From page 27
IN THE GARDEN
Dynamic accumulators are
plants which are good at
mining nutrients out of the
soil, often because they have
taproots which reach deeper
than normal roots can go or
because the plants team up
with bacteria to fix nitrogen
out of the air.
Permaculturalists harvest the
leaves of dynamic accumula-
tors and use them as mulch
or to make compost or to
make liquid fertilisers to feed
their gardens.
Certain flowers are also
planted among
vegetables for their
ability to attract
beneficial insects and to
deter leaf-eating insects.
They also cheer us up
when the winter blues
get us down.
Beans and radishes planted together.
But, it can also work the
other way around,
Some plants are used solely in
where one plant can be
companion planting for their
detrimental to another's
soil improving qualities.
growth, so note carefully
Comfrey, yarrow, tansy and
nettle are to be encouraged as when we indicate what NOT
to plant with what. We have
they are known to be
only listed plants that can be
dynamic accumulators.
demands for nutrients, water
and sunlight. Having one crop
mature before its companion
crop lessens the competition
between the two crops.
We have written in the past
about square metre (more
commonly called “square
foot”) gardening, where you
plant a variety of vegetables
in a square metre bed. This
works for winter vegetables
too.
Continued on page 30
From page 27
BEEKEEPING
cleaned, and be stacked criss-
combs, and thus requiring the cross under a roof for re-use
in the spring time.
bees to expend extra effort
One must take special
and energy in rebuilding the
combs. Rather, do not remove precautions to protect them
from rats and mice, and the
the frames from the hive if
criss-cross stacking also
you do not have time to
prevents wax moth invasion
extract the honey almost
to a certain (but not com-
immediately.
plete) extent, although wax
The extracted honey can be
moth is not prevalent in the
stored in plastic drums that
winter months.
can withstand heat, as they
will need to be heated gently K If you would like to
become a beekeeper, contact
to degranulate the honey for
the beekeeping association
bottling.
nearest to you for help and
The extracted frames are
advice.
placed back into super
~ Eastern Highveld
chambers, known as “wet
Beekeepers Association
supers” and placed two or
covers the East Rand and
three-up on weak swarmed
Mpumalanga,
hives or newly-caught feral
~ Southerns Beekeeping
hives.
The bees will lick them clean Association covers greater
Johannesburg, th