Carrot leaf blight is a disease commonly found in carrot crops in Western Australia. It is usually caused by the fungus Alternaria dauci and occasionally by A. radicina. Another fungus, Cercospora carotae, causes leaf spotting of carrots.
The Jerusalem artichoke is a vegetable that is propagated from tubers and requires around 140 frost-free days to produce a good crop. It is normally available in autumn after planting in spring.
Thrips (Thysanoptera) are small, slender, soft-bodied insects, just visible to the naked eye.
Four species of aphids on citrus are recorded in Australia but only two occur in Western Australia, the brown/black citrus aphid Toxoptera citricidus (Kirkaldy) and spiraea aphid, Aphis spiraecola (Patch).
Cavity spot disease reduces the quality of carrots so that they become unacceptable for local and export markets. Information about this disease and its control are provided.
Many new varieties of mandarins and tangors have become available in Western Australia with desirable traits for consumers such as few or no seeds and loose skin (easy peel).
Promoting your small business is essential.
Every small business should develop and maintain a brand and establish a unique selling point before choosing the best way to promote products to customers.
Celery is one of the highest yielding vegetable crops in Western Australia and is usually grown from transplants produced by specialist seedling nurseries.
It is a shallow-rooted crop with high fertiliser and moisture requirements.
Chinese water chestnuts are a potential small crop for specialised markets for growers in warm temperate regions. A major problem is that the corms do not look attractive for marketing and many may be unsaleable.
If you run livestock, whether on a small scale or commercially, you need a biosecurity plan.
