Admittedly, we can’t grow our summer favourites like tomatoes, sweet peppers, and all the different squashes, but on the upside, think of all the different types of lettuce and cabbage, purple broccoli and cauliflower, as well as all those tangy Asian greens and mustards.
It may seem that winter is harder on the crops, with icy nights, frost and short days, but there is also an absence of pests, cruel summer heat and the need for constant watering to prevent heat stress.
Winter gardening has its own challenges, and by learning how to manage them, the winter veggie garden can be as abundant as the summer one.
Non-negotiable: lots of sun
Veggies do best with full sun in winter, or with at least six hours of sunshine. Anything less than that and the veggies will be spindly, unproductive and weak plants – not worth the effort.
If there is not enough sun where the veggies are normally grown, find a sunny spot elsewhere. Observe which areas of your garden are being hit with sun and for how many hours during the day.
Here are some options:
• Grow veggies, especially leafy greens and brassicas, in sunny flower beds.
• Convert your pavement garden into a veggie garden. That is often where the most sun is.
• Grow vegetables in pots and keep them in the sunnier areas.
• Use window boxes for salad greens and radishes.
• Go vertical and set up a vertical garden against a sunny wall.
Plant a variety of short-, medium and long-term crops.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2021 من The Gardener.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2021 من The Gardener.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
FIRE AND Feathers!
On a dreary winter's day, a screen of fiery and feathery leaves puts up a fight against dullness!
GET THE ladies in!
At this time of year, early-flowering shrubs vie with each other to get the most attention. We say: Trust those with female names for frills and butterflies. They go the extra mile to flower their hearts out.
Vegetable Soups and dumplings
Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner.
Yummy sweet potatoes for your good health
Boiled, baked or braaied, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are a delicious and healthy winter comfort food. Just a dollop of butter, a little seasoning and you are good to go.
Pretty and functional
If cooking is your main thing, you would probably be more interested in the culinary value of the three herbs and some of their varieties we are describing.
Dried Seedheads & Pods
Autumn and winter are the best times to see what flowers produce the best seedheads that can be left on the plants to feed the birds and bugs and for harvesting for dried arrangements.
SO MANY FACES and so many choices...
Whoever associated a Cotyledon orbiculata (pig's ear) with the ear of a pig obviously did not know about all the varieties and cultivars this species in the genus Cotyledon has.
COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!
If it comes to a vote, these dependable shrubs will be the top candidates for prime performance in winter and in other seasons...
What makes a garden sustainable?
It is interesting to note that the United Nations defines sustainable development as: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation
Nestled within Prince Albert's rustic embrace lies a gem that is a testament to the transformative power of human vision and nature's bounty.