Grow your own…. Back to your roots
A new season is around the corner and although the soil is still too cool for sowing, start preparing for root veggies that can be sown from the beginning of September.
Beetroot, carrots, parsnips, radishes and turnips germinate in cool soil, when day temperatures are consistently between 18° C to 21°C.
Bed preparation
- Where space needs to be cleared, remove plants that have died down or are at the end of their life span. These can be put onto the compost heap.
- Dig the compost into the bed, making sure to break down the big lumps of soil and add bonemeal which is very good for root development.
- Root veggies like loose, free-draining soil. If you have heavy, sticky soil, a raised bed is ideal for them. Make sure the soil is free of stones and sticks that could cause misshapen roots.
- After digging over the bed, water it well so that the soil can settle. Then let it stand until the temperatures are high enough for sowing seed.
Beetroot doesn’t take up much space and can even be planted in the flower beds. For a continuous supply, sow at four to six week intervals. Because seeds are actually seed clusters of 2 to 5 seeds, the seedlings will appear in fairly dense clumps. For a good root crop thin out the seedlings to about 5cm apart when they are about 5cm high. Feed once a month with a liquid organic fertilizer. Harvest when the roots are 5-10cm in diameter.
Varieties to grow: Kirchhoffs Detroit Dark Red, Crimson Globe and Bulls Blood are all heirloom varieties.
Carrots are best homegrown because most commercially grown carrots are cultivated using pesticides and other chemicals. Carrot seed is very fine and is best sown in rows where it is to grow. For an even spread of seed, it can be mixed with fine sand or mealie meal. Thin out continuously until the final plants are 5cm apart. Carrots are ready for harvesting within 10 to 12 weeks. Don’t delay harvesting because if the shoulders of the carrot are green they are past their best and will be woody and bitter.
Varieties to grow: Kirchhoffs ‘Cape Market’ was developed for South African conditions and is a sweet, medium to large cylindrical carrot. Very easy to grow. ‘Little Finger’ is a small, sweet orange carrot (finger sized) and ideal for containers. Sow at 14 day intervals during spring and summer to ensure a constant crop.
Garden tasks for August
- Dig compost, well-rotted manure, organic material, or carbon soil conditioners into the soil.
- Pinch off the growing tips of broad beans to encourage pods to set.
- Harvest brussels sprouts from the bottom upwards.
- Increase watering as the days get warmer.
- Give overwintered leafy crops a tonic boost with a drench of a kelp-based feed.
What to sow in August?
Where the soil is not warm enough, sow in seed trays:
- Summer rainfall areas:. beetroot, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, garden peas, radish, spinach, Swiss chard, turnip.
- Winter rainfall areas: Beetroot, carrots, lettuce, parsnips, garden peas, radishes, bush and trailing squash, Swiss chard, turnips
- Lowveld and KwaZulu Natal coast: Asparagus, bush/runner beans, brinjals, capsicums, carrots, cucumber, mealies, melons, pumpkin, radishes, bush and trailing squash, Swiss chard.
Article published in Tuis.
