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 […]
veggie
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. […]
Veggies on the braai
Veggies on the braai Some say that veggies should be cooked in the kitchen, but these recipes make for great sides and are all cooked over a flame. Stuffed onions Great flavours and charred onions make these a winner. White onions (½ – 1 per person) Blue cheese (or your favourite cheese) Bacon, chopped and […]
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 […]
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, […]
Sweet Potatoes
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 […]
Problems with my Brassicas
What’s wrong with my Brassicas? As families go, the brassicas are demanding and temperamental, especially if they’re expected to perform outside their comfort zone (which they won’t do!). But what would the winter veggie garden be like without them? A little empty for sure, because they are the big shots of the veggie garden. To […]
Oh-so easy Carrots!
Growing Great Carrots is Oh-so easy! A superb harvest of sweet, succulent carrots requires just a few things. But before we start chatting about growing carrots, let’s take a look at their story. In the 1500s there were all sorts of carrots on the market. Long ones, short ones, round ones, skinny ones and fat […]