Vegetable farm makes big moves for an expansion
THE Wallace family is gearing up for a huge expansion of their hydroponic capsicum business, a move they hope will significantly boost the operation’s capacity and bottom line.
After enduring years of low water allocations, third-generation vegetable grower David Wallace and his wife, Robyn, decided to make a change.
It was the mid-1990s and the Wallace family managed a market garden, cultivating mainly cauliflowers on their 12ha farm at Keilor, 20km northwest of Melbourne.
They relied heavily on their 66-megalitre water right from the Maribyrnong River to irrigate their vegetables, but allocations were becoming progressively tight.
While the grim water situation had driven many of Keilor’s growers off the land, the Wallace family knew they wanted to stay put.
A switch to hydroponic capsicums in 1996 was the decision that ultimately saved their business.
Today, the Wallace Vegetable Farm focuses exclusively on growing 15,000 capsicum plants in a 4000 square metre greenhouse.
David’s son Matthew, 27, has also recently made the decision to stay in the family business, which has been sparked by another big change in their operation.
The family is preparing to install a brand new 15,000 sq m glasshouse, boosting production from 22-23kg a square metre up to 30-32kg.
“The new glasshouse will enable us to grow another 60,000 plants,” David said.
GOING TO SEED
THE expansion will see the old greenhouse partially converted into a seedling nursery.
“The idea is to become selfsufficient and grow our own seedlings,” David said.
At the moment, seedlings are bought in and planted after the shortest day of the year.
One crop is grown yearly and it takes about 90 days to produce red capsicums.
“We aim for mostly red fruit, because that’s where the money is,” he said.
Throughout the growing season, plants require a stable and warm environment.
“As they grow, we make sure they are fertilised, clipped and pruned,” David said.
In the old greenhouse, plants reach up to about 3m high and are grown on about 30,000 strings that hang from the roof.
In the new glasshouse, plants will be able to reach 4m, allowing for a much higher return per square metre.
Plants must be pruned continuously to maintain two stems, otherwise there’s a risk they will not achieve maximum production.
It’s a laborious task, which is completed each fortnight by the family.
Observation is a big part of the Wallace’s daily on-farm management. “I’m in the greenhouse everyday,” David said. “It’s like having 15,000 babies; things can change very quickly.”
He places a big emphasis on making sure the operation is environmentally friendly.
Plants are grown in Cocopeat slabs, which cost about $3.60 each.
“We can grow about six plants in each slab,” David said.
“One of the big reasons we use the Cocopeat is it can be recycled.”
To manage pests, the family have been practising Integrated Pest Management for the past 15 years.
“We’ve tried to move away from using insecticides,” David said.
Predatory mites are used effectively to control pests, such as aphids, thrips and twospotted mite.
The switch to hydroponics has also seen a huge decline in water usage.
Rain water is collected from the greenhouse roof and stored in tanks.
The plants require about 6000 litres a day in winter, with that figure increasing to 25,000 litres in the warmer months.
“We are aiming for about 20-25 per cent run-off,” David said.
When the new glasshouse is up and running, he expects all of the run-off to be recycled back into the irrigation system.
RIPE FOR PICKING
HARVEST seasons kicks off in October and runs until the end of May.
“We pick the capsicums once a week, taking two to three days to pick,” David said.
Each capsicum is cut manually. Picking trolleys are run on top of the greenhouse’s heating pipes, with scissor lifts used to cut higher fruit.
The product is then delivered to the wholesale market in Epping and sold mainly to independent fruiterers across Melbourne, Geelong and Ballarat.
“Sadly, there’s been a big decline in the number of independent fruiterers, as a result of the changing marketplace,” David said.
However, with the family’s business set to expand, new markets could be on the horizon.
“We will look at sending product to the Sydney Wholesale Market. And, with the Melbourne airport so close, we may even consider export markets too.”
After finetuning their hydroponic business over the past two decades, David said it was nice to know it would continue on in the family.
“It’s great that Matthew has come on board,” he said. “And eventually our son-in-law Luke will work in the business too.”
With some big changes on the horizon, David said the focus would remain on producing top-quality fruit.
“We have a very good reputation and we want it to stay that way,” he said.
“Quality is something we pride ourselves on.”
Looking forward, one of the biggest challenges is rising costs.
“Consumers get vegetables at a very good rate,” David said. “We try to offset rising costs by trying to grow the best quality fruit we can.”
David was recently rewarded for his business innovations, as a finalist in this year’s Ausveg Grower of the Year Awards.
“It was unexpected, but it’s nice to be recognised for your efforts,” he said.
“This is something I enjoy. It’s my hobby and my job and I can’t ask for much more than that.”