Blueberry trial in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Part 3

Year One Evaluation:

Currently, the plants are 18 months old. This is a short evaluation on their growth. I removed all their fruit.

Sharpblue: Healthy growth, developed a nice spread of branches.

Dixi: The majority of the plants died, there is hardly any growth with the surviving plants, the worst performer by far. I have very little hope that they will come right.

Powder Blue: I thought Powder Blue and Misty would be great varieties, but they have not performed well. There has been very little growth and both have lost a few plants. These two are my biggest disappointments.

Misty: See Powder blue

Centurion: Has performed better than expected. I wasn't sure about getting Centurion full stop, but they are my third best performer. Their growth has been slow but steady. They are delicate beautiful little plants with olive shaped light green leaves.

Brightwell: Just beating Sharpblue for the price of variety of the year. They have grown well and are healthy. The tallest one grew from 10cm to exactly 60cm tall. there has been very little spreading of the branches. Tall and straight has been their motto.

Chandler: I rescued my chandlers from an abusive home. They have struggled to get going. The majority died. I don't see them being great performers in the future, but time will tell. My remaining chandlers are also looking sick.

Without taking the fruit into consideration, I would bet on a Sharpblue, Brightwell and Centurion orchard, but the real test will be next spring to see what the fruiting per variety will look like.

  

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Letting go

I let my first member of staff go.

I fired him.

It feels terrible. It feels really wrong.

This is not why one pours his or her life in a startup. I want to create job. I want to see people thrive and reach their potential.

But with G this didn't work out.

I hired G in December. His family back ground is complicated. His dad was murdered. His family are very poor. Life is hard.

Since he started working he has missed work on so many occasions I had to do something as it was affecting the morale of my staff.

I think he has a drugs or/and alcohol problem. I organised a place in rehab for him. The councillors of the rehab told me that I cannot change him. He needs to make the first step by acknowledging his addiction.

Against my labours consultants advice I asked G if he had an addiction. I asked if I could help.

He turned me down. He turned help down, an opportunity to start again.

I wonder where he will end up. He is a good man. As struggling man, but aren't we all struggling in some way.

Be blessed G. Travel the journey of life well. May you find freedom. 

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