It’s officially spring, no matter what the thermometer says, and the danger of heavy frost has passed. Sowing herbs and veggies and summer flowering companion plants have priority.
Continue routine care of all vegetables. Water every four to five days if the weather is dry. Feed every two weeks with a liquid organic fertilizer.
Pull up the stumps of cabbages, cauliflowers, Brussel sprouts, and broccoli.
Transplant capsicum (peppers) and eggplant seedlings as soon as they are about 10 – 15 cm high.
This is the best month for sowing herbs, or for propagating them by layering or root division.
Sowing Table Notes:
Column 1 – Common Name
Column 2 – Type
Use this information to plan for a variety of herbs and vegetables. It can also be used for a basic crop rotation plan.
Column 3 – Nutrient Demand
This refers to how heavy a feeder the crop is. If you have poor soil, you should omit the high nutrient demand crops.
Low nutrient demand crops are capable of struggling along and will usually produce something edible even under poor conditions. Given soil more fertile than their minimum requirements they can become quite prolific.
Medium nutrient demand crops need significantly enriched soil to thrive. They will do a lot better when given soil considerably more fertile than their minimum requirements.
High nutrient demand crops will usually not thrive unless grown in light, loose, always moist soil that provides the highest level of nutrition.
Column 4 – Ease of Growing
Always choose crops that suit your experience level. Some crops are good teachers and they will prepare you for growing more difficult crops. Examples are herbs, Swiss chard, radishes and bush beans.
Columns 5 to 8 – Sowing Regions 1, 2, 3, 4 (See Map)
For food gardening purposes Southern Africa can be divided into four climatic regions. This is not an exact science. Use it as a guide only and keep good records to determine your own best sowing times. A “Y” indicates that you can sow the crop and an “N” obviously indicates that this is not a good month to sow the crop in your region.
You can sort the table with the arrows next to each column.
Help Your Fellow Food Gardeners
Use the comments to add your own food gardening experience to this table. Don’t forget to state your region and town.
| Name | Type | Nutrient Demand | Easy of Growing | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arugula (rocket) | Leaf | Medium | Easy | Y | Y | Y | N |
| Asparagus | Leaf | High | Difficult | N | Y | N | N |
| Broccoli | Leaf | High | Variable | N | N | N | N |
| Brussels Sprouts | Leaf | High | Moderate | N | N | N | N |
| Cabbage | Leaf | Medium | Easy | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Cauliflower | Leaf | High | Difficult | N | N | N | N |
| Celery | Leaf | High | Difficult | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Cress and Mustard | Leaf | Medium | Moderate | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Kale | Leaf | Low | Easy | N | N | N | N |
| Kohlrabi, leaf crop | Leaf | Low | Easy | N | N | N | N |
| Lettuce, leaf | Leaf | Medium | Moderate | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Morogo | Leaf | Low | Easy | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Oriental Cabbages | Leaf | Medium | Easy | N | N | N | N |
| Rhubarb | Leaf | Medium | Easy | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Spinach | Leaf | Medium | Variable | Y | N | N | Y |
| Swiss chard | Leaf | Low | Easy | Y | N | N | Y |
| Beetroot | Root | Low | Easy | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Carrot | Root | Low | Moderate | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Potato | Root | Medium | Easy | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Radish | Root | Medium | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Sweet potato | Root | Medium | Easy | N | Y | Y | N |
| Turnips | Root | Medium | Moderate | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Broad beans | Legume | Low | Easy | N | N | N | N |
| Bush beans | Legume | Low | Easy | Y | Y | N | Y |
| Runner beans | Legume | Low | Easy | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Peas | Legume | Low | Easy | N | N | N | N |
| Artichoke (globe) | Fruit | Medium | Moderate | N | N | N | N |
| Cucumber | Fruit | Medium | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Eggplant | Fruit | Medium | Moderate | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Mealies | Fruit | Medium | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Melons | Fruit | Medium | Moderate | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Okra | Fruit | Medium | Moderate | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Peppers, hot | Fruit | Medium | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Peppers, sweet | Fruit | High | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Pumpkin | Fruit | Medium | Easy | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Squash, bush | Fruit | Medium | Easy | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Squash, trailing | Fruit | Medium | Easy | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Tomatoes | Fruit | Medium | Easy | Y | N | Y | Y |
| Garlic | Bulb | Medium | Moderate | N | N | N | N |
| Leeks | Bulb | High | Difficult | N | N | N | N |
| Onions | Bulb | High | Difficult | N | N | N | N |
| Spring onions | Bulb | Medium | Moderate | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Basil | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Chamomile | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Chervil | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Chives | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Coriander | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Dill | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Fennel | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Garlic Chives | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Lovage | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mizuna | Leaf | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Nasturtium | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Pak Choi | Leaf | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Parsley | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Rue | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Sage | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Sorrel | Herb | Low | Easy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
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