After two months of preparing the beds, watching the weather and waiting, the first cool days of autumn gave me the thumbs up to start my kitchen garden in earnest.
During February and March it was just too hot to sow seed and this was borne out by the experience of my colleagues when none of theirs germinated. But when the weather suddenly cooled at the end of March I knew it was time to start sowing my winter and spring vegetables, flowers and herbs.
Before sowing I dug over the beds once more and added yet another load of compost. The reason for such extravagance is that part of the new vegetable garden was once a road lined by Syringa trees and I could see that the soil had been depleted by the trees and compacted by the road.
The first seed sown was cabbage, beans, peas and Swiss chard. I sowed two rows of each and left space for succession planting. That bit of extra loving care that went into the soil worked because I had 100% germination. Visit www.herb.co.za/kitchengarden.htm. to see the varieties I used.
Three and a half weeks later I ‘pricked out’ the first peas (when they reached a height of 5cm) and the second lot of peas have germinated.
Thinning out vegetables to the required distances (info on seed packets) is important because it allows good air circulation between the plants which reduces the likelihood of fungus diseases. Proper spacing also allows the plants to develop into bushy plants that will fruit well.
Unlike the traditional kitchen garden that is tucked away at the side of the house, mine is at the entrance and is the first thing you see when arriving at home. For this reason I have incorporated a lot of flowering colour as well, making it both beautiful and functional.
Beds of Namaqualand daisies, calendulas (poor man’s saffron), and sweet peas are interspersed among the vegetables. California poppies are another option. Nasturtiums have seeded themselves on the opposite side of the road and when everything is flowering it should be a riot of colour.
A mass planting of Pineapple Sage and Lemon verbena, edged with Duranta ‘Sheena’s Gold’ marks the beginning of the kitchen garden and the entrance to the property. The Pineapple sage is the most rewarding of all flowering herbs because it is never without its spikes of post-box red flowers that are borne in abundance.
Within the kitchen garden there is also a ‘spicy herb’ section where I have planted half a bed of horseradish and lemon grass with turmeric behind.
But that is not the end of the kitchen garden. This past week beetroot, radishes and lettuce were planted in the raised beds closer to the kitchen. They are sharing space with the last of the chillies and are next to my original herb garden, consisting of basil, thyme, lemon grass, mint, winter savory, fennel, parsley, chives and garlic chives.
When I was not able to work in the new kitchen garden all the herbs were given a good trim and they are now bushing well and will go happily through winter.
Living on a plot on the warm side of Pretoria, I have had the luxury of space for my kitchen garden. I have kept the layout simple with beds 1 m wide by 3 m long bordered with treated gum poles and pathways in between so that I can reach into each bed from either side.
The final touch has been using containers of standard Melaleuca Johannesburg Gold with Aloe Vera at the base to add height and interest.
For more information on what to do in the kitchen garden visit www.herb.co.za/kitchengarden.htm.
This article appeared in my monthly column for the Citizen newspaper.
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