Comfrey: How To Grow – Herb of the Month

Comfrey stats/requirements at a glance Ease of Raising: 3/5 – Bi-weekly check-ups Water: 2/5 – Minimal, twice per week (especially, container) Sun: 4/5 – Full sun, shade tolerant Training: 1/5 – Minimal (harvesting keeps plant in shape) Fertilise/Feeding: 1/5 – Minimal, at least during the growing season Time to Harvest: 1/5 – Immediate (seedling) to…

Advertisements

Solar Power in South Africa Part 3: Solar & Seasonality, Living with Solar in Gauteng, South Africa

How’s your Solar in Winter? (Author: The Economist)   Winter sneaked up on our solar electricity system during July 2015. We hardly took notice of the change in the length of a day before installing solar and now it matters. We lose up to 6 hours in daylight from the longest day in summer to…

Caterpillars – Garden Pest of the Month

Caterpillars at a glance Type of Damage Chewing Plant Symptoms Holes in fruits, missing leaves, eaten leaves, ‘felled’ seedlings Favourite Plant Most food crops, especially tomatoes, fruit trees, grapes, citrus, sweet potato, Solanum family Control Biological (predators: wasps, mantids, assassin bugs & chickens), else physical removal Quick Intro Caterpillars are regarded as one of the…

Sustainable, Productive and Economical Vegetable Gardening (Part 3): Integrated Organic Gardening

My vegetable garden is entering its 8th year and it has been a long journey of trial and error, many a dead or diseased plant and lots of research into various facets of food production along the way. As I have mentioned many times, organic gardening principles are not properly integrated and do not provide…

Squash & Pumpkin: How To Grow − Fruit(s) of the Month

Squash stats/requirements at a glance Ease of Raising: 2/5       - Weekly check up Water: 4/5       - Daily Sun: 5/5       - Full sun, no shade Training: 2-4/5    – Minimal (Zucchini) to Moderate (Squash), dead or damages leaves to trellis training Fertilise/Feeding: 3/5       – Moderate (monthly) Time to Harvest: 2-5/5    – Soon (Zucchini) to end…

Sunbirds & Spiderwebs – Something Special

We have a few residential sunbirds in the neighbourhood - not the very flashy ones like those in the fynbos areas of South Africa, but none the less gorgeous little birdies. The Whitebellied sunbird, Nectarinia talatala is a common sight for those living close to bushveld towards the northern parts of southern Africa. It is…

Wasps: Biological Control – Garden Critter of the Month

Wasps at a glance Occupation: Predator Value to Gardener: 5/5 - Pest Controller and Pollinator Danger to Humans: 4/5 – They can sting when provoked Availability: 5/5 – They’ll arrive or you can buy some Quick Intro The wasp is likely an under appreciated garden helper. They are one of a few insects that duel…