TIPS: Growing Your Own Herbs and Veggies

COMPILED BY Lindi Brownell Meiring


If you turn to page 150 in the Spring Issue of VISI (74), you’ll find our feature on GROWbags, Cape Town’s very own handmade planters. A portion of the proceeds of each sale go towards Soil For Life, a local NGO that helps people grow their own food in a low-cost, eco-friendly way.

With gardening at the top of our agenda this season, we thought we’d chat to the clever team at GROWbag for their suggestions on which vegetables and herbs you should be planting. There are loads of options to choose from, but here’s 5 useful herbs and 5 everyday veggies you can grow in a planter at home.

HERBS

1. Rocket

When To Plant: All year

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: 4 – 5 weeks

How To: Scatter seeds on top of the soil in your bag. Sprinkle a small amount of soil on top of the seeds. Water directly after seeding, then regularly to keep soil moist.

2. Rosemary

When To Plant: September to February (cuttings in winter)

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: Immediate

How To: Put in light, sandy soil where you want your plant to grow or start in small pots and plant out when established. Space plants 100 – 150cm apart. Dryness suits rosemary, so well-drained soil and sunshine will be best. Once established rosemary can be harvested all year round. Small cuttings are recommended.

3. Coriander

When To Plant: September to February

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: 30 – 45 days

How To: Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Space plants from thin to 45cm. Grows to about 60cm. Coriander is frost tender but it doesn’t like extreme heat. Needs a sunny spot and mulch to prevent drying out. Keep very well watered. If they dry out, then they will bolt to seed.

4. Basil

When To Plant: September to April

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: 10 – 12 weeks

How To: Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4 – 6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Space plants 20 – 25cm apart. Pick before flowering. As the plant develops, pinch out the top and pick off flowers to encourage growth. Place inside to protect in winter.

5. Parsley

When To Plant: September to June

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: Takes a long time to germinate. It’ll be about 3 – 5 weeks before the seedlings appear.

How To: Space plants 20 – 30cm apart. Grows to about 20 – 30cm until it flowers when the stems will shoot up to about 1m.

VEGETABLES

1. Tomatoes

When To Plant: August to December

Difficulty Level: Medium

Harvest Time: 8 – 17 weeks

How To: Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4 – 6 weeks / or use seedlings. Mulch to protect soil from drying out. Space plants 50cm apart. Water regularly to keep soil moist. Feed regularly with natural fertiliser when you water.

2. Beetroot

When To Plant: July to November / February to April

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: 7 – 10 weeks

How To: Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Space plants 20 – 30cm apart. Soak seeds in water 24 hours before planting so that you can separate the seeds. Keep well-watered as dry beetroot develops a woody and inedible core. Make sure the top of the beet’s bulb is covered with soil; this keeps the entire bulb the same color and prevents ‘corkiness’ at the top of the bulb.” For tasty and tender beetroot, start harvesting at golfball-size.

3. Courgette (Zucchini/Marrow)

When To Plant: August to January

Difficulty Level: Medium

Harvest Time: 6 – 9 weeks

How To: Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed and plant out in 4 – 6 weeks. Space plants 50 – 90cm apart. Cut the fruit often to keep plant producing. Plant into well composted bed and mulch. Needs regular plentiful water.

4. Spring Onions

When To Plant: All year round

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: 8 – 12 weeks (before fully mature)

How To: Sow in rows with the seeds close together. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Water well after planting the seeds, then regularly to keep soil moist. Once spring onion seedlings are out, mulch to protect soil from drying out.

5. Carrots

When To Plant: All year round

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: 12 – 18 weeks

How To: Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Water well before and after planting the seeds, then regularly to keep soil moist. Space seeds 15cm apart. Carrots take about 3 weeks to show themselves. Once carrot seedlings are out, mulch to protect soil from drying out. Grows well in cool, deep soil.

For more information about GROWbag, visit growbag.co.za and check out page 150 in VISI 74. Also note, Soil For Life runs Grow To Live weekend workshops that will teach you everything from how to plan your own veggie garden to using natural fertilisers. Visit soilforlife.co.za for more information.