octoBER 2017 Greenstone garden guide | 9 This month in the garden
octoBER 2017 Greenstone garden guide | 9 This month in the garden
There is a fast developing trend to grow your own fruit, vegetables and herbs. This is because there is nothing like stepping into your own back yard or patio to snip a few herbs or throw together a salad. Quick, fresh and delicious … grown by you!
What to do: gardening Q & a
• Plan your garden space. In a big garden you can choose a sunny spot for vegetables and let fruit trees
Q: I have an indoor plant in my house which had lovely grow to their natural size, even using them as shade white spade-shaped flowers when I bought it. The flowers trees in the garden. In a small garden, you can espalier fruit trees along a wall, integrate some vegetables the leaves still look okay. What can I do to make it flower?
lasted for several months but now it never flowers, although into the flower beds and plant into pots. Even on a balcony you can maximise space by growing your
A: I am guessing that your plant is a Spathiphyllum. There are veggies in pots or invest in a system that enables two reasons why it may not be flowering. The first one is sunlight. Spathiphyllum can grow in low light but will only flower you to grow plants up the wall.
• Herbs – Rosemary, thyme, sage and the onion family need a lot of sun and well drained soil. They are if it gets more light. This means moving it into a spot that has very bright light near a window or gets an hour or two of direct best planted right outside the kitchen door for convenience. Origanum grows well in small spaces and sunlight. Be careful to not put it in too much direct sun as this could also burn it. The second reason is nutrition. If your plant can be in a very small pot. Mint likes moisture and has been in the same soil for a long time the nutrients may be depleted. I would recommend first re-potting it into fresh potting soil. Remember to add bonemeal and fertilizer. You can use a pelleted organic fertilizer that does not smell. Thereafter use pot plant food( fertilizer) diluted in the water every two weeks. Make sure it contains‘ K’ Potassium to help with flowering. about wendy wright
GROW YOUR OWN
Green Scene is now selling vegetable and flower seedlings and beautiful colourperennials. Find us at the Fresh2U Farmers Market in Modderfontein on the first and last Saturday of each month from 8am-1pm.
Come to our demonstration on growing veggies in containers at 10am on October 7.
will cope in the shade and is best grown in pots.
• Fruit – Apples, pears, nectarines, peaches, plums and apricots can grow very large but can also be trained along a wall and controlled. Citrus trees are ornamental and are good in containers or in a garden bed. Grapes and granadillas look good and provide shade if grown over a pergola, arch or even over the garden wall.
• Vegetables – Some vegetables will be in the ground a long time and need a semi permanent position. Artichoke, peppers, chilies and spinach can be around for a couple of years if they are well nourished and survive the cold of winter. Other veggies take about three months to harvest, such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, mealies and tomatoes, so if you are not happy with their position, the next batch can be planted elsewhere.
• Soils – Constantly work on your soil nutrition. Add compost, manure and bonemeal each time you plant. After planting keep the soil mulched. If you are experiencing yellow, blotchy or pale leaves, there may be a deficiency. You can rectify this by applying trace elements( there is a product called Trelmix on the market).
• Healthy soils will not only produce the best, most delicious vegetables, but will nourish your body too.
• Vegetables need good watering to grow well. Consider putting a rain harvesting tank nearby.
As a horticulturalist, Wendy is qualified to offer garden consultations, regarding the health and wellbeing of your garden. She also designs gardens( domestic and industrial) and offers garden reconstruction, trading as Green Scene Landscaping. For more information, call 076-826-7288 or email greenscene @ vodamail. co. za