Durban - Edible gardens are a great deal of work; however, to truly reap the rewards it is best to work with Mother Nature rather than against her.
In their book, The Grower’s Cookbook: From the Garden To The Table, published by Jacana, writers Dennis Greville and Jill Brewis offer advice on how to steer clear of chemicals and achieve better yields.
Plants that are well fed and cared for are generally resilient and seldom fall victim to disease. A well-prepared soil and constant attention to the moisture and food requirements of your plants will guarantee they generally remain disease-free without the need to resort to powerful chemicals and sprays.
Dealing with weeds
The use of weedkillers is unnecessary, especially if you can get rid of weeds by pulling or digging them out before they set in. This simple process will save you a lot of backbreaking work later on. If you are short of time, clip off the seed heads before they have had time to mature and dispose of them careully.
At a later date you can return to remove the weeds. Hoeing the soil around plants does not take long and if done regularly will keep weeds at bay.
Watering
Plants don’t cope well with irregular watering and those that become stressed from lack of regular moisture often fall victim to disease. Although automated watering systems are effective, a good soak twice a week with a hand-held hose is the best way to ensure a healthy and productive garden.
In winter, watering is important, although it is best done during the warmer part of the day so plants are not left sitting in cold, wet, heavy soil.
Applying moisture as directly as possible to the roots, avoiding splashing on to the foliage, especially when the weather is humid, will minimise problems with fungal disease.
Mulching
Mulching the soil with straw, compost, sawdust, bark, shingle or even shredded newspaper will help conserve moisture.
Plants side-dressed with a 3-5cm thick mulch of compost receive growth-boosting nutrients. They are also provided with protection from temperature extremes and, as a bonus, weed growth is suppressed.
To achieve a totally organic garden use well-rotted animal manure, dried blood, or blood and bone applied at a rate of two good handfuls to a square metre. Such preparations, when scattered around fruit trees or well worked into the soil in a vegetable garden, will encourage crops to develop quickly and vigorously.
Feeding
Lettuces and other salad vegetables watered with a homemade or commercial equivalent liquid fertiliser are guaranteed to thrive.
If applied with a watering can you can ensure none of the precious mixture is wasted and that it gets directly to the plants that most need it. It encourages the growth of established plants, hastens autumn-maturing crops before the cold of winter, and at the same time can be used to boost seedlings of bok choy, cauliflower, silverbeet, spring onion and other vegetables in the spring.
You can make your own liquid fertiliser by mixing mature animal manure (cow, horse or sheep) with water. The resulting liquid can then be watered on to the roots of the plants you wish to boost. Avoid getting the liquid on the leaves and take great care to wash these vegetables thoroughly when preparing them for the table.
Home-made fertiliser can also be made from fish remains treated in much the same way. It is also possible to rot down borage, nettle or grass clippings in water to make a useful and cheap liquid food for your garden.
Commercial liquid fertilisers, both organic and chemical, are also available and provide a balanced food for garden plants.
Flowers for the garden
Lavender in the garden will attract bees. Flowering parsley attracts bees into the garden.
Marigolds will deter aphids; the roots excrete a substance that will kill harmful soil nematodes.
White fly find the odour of marigold repellent. Nasturtiums grow happily with lettuce and melons and are well known to attract caterpillars. Planting a few alongside or around vegetables such as lettuce or cabbage will serve as a protection, as the pests prefer to eat the nasturtium rather than the crop.
Companion plants
Companion planting, especially in vegetable gardens, is nothing new. It has been practised for centuries –and isn’t just about pest control. It helps you get the best from your crops by planting combinations of plants that benefit from growing together and help each other by supplying nutrients and protection from wind and heat, while attracting and harbouring beneficial insects.
Flowers that are rich in pollen and nectar such as Echinacea, nasturtium, rosemary, sage and lavender are ideal plants in the vegetable garden for they not only attract pollinators but also other beneficial insects that will devour insect pests.
Companion plants are
* Basil, tomato.
* Beans, carrots, pumpkin, parsley.
* Broccoli, radish, potatoes, nasturtium (nasturtiums will keep aphids away from broccoli).
* Cabbage, nasturtium, sage.
* Carrots, leeks, sage (leeks repel the carrot fly and carrots repel onion fly).
* Chervil, lettuce (chervil will keep aphids off lettuce).
* Corn, beans, dill, pumpkin.
* Lettuce, strawberries, marigolds.
* Onions, garlic, parsley (these are ideal companion plants for roses).
* Potatoes, nasturtiums or marigolds.
* Rosemary, sage (they will flourish when planted together. Rosemary contain aromatic oils that can help repel the carrot rust fly).
* Silverbeet, lavender.
* Tomatoes, basil, parsley, marigolds.
Pests and diseases
It makes good sense to walk around your garden every day or so, simply observing what is happening. With your eye on the ball you can act at the first sign of trouble.
Action needs to be swift if it is to be at all effective. Treating aphids before they have multiplied and getting rid of slugs and snails as soon as they appear are easy.
Once they have taken over, the problem becomes compounded and is more difficult to solve.
Many insects such as caterpillars can be removed by hand and dropped into soapy water. Many insects such as aphids can be removed from plants by spraying them with water from a garden hose. Use caution when handling unfamiliar insects – wear gloves or remove insects with tweezers.
Traps can be used effectively for some insects. These come in a variety of styles, depending on the insect to be caught. Many traps rely on the use of pheromones – naturally occurring chemicals produced by insects and used to attract the opposite sex during mating. They are extremely specific for each species and will not harm beneficial species.
However, they may end up attracting more insects to your garden. Yellow and blue sticky cards can be hung in areas where there is a build-up of insect pests. Different insects are attracted to different colours and simply become stuck to the cards. They are ideal for using in enclosed spaces such as the glasshouse. Sticky cards can also be used effectively to monitor insect pests and determine exactly what pests are attacking your garden. - The Mercury