Innholdsfortegnelse for Autumn 2017 i Grow to Eat

The 2017 Garden Trends Report from Garden Media is titled ‘Grow 365’, which tells us that the trend of growing all year round is an important one this year. A growing number of consumers are demanding clean food and cleaner environments, and we are paying more attention to the ingredients in food and the related health benefits. The best way to be sure about these things is to grow your own food. The trend report highlights the idea that anyone can grow anything, anywhere, at any time of year. With people choosing to live in smaller spaces and urban environments, growing indoors is often the only option. New technology is making growing indoors easier, with growing lights, hydroponics or aquaponics, in soil and without, all being used to produce clean,…

It's probably impossible to count the number of savoury recipes that contain onions. Onions (Allium cepa) is a member of the Allium family and contains a number of sulfides that are similar to those found in garlic. Sulfides have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory actions that help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as helping to relieve colds, flu, sinus conditions and chest infections. It is these sulfides that also make you cry when chopping up onions. Growing onions Growing onions is straightforward, although they are one of the 'longest' crops, taking anything from 4-7 months from sowing to harvesting. This represents quite an investment in time, space and resources, but it means that you can grow varieties that are not always available in the supermarket. By July onions are…

Cabbage is one of our best winter crops, because it likes growing in cool, moist conditions. It is less troubled by pests in winter, and the quality and taste is much better than when grown in summer. Like all brassicas it is rich in vitamin C and is a most economical crop – a little goes a long way when used as coleslaw or in soups and stews. For healthy, good-size cabbage heads, pay attention to watering, fertilising and pest control. Watering Water before 12:00 to allow plants to dry out by nightfall – they don’t like wet feet. Mulch around plants and keep the soil moist but not too wet, or allow it to dry out completely. In areas with a wet winter it is best to grow cabbage…

As families go, the brassicas are demanding and temperamental, especially if they’re expected to perform outside their comfort zone (which they won’t do!). But what would the winter veggie garden be like without them? A little empty for sure, because they are the big shots of the veggie garden. To get the best from them (like dealing with any difficult family member) you need to be aware of their likes and dislikes – don’t let them go hungry or thirsty, and keep the niggles (like aphids) at bay. By the end of winter they will be presenting their perfectly formed heads for your consumption. Here’s how to get the best from your brassicas, with acknowledgement to Alex Bronkhorst, brassica specialist for Sakata-Mayford Seeds, and Marlaen Straathof of Kirchhoffs Seeds. Broccoli…

Sow these seeds Broad beans Aquadulce Highly prolific and easy to grow, and yet one of the most delicious in terms of flavour and texture Carrots Chantenay Karoo A good performing, long-tapered deep orange, carrot that can be harvested over an extended period Cauliflower Wallaby A reliable producer of pure white solid heads and lots of wrapper leaves to protect it Garden peas Greenfeast An easy and rewarding heavy crop of large, even, well-filled pods. Sweet juicy peas for shelling on dwarf bushes Leeks Carentan Leeks with long, thick stems, vigorous and fast growing Lettuce Elisa A fast growing butter head lettuce that produces high quality heads. Good heat and cold tolerance and slow to bolt Onions Texas Grano 502 PRR Medium to late maturing short day, high-yielding brown onion…

Growing your own berries has become a trend over the last couple of years for many reasons: berries are expensive to buy from the shop, growing them is easy, and plants are becoming more readily available from nurseries. Goji berries (Lycium barbarum), a health-boosting superfood, fall into this category and can be grown successfully in our climate. Grow goji berries in well-composted soil in a sunny position. Plants need to be spaced 1m apart for an informal hedge or screen. Prune back in late winter to get a good crop of berries in late summer. Goji berries can also be grown in containers, but this may limit the size they reach. Water twice weekly and, because they are heavy feeders, mulch monthly with a layer of compost and feed with…

It was Dr Terou Higa, a horticultural professor from Okinawa in Japan, who in 1982 introduced to the world a compound of selected microbes that he called ‘Effective Microorganisms’ (EM). This culture’s lifecycle results in a by-product called bokashi, which means ‘fermented organic matter’ – a mixture of specially selected microorganisms inoculated into a suitable medium that, in an anaerobic atmosphere, work together to restore the natural balance of any organic system. And you can use it to recycle food waste into a great garden fertiliser. The daily bokashi regimen The process of recycling all household waste starts in the kitchen. Initially you need two container sets with taps to drain off liquid, and a supply of bokashi, which is readily available from commercial suppliers. You can use any organic…

What you need SA pine cut to: 6 x (390mm x 140mm x 20mm) (box front and back) 6 x (250mm x 140mm x 20mm) (box sides) 3 x (345mm x 140mm x 20mm) (box base) 4 x (1100mm x 45mm x 16mm) (legs) 2 x (320mm x 45mm x 16mm) (unit base) 20W COB LED grow lights, available from https:// makelight.co.za 3 plastic tubs (340mm x 250mm x 70mm) 4mm x 30mm cut screws Wood glue Wood filler 4 castor wheels Wood primer Enamel paint Tools Pencil, tape measure, combination square, jigsaw, drill, countersink bit, sander or sanding block, paint brush What you do 1 Make up the three boxes by joining the front, back and sides, using glue and screws. Drill pilot holes before screwing them together, to…

5 Tips for growing Brussels sprouts • Plant in firm soil. This will keep the plant well anchored. Space plants 60cm apart. • Grow in full sun in a position that is sheltered from the wind. Support the plants as the sprouts develop. • Water deeply and regularly. • Spray regularly with an organic insecticide to control aphids, whiteflies and caterpillars, especially on the underside of the leaves. • Remove the lower leaves when they turn yellow, and snap off the top of the stem when the bottom sprouts are ready for picking. The strength of the plant will then go into developing the rest of the sprouts. Ladybirds for aphid control Leave a patch of nettles somewhere in the vegetable garden for ladybirds to breed on, and note that…

As the temperatures start to cool slightly, an opportunity for a new start in your garden arrives. With a seed for every season, and 20 new additions to the range, RAW has got it covered. Take microgreens for instance. So much more than decor or a pretty touch, there is method to the madness of this craze. Perfect for light salads, microgreens are easy to grow. RAW’s Rainbow Blend of microgreens is a concoction of flavours from beetroot, Asian cabbage and kohrabi to Italian broccoli and radish. If you want something with a little more kick, try RAW’s Old Mexico version of the herbs as well. A combination of coriander, red beets, cabbage, radish and pepper cress, this variety is screaming for you to make tacos. And now for the…

Asuperb harvest of sweet, succulent carrots requires just a few things. But before we start chatting about growing carrots, let’s take a look at their story. In the 1500s there were all sorts of carrots on the market. Long ones, short ones, round ones, skinny ones and fat ones – just about any shape and size you can think of. Then there were the colours: white, yellow, green, red, blue, purple and black. In fact, just about every colour other than orange. That is, until a Dutch carrot breeder crossed (we presume) a yellow carrot with a red carrot, which resulted in the first orange carrot. Knowing that the Dutch Royal House is called ‘The House of Orange', he presented his unique orange carrot to the Dutch king, who was…

Herbs grow so well in pots that there is almost no excuse for not growing your own. Nothing solves a problem like a pot. No space, not enough sun, heavy clay soil, dogs that dig – the solution to all these problems is to grow herbs in pots. Then they can be squeezed into tiny corners, put on windowsills, balconies or patios, and kept sheltered from draughts and frost. From an aesthetic point of view, herbs in pots are decorative – they can be used to ‘furnish’ outdoor living areas, act as a feature within a garden and beautify a kitchen courtyard. In winter, potted herbs can be brought indoors or cared for in a sunny, sheltered spot. The right planting mix Most herbs like soil that drains well, and…

There is archaeological evidence that apples (Malus domestica) have been eaten since as far back as 6500 BC, and they have also been associated in mythology with youthfulness and health through the ages. While an apple is credited with solving the problem of gravity in Isaac Newton’s mind, they also have incredible nutritional value. Apples are the most versatile of fruit trees, with a wide range of cultivars ripening at different times during the season and therefore offering fruit from mid-summer to mid-spring, if stored correctly. They are well adapted to cold winters and can grow almost anywhere in the garden. The range of cultivars is such that they will suit most types of soil and climates. Suitable climates For the trees to flower they need a long period at…

Lemon trees attract a wide variety of pests and diseases, many of which can quickly spread across the tree and onto neighbouring trees if not dealt with promptly. Fortunately most can be treated with easily obtainable treatments. Citrus canker Of all the diseases afflicting lemon trees, citrus canker is possibly the most serious. It’s caused by a bacterial infection that results in yellowish, halo-like scabs on the fruits, leaves and twigs. The bacteria is spread by wind, insects, birds, garden implements and anyone who brushes up against the tree. If left unchecked, the disease spreads quickly and can result in blemished fruit, fruit drop, leaf loss and even death of the tree. Treatment is prevention rather than cure, with a liquid copper fungicide. If the tree becomes infected there is…

www.soilforlife.co.za 1 Excess summer harvest It’s often difficult to use up a previous season’s harvest, but there is plenty that you can do with it. First of all, make sure that you have selected the finest produce for saving seeds. Dry the seeds well and store them in paper packets or folded paper plates in a clean, dry place until you’re ready to use them. As summer passes into autumn, you may well find that you have a surplus of tomatoes, kale, onions, peppers, chillies, brinjals, morogo, kohlrabi, carrots, leeks, beans and baby marrows. It’s easy to freeze stuff to take you through the winter, but there are other ways of preserving vegetables. Of all the methods of preserving food, drying is the simplest and most natural. It’s also the…

Few gardening experiences are more rewarding than picking home-grown edibles, and the ways in how they are produced are always changing. In simple terms, you don’t need much to start a veggie patch. The basic requirements are fertile soil, good drainage, full sun for at least five hours a day, water, a few basic gardening tools, packets of seed, vegetable seedlings, fruit trees and potted herbs. But why not venture a little further by also focusing on strong design? It's all in the detail Modern vegetable gardens are not merely functional, but are also designed with care and thought to be elegant and highly ornamental. They often boast ornamental hedges of perhaps lavender or rosemary, are filled with flowering plants between leafy vegetables, and are rounded off with herbs and…

Heading into winter, the fresh flavour of Oriental vegetables balances the richness of winter food, and they are also good sources of sources of vitamin C, betacarotene, vitamins B2 and B6, folic acid, iron, magnesium and calcium. Varieties Mizuna grows to about 30cm in height and is an attractive leaf mustard with a pleasant taste, milder than most mustards and somewhat reminiscent of rocket, but sweeter. The leaves are dark green, narrow and fringed at the edges. Mizuna needs more moisture than the other oriental vegetables so should be grown separately. It can also be successfully grown in containers. With its red-tinged leaves, red giant mustard is very attractive. The leaves have a distinct hot mustard flavour and the flowers are edible. The leaves can be added to stir-fries as…

Frozen peas can never match the sweetness and tenderness of homegrown garden peas, especially when they’re eaten straight from the pod. What better way to introduce children or grandchildren to the delights of veggie gardening? They are good for the garden too, and are used to fix nitrogen in the soil, which benefits future crops. When to plant Garden peas need warmth to germinate, cool weather for growing and will not flower if the days are too short. They should ideally be timed to grow in winter and flower after the frost. Sowing times vary from region to region and sowing guides are just that – guides. Work out your best time to sow based on your own microclimate. Peas need plenty of winter sun and fertile, well-composted soil that…

The traditional cider-making method, pulp and press, requires a big, unwieldy, expensive kit. What’s needed is an alternative method that is simple, cheap, compact, quick, efficient, and suited to use in a domestic kitchen. Indeed, this was what we garden apple growers of Scillonian Road, Guildford, England, wanted when we found ourselves with a bumper 500kg of fruit crop in 2011. Not wishing to spend serious money on a pulp-and-press kit, our solution to this happy problem of surplus fruit eventually took the form of our ‘juiceand- strain’ cider-making method. This has a heavy-duty, whole-fruit kitchen juicer at its core, and this is how you go about making it work for you. What you need For 20 litres of cider 40kg apples 5g champagne yeast Sanatising solution Sugar (optional) Juicer…

Acutting garden fits easily into a veggie garden because it needs the same conditions: plenty of sun, a level site, well-composted soil and good air circulation to prevent fungal disease, but also some protection from draughts in winter. Likewise, beds can follow the same layout: rectangular with narrow pathways between them for ease of access and space to work. Planning tips • Plant the same variety of cut flower in a bed or section of a bed. This is space efficient and makes it easier when it comes to cutting. Group varieties with similar sun, water and drainage requirements in the same area. • Annuals and perennials should be planted separately because annuals have a much shorter production period and will be changed seasonally. Allow space for successive crops of…

Alemon tree dripping with yellow balls of sunshine is a sight to see. But after you've given away the surplus from a jumbo harvest to friends and neighbours and the community at large, there should still be some left over for a sweet and sour explosion of flavour. When life gives you lemons, as they say, make lemon curd. Lemon curd is versatile. Spoon it over ice cream, pancakes, scones, use it between cake layers, make a lemon meringue tart, or simply smear it on a slice of hot buttered toast. It can also be used with savoury dishes like roast chicken, or just eaten straight from the jar. We paired our lemon curd with mini doughnuts. You can fill them or dip them, but whatever you do, make a…