Winter is on its way and soup is sure to be on the menu. Sow your soup veggies this month.
Soup is our number one comfort food and it is no co-incidence that winter soup recipes contain veggies that can weather the cold: carrots, leeks, turnips, parsnips, broad beans, peas, cabbage and kale.
A hearty soup is one of the healthiest ways to enjoy all the nutrients we need in one steaming bowl.
A good soup contains protein (meat or vegetable), vitamins and minerals (from root and leafy vegetables), and herbs for added flavour.
5 easy-to-grow veggies for soup
Carrots
Carrots are the perfect autumn crop because they grow best in cool conditions. They will be sweeter and with a deeper colour. They are great space savers because they grow downwards, ideal for small gardens.
Good to know:
Shallow sow seed in small furrows in very fine soil. Keep the soil moist during germination.
Thin out the seedlings for a better yield. Final spacing should tb 3 – 5 cm apart.
Try this: Kirchhoffs carrot “Cape Market’ was developed for South African conditions. It is a sweet, medium to large carrot.
Leeks
Leeks are a cool season crop and April is a good time to sow them.. They grow easily in most types of soil and need a steady supply of moisture. They are not troubled by pests and diseases.
Planting tips
- Dig deeply, at least 60cm down, to allow for the length of the ‘blanched’ stems and the extensive roots. Enrich the soil with compost.
- Start seed in seed trays and transplant when the seedlings are big enough to handle.
- Drop a seedling into each hole but do NOT firm down the soil.
Important tip: Water with a sprinkler or watering can so that the soil settles around the roots. The hole will gradually close up with subsequent watering. As the plant grows gradually mound up the soil against the stems, up to the leaf sheaf, making sure not to cover it.
Try this: Kirchhoffs leeks ‘Carentan’ is anexcellent substitute for onions, often used for soups and stews. The broad dark green leaves and long thick stems have a fine flavour.
Kale
Kale is full of goodness and favourite ingredient of celebrity chefs. It is cold hardy and the leaves become sweeter after a mild frost. It is quick to harvest because you don’t have to wait for a head form, and it provides a steady supply of leaves throughout winter into spring
Growing tips
Start seed in seed trays and transplant once plants are 10cm high (two true leaves).
As the plants grow, draw the soil up around the stems to support them.
Pick leaves from the bottom upwards and leave the top four leaves as this is the growing crown.
Try this. Kirchhoffs Kale ‘Vates Blue’ is alsoknown as Curly Kale. The compact plants yield tender, blue-green, crinkled leaves that are quite delicious and rich in vitamin A.
Turnips
Turnips are a good substitute for potatoes and the green turnip tops can be added too as they are high in nutrients and low in calories.
Turnips don’t take up much space so they can be grown in containers. They are quicker to harvest than other brassicas.
- Sow in situ in finely worked soil or in good quality potting soil in containers, and thin out seedlings to about 10cm apart.
- From 35 to 40 days onwards you can start harvesting. The turnips reach full size by 90 days. but beyond that they could become starchy.
Try this: Kirchhoffs turnip ‘Early Purple Top Globe’ has a white body with a purple shoulder. It has tender sweet flesh. Its also good harvested for baby veggies.
Garden Peas
Green peas are winter’s sweetest taste. Bush peas are probably easier to grow because they don’t need trellising.
Peas like plenty of winter sun and soil that drains well but that has been well dug over and composted. Lime can be worked into the soil three to four weeks before planting.
- Sow seed in single or in double rows. Sow seed in shallow drills and keep the soil moist during germination.
- Sow a new batch every three weeks for an extended harvest.
- Thin out the seedlings to 40cm between plants.
- Do not over water as cold, wet soil encourages damping off and root rot.
Try this: Kirchhoffs ‘Greenfeast’ bush pea is a very hardy variety which requires very little attention.
For more information visit: www.kirchhoffs.zo.za
Written by Alice Coetzee