Sweet Potatoes Sweet potatoes are not a run-of-the- mill veggie where you just buy a packet of seeds, sow them and watch them grow. No, for sweet potatoes you need to know someone who grows their own and can provide you with runners. The bottom line is this: it takes a little effort to get […]
vegetables
Don’t Slow Down Now!
Don’t Slow Down Now! TEXT Alice Spenser-Higgs Autumn is a good time to grow vegetables in containers. The milder days are less stressful for the veggies than the blistering heat of summer. Looking ahead to winter, containers can be shifted into sunny, sheltered areas, especially if the veggie garden is draughty or doesn’t get enough […]
Growing vegetables
Growing vegetables By Alice Spenser-Higgs Get ready for winter Like September, March is a main sowing month, only this time it is for autumn and winter crops. The cooler days make working in the garden a pleasure, so make the most of available time to set up the veggie garden for the next few months. […]
Pioneering braai delicacies
The rich aroma of whole coriander seeds scorching in the kitchen fills the home and wafts in fragrant clouds onto the stoep. It could mean only one thing – Flick du Toit is in the house, and she’s making her champion boerewors! Flick grew up on a sheep farm in Bedford in the Eastern Cape, […]
Baby Cabbages
Baby Cabbages Like all things miniature, baby cabbages have an appeal all of their own. They don’t take up as much growing space as big cabbages (which is an important consideration for small gardens) and they are ready for harvesting a whole lot sooner. If you don’t have a large family then a big head […]
Ooh, Melons!
Ooh, Melons! Known as cantaloupe in much of the world, here the sweet melon is generally referred to as spanspek by English and Afrikaans speakers alike. Apparently the name arose in the Cape – the tale goes that Lady Juana Maria de los Dolores de Léon Smith, the Spanish wife of Sir Harry Smith (Governor […]
Brussel Sprouts
Get rid of those pouts, grow brussel sprouts! A sprout from Brussels…? BRASSICA oleracea variety gemmifera, the vegetable we know as Brussels sprouts, arose from the same parent plant as cabbage, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi and cauliflower and thus shares the same genus and species names as them. The ‘Brussels’ in the common name comes from […]
Watercress Wonders
The wonders of watercress Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is a creeping perennial that is one of the oldest leafy vegetables to be eaten by humankind. It is an aquatic or semiaquatic member of the Brassicaceae family and originates in Europe and Asia. Despite its name, it is not related to the nasturtium. The hollow stems and […]
Pattypans
Pattypans Pattypan squash (Cucurbita pepo) Pattypans look like little yellow, green or stripy spaceships and, like baby marrows, these bushy squashes are easy to grow, with a prolific yield. The fruit is so colourful and looks so good on the plant that you have to discipline yourself to pick them! If you have the space, […]
Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi Growing • It’s a brassica so likes sun and fertile soil. Add compost and well-rotted manure. An organic fertiliser like Vita-Veg (6:3:4) can also be added. • Sow seed directly into the ground or into seed trays and keep the soil moist during germination. • Transplant the seedlings when they can be handled, or […]