 at Manfield Park. We shall have a Simple shed structure on display and for sale afterwards at a bargain price, the size is 6m x 5.6m with 3m column height, relocatable foundations and 3 extra sheets of coloursteel for side, plus windbreak and plastic end and sides.

The next newsletter will be in April post Field Days.

Take care and keep growing!

Newsletter Archives

To view our range of archived newsletters click on the links below:

• September Brief
• Spring Update