St John’s Village we support an eco-conscious lifestyle, and if you are able to grow your own vegetables, we’ll provide some weekly tips for helping you do so.
Tip#1
🌿PREPARING YOUR SOIL🌿
All plants will grow better and be more productive with rich garden soil containing lots of organic matter. No matter how small your vegetable garden, the time to work lots of compost and other organic materials into your garden bed. Remember to aerate the soil before you plant anything. It will pay off more than just about anything else you can do.
Tip#2
🌿CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLANTS🌿
Before you plant anything in your garden, do some research to find out which types of vegetables and which varieties are most likely to do well in your growing conditions. You’ll want to take growing zones into consideration, as well as the amount of sunlight and rainfall your garden will receive.
Local farmer’s markets, other gardeners and staff at local garden centres such as Blackwood Garden Centre, can often give you some insight into which specific varieties typically do well in our area.
Strong sturdy plants that are well-suited for your specific growing conditions will require much less watering and babying over the growing season, so it’s well worth spending the time to pick your plants wisely.
TIP#3
🌿ARRANGING YOUR PLANTS🌿
Plant crops in triangles instead of rows.
To get the maximum yields from each bed, pay attention to how you arrange your plants.
Avoid planting in square patterns or rows. Instead, stagger the plants by planting in triangles.
By doing so, you can fit 10 to 14% more plants in each bed.
Just be careful not to space your plants too tightly. Some plants won’t reach their full size – or yield, when crowded. (Remember that weight yield per square foot is more important than the number of plants per square foot.)
Overly tight spacing can also stress plants, making them more susceptible to diseases and insect attack.
- Design a plan.
- Growing conditions and ripening
- cycles are different depending on the plant and the season,
- so you should not sow all the seeds at the same time. Review the ideal
- conditions for each veggie you want to plant before creating a gardening schedule and your garden plan.
TIP#4
🌿SELECTING YOUR AUTUMN VEGETABLES🌿
As we approach the autumn months in the Midlands, the mornings and evenings are much cooler. It becomes significantly more important to select the right vegetables to plant, based upon the change in climate.
We would suggest planting some of the following types of vegetables, including broccoli, kale, beetroot and aubergines. They tend to be a little more hardy in the cooler conditions.
Remember to water regularly!
TIP#5
🌿Companion planting🌿
Companion planting is a great way to maximize the efficiency of your garden. For almost every vegetable you grow, there is likely to be a beneficial companion plant that will help increase soil nutrients, chase away pests, or provide some other benefit. To get the most out of your hard work, follow these companion planting guidelines to boost yields, minimize pest or disease problems and make garden management easier.
1. Tomatoes with basil
2. Peppers with basil/tomatoes/onions
3. Beans with broccoli/ brussel sprouts and the cabbage family
4. Cucumbers with nasturtiums/marigolds
5. Onions with carrots
6. Lettuce with mint
7. Squash with beans/peas/marigolds
8. Carrots with tomatoes
9. Radish with cucumbers
10. Mielies with beans/peas/ pumpkins/melons
EVERY WEEK WE WILL BE ADDING MORE TIPS!!!
Still looking for your dream home. Feel free to give one of our developers a call today.
Tom Eastwick – The Gates, Hilton and Garlington, Hilton | 072 297 2699 | tom@devdirect.co.za
Dave Rees – St John’s Village Lifestyle and Retirement Estate | 083 775 8288 | dgr@spaceprops.co.za
Janet Channing – Waterford Residential Estate, Howick | 082 570 5834 | janet@devdirect.co.za
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Author: St John’s Village Lifestyle and Retirement Estate