How to create a straw bale garden
November 22, 2023 1:01 pmLooking for an easy way to set up an instant raised bed garden and help your plants grow better at…
Looking for an easy way to set up an instant raised bed garden and help your plants grow better at…
There’s nothing quite like growing your own tomatoes but this can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. They can…
Pattypans are not one of the first vegetables you think of including in a dessert. They are mostly used in…
There are many reasons to consider sowing seeds in your vegetable garden. The first and most obvious reason is budget.…
Small food gardeners and those with only a balcony are always on the lookout for ways to maximise the number…
When it comes to indigenous edible plants, a few spring to mind, especially the fruit of the marula tree that…
The benefits of perennial vegetables are many, and there are very few drawbacks. Our local organic gardening guru, Dale Grobler,…
The idea of window box farming sounds delightfully quixotic and impractical. Actually, it’s an invitation to those who look longingly…
An Irish myth about a stingy person called Jack who ended up as a wandering soul started the craze of…
Sugar-snap peas are the ultimate garden fast food. There are few things more delicious than sugar-snap peas fresh from the…
It may take time, but growing your own luxurious spears of asparagus is very doable. Roasted with olive oil, pan-fried…
Shop-bought lettuce is available all year round, but for the home gardener growing lettuce in the winter is can be…
Radishes are one of those fast-growing crops in the garden that can also be sown throughout the year, so with…
Sweet and small, but big on flavour. Cherry tomatoes! The name says it all: they’re small and super-sweet, bite-sized like…
Soup is winter’s best treat, and whether you like your soup thick and chunky, consommé or as a tangy Asian…
Some plants grow well together and some don’t. In the vegetable garden you can get the best out of a…
Text Madison Moulton For many home cooks, the term ‘green beans’ doesn’t go beyond the steamed pods that accompany a…
We’re always told to eat spinach, but what are the other leafy greens that can fill this role in our…
A creamy zucchini soup with very little cream and lots of flavour from herbs and spices will go down very…
Do you want to grow your own? Look no further than the Kirchhoffs range of flower, vegetable and herb seeds…
By March baby marrows are usually at the end of their productive lives, with most leaves covered in powdery mildew.…
Eating healthily to keep healthy and maintain a good level of immunity is as much of a strategy in this…
Have some fun in the garden creating this ‘climb a slinky’ and some beans or peas. This is actually too…
Growing in popularity, the madumbe is a healthy alternative to the potato, traditional or sweet. Depending on who you ask…
Don’t we all love to snack? It’s not always because we are hungry, say the behaviourists who have studied the…
Herbs are the food gardener’s best partner in the quest to grow veggies organically. The partnership goes far beyond planting…
One of the benefits of growing your own veggies is the variety of plants from all over the world you…
Check out the sowing guide for February and you’ll notice that it is mainly greens. There is a saying that…
Pumpkins must place on the list of South Africa’s favourite holiday vegetables, whether mashed, in pampoenkoekies or in a classic…
Appearances can be deceptive, even in the veggie garden. Did you know there are double agent veggies? They can go…
Here’s a way to have at least one homegrown salad ingredient available all year round.Simply place an onion in the…
Can you imagine life without tomatoes? It’s hard – they’re such a basic ingredient of so many of our favourite…
Baby marrows, also known as courgettes or zucchinis, are the most rewarding plants for the home vegetable gardener to grow.…
Peas are essentially a cool-season vegetable and one of the first that can be planted in spring. The soil in…
Potatoes are an easy crop that can be grown all year round. The first crop is planted in August or…
Sweet potatoes are not a run-of-the- mill veggie where you just buy a packet of seeds, sow them and watch…
Don’t Slow Down Now! TEXT Alice Spenser-Higgs Autumn is a good time to grow vegetables in containers. The milder days…
By Alice Spenser-Higgs Get ready for winter Like September, March is a main sowing month, only this time it is…
Like all things miniature, baby cabbages have an appeal all of their own. They don’t take up as much growing…
Ooh, Melons! Known as cantaloupe in much of the world, here the sweet melon is generally referred to as spanspek…
Get rid of those pouts, grow brussel sprouts! A sprout from Brussels…? BRASSICA oleracea variety gemmifera, the vegetable we know…
The wonders of watercress. Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is a creeping perennial that is one of the oldest leafy vegetables to…
Pattypan squash (Cucurbita pepo) Pattypans look like little yellow, green or stripy spaceships and, like baby marrows, these bushy squashes…
Bulletproof! That’s how gardeners who grow kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. coulorapa) describe this versatile, under-rated vegetable. Along with radishes, it…
Flavourful Fennel Spicy and sweet, fennel is a cook’s dream and a delight for gardeners who love its striking foliage…
What’s to like? ● Cucumbers are a quick crop. Sow now and pick your first cucumber by end of Jan●…
Lush, Leafy Swiss Chard Swiss chard is nature’s gift to food gardeners because it is such an easy, rewarding vegetable…
What’s wrong with my Brassicas? As families go, the brassicas are demanding and temperamental, especially if they’re expected to perform…
Pods of Peas Frozen peas can never match the sweetness and tenderness of homegrown garden peas, especially when they’re eaten…
Carrots are delicious eaten raw or cooked, and studies suggest that eating one a day might beat taking vitamin supplements.…
Cabbage is one of our best winter crops, because it likes growing in cool, moist conditions. It is less troubled…
Asian noodles with bok choy A delicious blend of seafood, chicken, mushrooms, vegetables and Asian flavourings makes this dish a…
Heading into winter, the fresh flavour of Oriental vegetables balances the richness of winter food, and they are also good…
French Onion Soup This classic French soup is easy to make and will satisfy hungry tummies. For the soup 500g…
Know your onions It’s probably impossible to count the number of savoury recipes that contain onions. Onions (Allium cepa) is…
How to get kids to eat veggies It’s great to grow your own veggies and enjoy the taste of fresh…
It’s worth allocating some space and time to this melt-in-the-mouth veggie. Although butternuts, like pumpkins, take up more space than…
Fresh green beans are so versatile and delicious when properly prepared – a must have summer crop. Get cracking and…
It’s at its sweetest fresh off the cob before the sugars start converting, so it’s always best to grow your…
If you’re addicted to chillies, here’s how to grow them successfully from seed – there’s a world of unusual varieties…
Do flowers belong in a food garden? They certainly do, and not only those with edible petals! Many flowers double…
Tips for harvesting winter veggies • Harvest broccoli heads before the flower buds open and when they are still firm…
A potent superfood that’s now touted by celebrity chefs, kale is one of the few veggies that regularly crop through…
Sweet Parsnips Parsnips aren’t a vegetable that springs to mind, being more common in the colder countries than in South…
The radish belongs to the Brassicaceae family. While we are all familiar with the red radish, other cultivars come in…
Lusty Leeks Essential flavourings for cold season soups and stews, garlic, leeks, chives and onions are the kitchen garden’s storm…
Roses and vegetables are an obvious pairing for so many reasons. Roses and vegetables have a history of being grown…
Grey Water Growing veggies with grey water Grey water is waste water collected from the shower, bath, hand basin and…
The Gourmet Herb Artichoke As a vegetable, globe artichokes (Cynara scolymus) are considered a gourmet delicacy. As a garden plant,…
Radish With a Difference Radishes are a quick and easy spring crop, and there is a new Asian variety that…
Before 2019 celery was an elusive vegetable that appeared in the occasional salad or disguised in a chef’s mirepoix. But…
Prized Pumpkins Pumpkins are the big daddy of vegetables, and they certainly like to ramble. Although not ideal for small…
Super Smoothies Smoothies are a great way to use your home-grown fruit and veggies, and to get your daily requirement…
Capsicum annuum is the best-known domesticated species of pepper in the world and contains a huge number of varieties including…
Spinach by any other name Most of us use the terms ‘spinach’ and ‘Swiss chard’ interchangeably when referring to our…
Bravo For Brinjals The eggplant, aubergine, or brinjal is something of an acquired taste. If you like that slight bitterness,…
Bright And Beautiful Beetroot Beetroot is a stalwart of the garden; an efficient crop, grown year-round for its root and…
Summer heat with chillies: This summer up the heat in the garden and the kitchen with a selection of chillies…
In the spirit of World Cucumber Day on June 14, Tanya shows us how to grow these versatile vegetables successfully.…
March Vegetable Sowing Guide Summer rainfall temperate: Broccoli, Broad beans, Cabbage, Chinese cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Beetroot, Lettuce, Leeks, Garden…
Spicy, steamy, exotic, mysterious… there are so many more words that can be used to describe the subcontinent of India,…
If your eagerness to grow your own herbs and vegetables is being stymied by the lack of an area that…
Ingredients 1 garlic clove 1 onion, chopped 800 g white flour 50 ml olive oil 40 g fresh yeast 5…
August is the time to get out those seed packets and hone your sowing, spacing and thinning out skills. Since…
The ideal site for a food garden is one that is level, gets at least six hours of sun, has…
The roasted flavour in this soup gives it a more robust flavour. Ingredients 2 kg Roma tomatoes olive oil salt…
One of the joys of growing tomatoes in pots is that they do so well, and if the pots can…
Early December presents the last chance in the season to plant both the hot and the sweet capsicums, so whether…
Although it may not yet feel like it, autumn is on its way and root vegetables, including carrots, beetroot, onions,…
Many food gardeners have mixed feelings about the December holiday season. It is peak harvesting season for summer vegetables, weeds…
