July is when winter really starts to bite. Everything goes dormant, including the gardener, which makes this the month to plan for spring and summer, look back at lessons learnt, and undertake the basic garden tasks at a leisurely pace.
There’s a reason why July is a quiet time in the garden – it gives us time to plan for the next season.
Review the past season: jot down your successes and failures, problems with pests and diseases, oversupply or undersupply, which veggies you would like to plant more of, others that you can ditch, and perhaps what you would like to try.
Factor the first and last frost dates into your planning. Sean Freeman of Living Seeds advises that the last winter planting in the ground should be at least 3-4 weeks before the first frost. In areas that don’t get frost the cut-off is when the night temperature drops below 10°C. In spring, don’t sow in situ until after the last frost.
Once you have decided what to plant, set up your sowing/ planting schedule, which includes succession planting and estimated harvest date. This can be done on a weekly or monthly basis with the aid of computer programmes, a year planner, even with your smartphone!
Incorporate soil preparation, compost making, feeding and pest control into the plan.
Getting a head start
While the first part of July is all about planning, the second half can be devoted to kickstarting that plan, by starting seed indoors in seed trays or pots, under warm, controlled conditions.
Veggies that can be started in this way are fruiting or ‘aboveground’ crops like brassicas, squashes, leafy greens, tomatoes, brinjals, peppers and chillies. Carrots and other below-ground crops are not suitable.
After the last frost it’s safe to plant out hardened seedlings, which brings harvest time forward by up to a month.
3 must-haves for starting seed indoors
Seeds need moisture, the correct soil temperature and light (sometimes) to trigger germination.
Warm soil
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2017 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 July 2017 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.