Water Wise Veggies

With the cost of fresh veggies being affected with water shortages around the country many have turned to their own garden to help. There is still time to plant an autumn harvest and it is the start of sowing time for some of the winter crops in between. Being water wise is important too so here are out top tips to follow to get some fresh greens to the table.

Before we get into that have you seen the new colours of Garlic we have here at Eckards? Pink, Purple and giant garlic can all be planted now and be ready to harvest at the end of winter. We have also received some new stock of Banana’s!! Besides growing your own they also add a touch of the tropics to your garden. All they need is a sunny spot protected from the winter cold by a wall.

The veggie gardens have also taken strain this summer. But the other side of this hot summer is that autumn will most likely be hot too and a fresh crop of fast veggies can go in now to supplement the basket. As you pull out your summer crops that are ending always prepare the soil to replace the nutrients used up with the last harvest or that have washed out with all the watering.

Veggies love loads of organic matter and home-grown organic veggies even taste better than organic store bought. Leafy crops such as Cabbage, spinach and parsley also grow right through winter. So those can definitely go in now and last for months. Lettuce can be grown as perpetual lettuce where the leaves are harvested instead of cutting off the whole plant. Swiss chard can be harvested quite soon after planting and, like leeks, can be used over an extended period. They will grow in full sun to semi-shade. Look out for the new coloured veined varieties for something different.

A crop of Basil will grow very fast through autumn and last till the first heavy frosts so a great one to consider as a quick crop now. One never knows how long the heat will last but why not experiment with your favourites. If you are not sure what to plant our team here at Eckards will guide you every step of the way.

Our water wise tips for the veggie garden

• Keep your veggies from drying out by placing a layer of compost on them. This will help retain moisture and prevent wind from drying out the surface of the soil.

• Feed with an organic fertiliser such as BioGanic to help plants grow stronger cell walls which will help them be more resilient to the heat. It also makes them taste better! Organic fertilisers are slow release and don't wash out the soil with watering or burn with insufficient watering.

• Watering at the end of the day as the sun sets will help cool the garden and less water is lost to evaporation. Try not to get too much water on the leaves of veggies as most do better with water on the ground instead of being trapped between the leave. Especially lettuce of cabbages. Late watering will also get deeper to the roots and as the next morning starts they have water to get them ready for another hot day.

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Ref: http://eckards.co.za/gardening-news/water-wise-veggies.html