IN THE GARDEN
Complementary winter veg, herb planting
N
ow is the time to be
planting winter
vegetables and here
are some suggestions for
which vegetables and herbs
you should ~ and should not
~ plant together.
The concept of companion
planting is an ancient one and
it is based on the principle of
planting different plants near
each other for their mutual benefit, resulting in higher
yields and, often, pest control.
It makes sense to separate
plant families that share the
same pests and diseases by
planting other plants in
between them.
There are various advantages
to using this form of cultiva-
tion:
K Better use is made of your
growing area;
From page 26 two of honey, if available for
a start, and then a solution of
equal parts by volume of
good quality white sugar and
water fed inside the brood
chamber by a drip bottle.
Do not feed weak sugar
water or honey mixed with
water as this causes dysentery
in the bees.
Ground white mealie meal,
as used by dairy farmers, is an
excellent pollen substitute,
and can be placed in shallow
trays under the lid. This is one
feed them to prevent their
death from starvation.
The best feed is a frame or
K There is increased disease
resistance;
K There is greater suppres-
sion of weeds;
K There is greater resistance
to insects;
K Insect predators are
attracted;
K Better soil management
should result;
K There is thus increased soil
micro-organism activity;
BEEKEEPING
reason why one should use
deep lids with a 20mm space
above the frames, rather than
lids which lie flush with the
tops of the frames.
All honey extracted should
not be allowed to stand, not
even for as long as three
days, because the cool nights
and possibly cool days will
allow for granulation to start,
making it impossible to
remove the honey from the
frames without destroying the
Continued on page 29
27
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K Physical spatial interac-
tions can result;
K Plant diversity creates
overall plant health.
Another option when
planting more than one crop
together is to plan seeding so
that the plants mature at
different times.
Planting intercrops that
feature staggered maturity
dates or development
periods takes advantage of
variations in peak resource
Continued on page 291