B.C.'s field vegetable and berry growers can keep informed of the most up-to-date growing techniques and information by accessing a web-based version of the highly respected B.C. Production Guides.

The vegetable guide has been recognized as the key reference document for safe, sustainable and competitive production of B.C. crops for almost 50 years.

The guides provide easy-to-access information about the latest beneficial management practices for more than 25 types of vegetables including lettuce, carrots, beets and potatoes and seven types of berries - blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, currants, gooseberries, raspberries and strawberries.

These free guides include recommended techniques and practices for seeding, spacing, transplanting, harvesting and storage as well as integrated pest management. The creation of the web-based guides was made possible through joint federal-provincial funding and the Lower Mainland Horticulture Improvement Association. They are posted at: http://productionguide.agrifoodbc.ca

B.C. producers typically grow about 165,000 tonnes of field vegetables and generate $100 million in farm-gate sales in an average year.

B.C. produces about 86,000 tonnes of berries a year with exports of more than $100 million of blueberries alone.

Media Contact:

Kathryn Hardy
Ministry of Agriculture
250 387-1693