Vegetable gardens at home.

[Joeboy69]

http://www.organicseed.co.za/dl/summer_rainfall_planting_calendar.pdf

 

Found this for summer rainfall areas :-)

[Christopher Brunsdon]

Just got the following link of a facebook group and going to start doing this. Resolves a big problem I have and I think its very practical:

 

http://www.hometalk.com/180449/toilet-paper-roll-seed-starters

 

Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starters

 

 

 

[Joeboy69]

Seems that the recommended soil for veg gardens consist if equal parts peat moss, compost and vermiculite. It is off course a function of the quality of your own soil. Mine is a bit crap as everything struggles to grow (except weeds).

 

What do you guys do in terms of soil preparation?

[Ed-Zulu]

Seems that the recommended soil for veg gardens consist if equal parts peat moss, compost and vermiculite. It is off course a function of the quality of your own soil. Mine is a bit crap as everything struggles to grow (except weeds).

 

What do you guys do in terms of soil preparation?

Joeboy69, i wouldn't go that road...peat-moss is for water retention, good own compost does the same, and at a fraction of the price, even if you buy the Malanseuns stuff you'll come out cheaper. Vermiculite is also not an absolute, those two ingredients are heavily punted in square foot gardening and hydroponics schemes.

 

Start your own compost heap, buy a bag of bonemeal and a bag of agricultural lime...weeds grow in acid soils, so aplly a thin layer of agricultural lime to your soil after tilling, wet nicely and leave for a day or two...then mix your compost in...let it sit for a day or two...then start planting.

 

The bone meal can be applied at root level of your seedlings on planting day...your soil pH should be back to nearly normal when you apply the above.

 

During your first season, work some compost into the rows between plants, this should help with soil enrichment and moisture retention.

 

Rotate your crops and keep on feeding the soil with compost as often as you can.

[Joeboy69]

Thanks for the tips. Also thought I should get the compost heap going while I still have a lot of lawn that gets clipped etc. Will kickstart it with some MalanSeuns as well the lime and bonemeal and see where this goes !

[Ed-Zulu]

Thanks for the tips. Also thought I should get the compost heap going while I still have a lot of lawn that gets clipped etc. Will kickstart it with some MalanSeuns as well the lime and bonemeal and see where this goes !

The garden shops sell compost activator, its a small packet of enzymes you mix with water and wet your fresh compost heap with to kick-start the process...just a word of advise, any compost heap has big fat cutworms in them, you want them in your compost heap they do good work, you don't want them in your garden though!

 

They make good barbel fishing though!

 

Link to picture here

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sUFmDd5nexQ/UG8NW6vXZOI/AAAAAAAAA94/mKwQ8e7BEas/s320/IMG_3266.JPG

Edited February 3, 2014 by Ed-Zulu

[Wayne Potgieter]

Ok folks.

 

I have made a decision.

 

But i would appreciate some valued advice.

 

I have a nice piece of full sun garden that i want to use.

 

It is 14mt x 4 mt.

 

I am going to fence off the area with a wooden picket fence (for protection from my dogs as well as aesthetics)

 

My questions are as follows:

1. is it necessary to cover the garden for protection from birds/hail/frost etc - if so, with what?
   
2. i want to also install a composter, do you have any suggestions on which one/how to operate it properly?
   
3. must i prepare the soil with anything?
   
4. what is a suitable plant/herb to plant this time of year (based on the list of the stuff below)
   

These are the veggies/herbs we use a lot in my house:

• Coriander
  
• rosemary
  
• chillis
  
• tomatoes
  
• gem squash
  
• onions
  
• potatoes
  
• cucumber
  
• carrots
  
• broccolini
  

 

Appreciate the advise and help fellas.

 

Super excited about this, but want to do it proper from round one. Looking forward to working in the garden with my little ones.

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Ok folks.

 

I have made a decision.

 

But i would appreciate some valued advice.

 

I have a nice piece of full sun garden that i want to use.

 

It is 14mt x 4 mt.

 

I am going to fence off the area with a wooden picket fence (for protection from my dogs as well as aesthetics)

 

My questions are as follows:

1. is it necessary to cover the garden for protection from birds/hail/frost etc - if so, with what?
    
   
2. i want to also install a composter, do you have any suggestions on which one/how to operate it properly?
    
   
3. must i prepare the soil with anything?
    
   
4. what is a suitable plant/herb to plant this time of year (based on the list of the stuff below)
   

These are the veggies/herbs we use a lot in my house:

• Coriander
  
• rosemary
  
• chillis
  
• tomatoes
  
• gem squash
  
• onions
  
• potatoes
  
• cucumber
  
• carrots
  
• broccolini
  

Appreciate the advise and help fellas.

 

Super excited about this, but want to do it proper from round one. Looking forward to working in the garden with my little ones.

 

Being from a different province I can't comment. What i will say is do it right, no short cuts.

 

Our first batches we put in a lot of effort and the crop was amazing.

Our latest batch was done just for the sake of planting and is a nightmare.

 

You get out what you put in.

Think your kids will love cokking and eating what they have planted and harvetsed.

Good luck, Wayne.

[Andymann]

The guy living behind our factory in Krugersdorp has a really nice garden going......

[Andymann]

Needless to say, when we called the police they didn't come

Edited February 4, 2014 by Andymann

[Ed-Zulu]

Ok folks.

 

I have made a decision.

 

But i would appreciate some valued advice.

 

I have a nice piece of full sun garden that i want to use.

 

It is 14mt x 4 mt.

 

I am going to fence off the area with a wooden picket fence (for protection from my dogs as well as aesthetics)

 

My questions are as follows:

1. is it necessary to cover the garden for protection from birds/hail/frost etc - if so, with what?
   
2. i want to also install a composter, do you have any suggestions on which one/how to operate it properly?
   
3. must i prepare the soil with anything?
   
4. what is a suitable plant/herb to plant this time of year (based on the list of the stuff below)
   

These are the veggies/herbs we use a lot in my house:

• Coriander
  
• rosemary
  
• chillis
  
• tomatoes
  
• gem squash
  
• onions
  
• potatoes
  
• cucumber
  
• carrots
  
• broccolini
  

 

Appreciate the advise and help fellas.

 

Super excited about this, but want to do it proper from round one. Looking forward to working in the garden with my little ones.

If I was you I would consider a greenhouse or tunnel system...with a sprinkler system...check out the Landbou Weekblad and Farmers Weekly..

With that much land you could produce plenty of everything

[Weight Weenie]

CD Case greenhouse http://www.home-dzine.co.za/garden/garden-cdgreenhouse.htm

[Pappa Bear]

BTW any way of dealing with Birds, they are shredding the Kale and I have hung CD's from a Framework but they just dont give a crap.

 

Try Afrikaanse CDs, steve hofmeyer as jy kan!

[Wayne Potgieter]

Ok....a day spent and this is what was achieved...with this area available for expansion.

 

[Porra 1]

Ok....a day spent and this is what was achieved...with this area available for expansion.

 

Well done Wayne now you need to get some compost in work it into the soil water it leave it for about a week then turn the soil again. The compost must break down first other wise it will burn the new seedlings or seeds . You still have time to grow lettuce,coriander,tomatoes.If you want rosemary I would plant it out side the veg patch as it will take up space in the veg patch and rosemary if looked after it will be with you for years very hardy plant. Don't plant broccoli ,cauliflower now as it is to hot it will bolt in other words they will just produce seeds plant in the beginning of winter or late summer same for cauliflower . When you plant onion or potatoes plant them to the right or left of the veg patch as they take longer to grow before harvest , by doing this firstly you don't disturb when you harvest your other vegetables and the center of your veg patch you plant the vegetables that take about six weeks to harvest. Then you will do two crops in the middle of your veg patch while the onion and potatoes are still growing. Onions and potatoes don't like to be disturbed to much while growing some potatoes are runners under the soil and if you dig to and plant around them you have a better chance of damaging the potatoes.

 

[Mojoman]

Needless to say, when we called the police they didn't come

That's because its not ready yet!