Get the most from your winter veggie garden
May is the last month of autumn and while the soil is still warm you can sow radishes, beetroot, carrots and any other root veggies, as well as kale, baby cabbage, kohlrabi, garden peas and broad beans.
The sooner you sow the better so that seedlings have enough growth before the first frost, which is expected by the end of May or early June. Gardens protected by walls or dense shrubs may have a microclimate that is not affected by frost, even if you live in a frost region.
How to keep veggies warm
Even tender leafy greens like lettuce and Swiss chard can thrive in winter with the protection of frost cloth, a thick mulch of straw, cloches made from 2 litre plastic bottles to protect small seedlings or a mini homemade tunnel.
If you are too busy to put frost cloth on at night and take it off the next morning, make a mini greenhouse. This is a small plastic tunnel using wire that can be bent into hoops and lay plastic sheeting over it. Bury the edge of the plastic in soil to secure it. The aim is to moderate the very low night temperatures by letting the sun warm up the soil during the day.
5 tips for keeping your veggies happy
Thin out seedlings so that they don't compete for water and nutrients.
Watch out for pests like aphids and spray with environmentally friendly sprays like Ludwig's Insect Spray. Put out the Kirchhoffs pet safe snail trap to get rid of slugs and snails.
Ease up on watering if a cold front is predicted, but don't let the soil dry out completely.
Water during the warmest time of the day and avoid wetting the leaves. Over watering results in cold wet soil that encourages damping off while under-watering stresses plants making them less resilient to frost.
Feed seedlings with a liquid fertiliser or plant tonic like Margaret Roberts Organic Supercharger to strengthen them to resist the cold.
Veggies to sow now
Radishes, baby cabbage and spring onions mature quickly, while beetroots, carrots and greens hold well in garden beds. Broad beans, and leeks mature towards the end of winter.
Beetroot 'Bulls Blood' requires a finely prepared soil in which to form well-shaped roots. For a good crop thin out the seedlings to about 5cm apart when they are about 5cm high and keep on thinning out until remaining beetroot are 10 to 15 cm apart. Thinned seedlings can be used as micro greens.
Cabbage 'Baby Green Gonzales' or 'Baby Red Primero' can be started in seed trays and when seedlings are large enough to handle transplant into well composted fertile soil. Space baby cabbages about 25cm apart. If plants are too close together the heads won't develop.
Radish 'Cherry Belle' can be sown a row at a time so that you won't be overwhelmed by an oversupply. Seeds germinate in three to eight days and are ready for picking from three weeks. The nicest radishes are pulled before they are fully grown. Regular watering will produce crisp, tasty radishes.
Spring onions 'White Lisbon' sown directly into the ground take 7 to 14 days to germinate. Once the plants are large enough (60 days onwards) you can start pulling them up, bulb and all. To keep them going, take four or five out of the clump that you have harvested and replant them about 7cm (four fingers) apart. The younger they are when picked the nicer they are.
Spinach 'Bloomsdale' is a proper spinach (not Swiss chard) with thick, glossy leaves that are not bitter if harvested young. This heirloom veggie withstands the cold.
For baby leaves sow 3-5 seeds 2cm apart but for full grown leaves sow in rows 30cm apart. Germination should be within five to 10 days and the first harvest within 30 days. Thin out seedlings 15 to 20cm apart if growing to full size.
Broad bean 'Longpod Aquadulce' can be sown directly into the soil where the plants are to mature. Plant two seeds per hole and if both germinate, pinch or cut off the weaker plant but don't leave the two plants to compete. Broad beans need moist soil and feeding with a liquid fertiliser at least once a month. Stake as they grow. Beans should be ready for harvesting within 12 to 16 weeks.
For more information visit Kirchhoffs.
Article and images supplied by Alice Coetzee.
For more on gardening, visit Get It Magazine.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
5 days ago
- eNCA
Swiss pilot takes big step closer to solar plane altitude record
ZURICH - Swiss pilot Raphael Domjan got within around a thousand metres of setting a new altitude record in a solar-powered plane on Sunday as he chases the goal of breaking the 10,000 metres barrier. Self-described eco-explorer Domjan flew the SolarStratos electric plane to an altitude of 8,224 metres in a flight lasting around four and a half hours, his team told reporters, after he landed back at Sion airport in southwestern Switzerland. The current altitude record for a solar plane stands at 9,235 metres, set in 2010 by the Solar Impulse experimental aeroplane, flown by Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg. Domjan is aiming to get to 10,000 metres or beyond -- flying at the same altitude as airliners. A warm-up flight on July 31 got to 6,589 metres -- the highest-ever for SolarStratos. AFP | Nalini LEPETIT-CHELLA, Paz PIZARRO And an attempt on Friday was cut short when the rising warm air thermals needed to boost the ascent failed to materialise, with Domjan turning back to preserve the charge in the batteries for Sunday, when the conditions looked more promising. Sunday's second attempt of the season set a new high altitude best for the two-seater SolarStratos, which has high-spec solar panels covering its huge 24.8-metre wingspan. The slow-charging plane will be left out in the sun to get the batteries back up to 100 percent for the next attempt. "To be a pioneer, an adventurer, it means trying something you are not sure will succeed," Domjan told AFP on Friday. "We'll try and try until we go to 10,000 metres.
eNCA
08-08-2025
- eNCA
Pioneer spirit drives Swiss solar-powered plane altitude attempt
Swiss pilot Raphael Domjan on Friday made his first attempt of the year at setting a new aviation record: reaching an altitude of 10,000 metres in a solar-powered aeroplane. The SolarStratos electric plane took off from Sion airport in the Rhone valley in southwestern Switzerland at 1:21pm, in the hope that conditions higher up would prove favourable for record-chasing. But it soon became clear that the rising warm air thermals Domjan needed to boost the ascent were not there, and it was better to save energy and try again another day -- all in the pioneer spirit, according to the adventurer. The wildfires in neighbouring France were likely among the reasons why the forecast conditions had changed. Domjan touched down 38 minutes later, deciding to preserve the charge in the batteries with a view to another go on Sunday or Wednesday, when the baking hot conditions look more promising. "The flight was good but we didn't find any thermals," he told AFP after opening the cockpit and taking off his helmet, sweat rolling down his cheeks. "We really needed to find something to climb... the sun was there but not the thermal activities. "It was clear that it would not work. We tried." - 10,000-metre challenge - Domjan is aiming to get to 10,000 metres or beyond -- flying at the same altitude as airliners. Such a flight would take at least five hours. AFP | Fabrice COFFRINI "It's more difficult than expected," said the 53-year-old, who describes himself as an "eco-explorer" committed to climate protection. "That's why we are the first to go there," he said, adding: "We try because it's difficult." A warm-up flight on July 31 got to 6,589 metres -- the highest-ever for SolarStratos. The propeller plane, made of carbon fibre, is 9.6 metres long. It has a huge wingspan of 24.8 metres to accommodate the 22 square metres of high-spec solar panels topping the wings. The current altitude record for a solar plane stands at 9,235 metres, set in 2010 by the Solar Impulse experimental aeroplane, flown by Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg. "We'll try and try until we go to 10,000 metres, or it's the winter when there is no sun and we cannot try anymore," said Domjan. On Friday, Domjan reached 1,769 metres but quickly decided there was no point draining the batteries looking for thermal currents that were not going to show. The slow-charging plane will be parked back out in the sun to fill the batteries for next time. - Hanging in the sky - Domjan's mother was there to wave him off on his record attempt. After getting strapped into his emergency parachute and making a few last-minute notes on paper, Domjan strode towards his plane. "Right, see you later," he said before clambering into the cockpit. The hubbub in the hangar went quiet as he tested his oxygen mask, donned his helmet, checked his instruments and gave a farewell fist-bump before closing the canopy. The plane taxied on the runway to the gentle sound of a traditional Swiss alphorn, with Sion's Tourbillon Castle and Valere Basilica providing a striking backdrop. Almost immediately, SolarStratos was airborne, its slow movement giving it the impression of hanging in the sky as it drifted down the valley. The plane made several turns as it gradually climbed beyond the lower terraced vineyards, above the deep green pine trees, and then towards the snowless Alpine peaks piercing the clear blue sky. But Domjan found no rising thermals as he searched around Mont Gord -- and it was better to turn back. AFP | Fabrice COFFRINI In 2012, Domjan became the first person to sail around the world in a fully solar-powered boat. "If you want to be a pioneer, when you start you will never know if you will be a pioneer of success or a pioneer of failure," he said, once back in the hangar on Friday. "To be a pioneer, an adventurer, it means trying something you are not sure will succeed. "The pioneer spirit for me, the spirit of adventure is to try something that nobody has tried before, and maybe you will not be able to reach success."
The Citizen
01-08-2025
- The Citizen
Get ready for spring
August is the month to lay the foundation for the spring and summer garden. Getting busy this month will reap rewards throughout the summer to come. Feed the soil Plants need fertile soil that contains plenty of carbon that feeds microbes in the soil and they in turn make nutrients available to the plants. Well-rotted compost, dried leaves or dried grass cuttings mixed with compost are natural sources of carbon. Dig compost into the top 30cm of topsoil around perennials and shrubs as well as into beds that are intended for summer flowering annuals, new plants or vegetables. Loosen compacted soil and pull out the roots of invasive creepers or shrubs that are affecting the performance other plants. Trim and tidy up groundcovers, cutting them back a bit to get rid of any stalky growth. Finish by fertilising with a granular fertiliser like Vigorosa 5:1:5 and water in well. Feed the flowers Keep winter annuals flowering by feeding them every with a liquid fertiliser like Margaret Roberts Organic Supercharger and increase watering as temperatures rise and the days lengthen. Pansies and violas that were planted in late autumn may be looking tired but there is still time to replace them with a new batch. Plant them in a shadier position for summer and they will keep going until end October or later. If you didn't do it last month, fertilise perennials, roses, shrubs and bulbs with Vigorosa for better flowering. Fill the gaps Brighten up the wintery garden with cool season spring flowers like Osteospermum 'Flower Power' or 'Serenity'(Cape daisies) honey scented Lobularia 'Easy Breezy (alyssum) double or single flowered Argyranthemum 'Madeira'. For more info visit Ball Straathof. Try this Euphorbia hypericifolia 'Flurry' has tiny snowflake white flowers but is a garden toughie that doesn't melt in the heat. It is ideal for waterwise gardens and it can be planted almost anywhere because it grows in full sun and is also shade tolerant. Plant in free draining soil or in pots if the garden soil is on the clay side.. It flowers non-stop, even in winter in warm, frost free gardens as well as in sheltered containers. Water lightly and fertilise once a month. For more info visit Ball Straathof. Spruce up the lawn Scarify lawns that have a dense thatch of undergrowth. To do this rake the lawn to remove the thatch, then cut it down low with a lawn mower. Water well. Don't fertilise until it starts to grow. If the ground feels compacted take an ordinary garden fork and push it into the ground and wiggle it to loosen the ground. Do this over the whole lawn. Watering first will help. If the lawn does not need scarifying just apply 5:1:5 fertiliser and water well. Top dress the lawn if it needs to be levelled or hollows have formed. This only applies to Kikuyu. Top dressing LM grass or the cool season grasses like Shade over or All Seasons evergreen will kill them. Start veggie seed indoors The soil is still too cold for sowing or planting out seedlings but you can start seed in seed trays indoors or in a warm area outside. Start with fruiting crops like tomatoes, eggfruit, peppers and squash as well as cool season salad greens and garden peas. Try this: Honeynut squash looks like a mini butternut but is twice as flavourful and has a soft edible skin. Each squash is about 12cm long (the size of a small hand) and is a single serve or just enough for two. Plants are most productive grown in full sun in a large container or in fertile soil that drains well. For adequate pollination by wind or insects, grow at least three squash plants, the more the better. Fertilise once the flowers start of form. The fruit changes colour from dark green to green and gold and finally a honey orange. For information visit Raw Living. Sharpen up Take the lawnmower for its annual service which includes sharpening the blades. Blunt blades can damage the grass. Clean and sharpen your garden tools like secateurs, hedge clippers, loppers and hand saws. Sand down and revarnish or treat wooden garden furniture, clean out ponds and birdbaths. Article and images supplied by Alice Coetzee. For more on gardening visit Get It Magazine.
