Johanneburg – The passing of the autumn equinox on March 21 is seen traditionally as heralding the beginning of the cool seasons.
Now is the time to sow vegetables that can be harvested this winter. Plan what to grow in your winter vegetable garden by choosing vegetables that can go into winter soups and stews.
Start by preparing the ground by removing weeds and digging in generous amounts of compost. Leave the soil for a couple of weeks to settle. Planting vegetables while the soil is still warm in the first week of April will give them a good start before the cold of winter sets in during May.
Vegetables picked from your garden are fresh and nutritious. Plant vegetables in rows or squares, in blocks or raised beds. If different vegetables are planted in the same bed they make the vegetable garden more interesting and gaps from harvesting won’t be so noticeable.
A bed could have red-leafed lettuce as an edging for carrots, and cabbages behind the carrots.
Try a broad edging of chives in front of blue-purple cabbages, backed by Swiss chard with red or multicoloured stems. Make sure tall plants do not block the sun from lower-growing vegetables.
Vegetables for your winter garden include broad beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, leeks, onions, radishes and turnips. Each seed packet tells how deep and far apart to plant the seed. Sow at intervals to prolong harvest. Sow seeds of root vegetables (carrots, radishes, beetroot, turnips, leeks) and legumes (broad beans, peas) directly into the soil.
Winter vegetables that can be damaged by frost include beetroot, carrots, cauliflower, celery, lettuces, peas and spinach. A commercial frost cover spread over crops will give protection from hard frost. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, kale, leek, parsley, peas and turnips can withstand frost.
Plant seedlings instead of seeds for cabbage, cauliflower, kale and broccoli, and the leaf crops spinach, lettuce and chard to shorten growing time.
Feed every two weeks with Ludwig’s Vigorosa or an organic fertiliser such as Seagro. Water in the morning.
Roasted vegetables
Have you tried roasting Brussels sprouts, broccoli or cauliflower? Roasting brings out their natural sweetness. Wash and slice sprouts in half. Cut florets of cauliflower and broccoli and place with sprouts in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place in a single layer on a sprayed baking tray and roast at 200ºC for about 20 minutes.
Riced cauliflower
Pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor until the size of rice grains. Coat with one to two tablespoons of olive oil, depending on the amount of cauliflower. Then spread in a single layer on a baking tray, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast at 200ºC for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Herbs
Grow herbs that cope with winter temperatures in the vegetable patch, in raised beds, or in pots. They need sun, excellent drainage and feeding once a month with half-strength liquid fertiliser (Nitrosol, Seagro or multifeed).
One of the most important herbs for the cool autumn season is parsley. The herbal properties of plants like parsley have been known and used for centuries.
Monks kept records of herbs they grew to help heal the sick; gardens were established where herbs were grown and used in medical research and cottagers passed down herbal recipes and remedies by word of mouth.
Herbs featured in the writings of early Roman and Greek herbalists.
Even Beatrix Potter immortalised the health properties of parsley in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. “First he ate some lettuces and some French beans; and then he ate some radishes; and then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley.” Consider this list of herbs to grow this winter:
* Parsley is an antioxidant that can be added to salads, soups and savoury sauces. Remove flowers to prevent the plants going to seed.
* Thyme is an antioxidant that can be added to casseroles and stews. A few sprigs of lemon-scented thyme in boiling water will help coughs.
* Sage (Salvia officinalis) needs full sun and less water in winter. Use in chicken and cheese dishes, as an infusion for coughs and as a gargle.
* Oreganum is hardy to frost. The leaves have a strong flavour and are used in Greek and Italian dishes, pizzas and salsas, and with strongly flavoured vegetables such as broccoli.
* Chervil will grow in filtered shade. The fern-like leaves contain Vitamin C and have a mild aniseed flavour for garnishing salads, and meat and vegetable dishes.
Kay Montgomery, Saturday Star