Growing your own vegetables is easy to do even if you don’t know much about the subject.

Most of them are grown from seed, which is sown in mid-spring. Once the seed has sprouted, practically all that has to be done is to keep each crop clear of weeds, and supplied with adequate water and food. In a few weeks or months, it will be ready for harvesting, to be eaten and shared with family and friends. Once you have tasted your own home-grown vegetables, the need to buy vegetables will come to an end.

When you are deciding what to grow there is no point in choosing vegetables you or your family don’t like. A common mistake made by first-time vegetable gardeners is to plant too many of one type of vegetable and end up having to throw away the excess – a such, be sure to only plant what you can eat. The soil of your garden will further affect your choice. Heavy clay types of soil favour lettuce, the cabbage family and runner beans. Sandy soils are best for most root crops, such as carrots, beetroot, and potatoes. The part of the garden you choose to grow the crops must be sunny, as very few vegetables can be grown in shady areas. Once you have made your selection, you should then plan the sequence of vegetables, depending on the time each crop takes to mature and to which rotation group it belongs.

Crop rotation

Vegetable crop rotation is very important. Generally, three groups of vegetables are grown in turn; one each year on a given piece of ground. This results in the maximum use of the plant foods in the soil and prevents soil and plant pests and fungus diseases accumulating. In the first year for example, you can grow peas, beans, spinach, celery and tomatoes. On the same plot of land in the second year, you could plant the cabbage family, including radishes and turnips. In the third and final year, you could plant the potatoes, carrots, beetroot, peppers and mielies. Each of these groups contains vegetables whose roots reach to different depths, and so use different plant foods. The cabbage family is very likely to get root fungus diseases from the soil, but these can be avoided by growing on the same piece of ground only once in three years. There is also a fourth, smaller group of vegetables that can be grown over and over again in the same soil without any problem. These include onions, garlic and asparagus.

Soil preparation

For the first group of vegetables (peas, tomatoes, etc.) garden compost or manure should be mixed into the soil well in advance of planting or sowing. The second group of vegetables (cabbage, etc.) do not need compost, provided they are planted in the same ground as the first group. The third group (mielies, etc.) will not need manure or compost, but will need fertilizer treatment. This should be mixed into the soil a week to 10 days before sowing. The most common fertilizer to be used for this purpose is a compound fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium – the three most important mineral plant foods. The fourth group will need different treatments depending on the vegetables grown. Asparagus and artichokes prefer a rich, moist and well drained soil. The soil will have to be heavily composted well before planting. For onions and garlic, a moderate application of garden compost or manure can be dug into the soil well in advance of planting. Just before sowing the seeds sulphate of potash should be mixed into the ground.

General care

Vegetables can be grown by anyone with a bit of gardening knowledge and the instruction printed on the back of the seed packets. To grow good crops year after year, the soil has to be kept in good condition, fertile and crumbly. Very few soils are like this naturally, but you can get yours into this condition with regular additions of garden compost and farm manure. Once the crops have grown substantially, it is advisable to cover the soil around them with a layer of mulch. Apply the mulch when the soil is wet, it will conserve the moisture and prevent weed growth. Once the crops are established, the soil should be kept moist at all times. When there is no rain they should be watered with a sprinkler for two hours every four days. Weed the beds all the time and keep an eye out for pests and diseases. Within a few months you will be harvesting your crops.

If you have a little free time and enjoy gardening, this will be the most rewarding gardening you will ever do. Not only will the vegetable patch look beautiful, but your time and effort will be rewarded with delicious vegetables that would have cost you a fraction of the price. - Antonella Desi

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