Johannesburg - The rains have arrived and November is a great time to plant up a food garden. Growing your own vegetables, salads and herbs will give you the satisfaction of harvesting fresh produce and ensures that your family have access to enough fresh, nutritious food to lead healthy, active lives.
There are two routes to success: sow seeds or purchase seedlings from your local garden centre.
All the information you need is on the seed pack – including the time to plant, the depth of the seeds and spacing between seeds. Buying small seedlings will give your garden a head start, as the plants are already 5cm high,so you will be able to harvest earlier.
Where to plant
Building raised beds filled with potting soil and compost is the ultimate way to create a fabulous vegetable garden. However, a bed of composted soil will still give you a season of fabulous food. The key to success is plenty of sunshine and access to water.
Choose a spot where vegetables will receive at least five hours of sun a day. Fence it off if you have pets – you can also use the fence to grow climbing peas and beans.
A metre width is practical for beds so that there is access from both sides for sowing, weeding and harvesting. Prepare the ground by forking over the area, removing weeds and stones and breaking up any lumps. Add half a bag of compost and a handful of a general fertiliser per square metre, rake the surface as evenly as possible, and water well the day before planting.
Root crops and legumes (beans, peas) grow best when seed is sown directly into their permanent position. Planting in single or wide rows makes identifying weeds easier. Mark rows with stretched string, then make a furrow on this line to the correct depth recommended on the seed pack.
Sow seed sparingly, cover with a thin layer of soil, and press down firmly before watering. When sowing fine seed, mix a teaspoon of the seed with a cup of sand or meal. Thin out seedlings to allow those left to develop into strong healthy plants.
To avoid washing away seed, use a watering can with a fine rose and protect seeds by covering with bird-proof netting.
Sow seed at intervals rather than have too many vegetables maturing at the same time. Save ground space by growing cucumbers, courgettes, tomatoes and runner beans vertically on wigwams and trellis. Mulch between rows to conserve water and reduce weeds.
On hot days, prevent vegetables from wilting by watering early in the morning and, if necessary, again in the late afternoon.
The potential of vegetables as temporary fillers in the flower garden is also often overlooked. Lime-green or red frilly-leafed lettuce are ornamental enough to fill any gap in the front of a border. Cabbages can also be used as temporary fillers: those with red-purple leaves will accentuate a red border, while blue-green cabbages will introduce a contrast in form and texture with white flowers.
What to plant
Follow your taste – choose between colourful red and yellow tomatoes, red, yellow and green sweet peppers and lettuce with leaves that are frilly or plain, and green, rose or deep red in colour.
Swiss chard has a milder flavour than spinach, ‘Ruby’ has red stems and ‘Bright Lights’ has coloured stems of yellow, apricot, pink and red that are so decorative that they are often grown with flowers.
Herbs add texture and fragrance to a garden and flavour and interest to food. A practical way of growing herbs is in a formal herb garden with beds dissected by paths, but herbs are also attractive in flower borders where they add textural interest and fragrance.
Thyme is ideal for filling gaps between stepping-stones. Chives make a dainty edging, especially when their papery mauve flower heads appear.
Herbs also help discourage pests. Grow strongly-scented garlic chives, thyme and lavender as companions with roses to discourage aphids.
GENERAL TIPS
* Plant trap-plants like nasturtiums. Aphids are a common garden pest that causes damage to new growth on vegetables and flowers. Nasturtiums are trap-plants and you will find that aphids will abandon other plants to feed off your nasturtiums.
* Grow blue and white agapanthus to add grace and colour to your summer garden. Dwarf agapanthus is perfect for edging paths and borders and for containers. Medium and tall growers can be mass-planted, grown along driveways and in borders, or landscaped around a pool. White flowered agapanthus show up well in the evening garden.
* Containers are best planted in groups of three: large, medium and small pots. To make the most impact, try to make sure that the plant material is approximately two-thirds of the total height of each feature. - Saturday Star