What’s happening in the Somerset West Village Garden this December

The days are getting hotter and we need to be prepared for the extremely hot days that lie ahead. The vegetables that we plan to plant must be chosen carefully as to how they cope with the heat and they should have a shorter maturity period. Green beans, lettuce, leafy greens and radish are fast growers and will be ready for harvesting in autumn.

We are sowing cauliflower seeds and will keep them in the shade house where they will receive medium to light sun. A close watch will be kept for powdery mildew infestation of the seedlings and will be treated accordingly. The seedlings will be ready to transplant in February.

It is important to set up a proper watering schedule to ensure our vegetable bed moisture levels do not dry out.  We water deeply 3 times a week to foster good root growth. We make sure that we apply 20 mm of water once a week by hand watering and drip irrigation. It is easy to check the moisture level of the soil by sticking your finger 20 mm into the soil. The best time to water plants is early morning and late afternoon to minimize evaporation.

We continue to mulch with at least 50 mm of mulch on the beds, ensuring that it does not touch the stems of the plants as this will minimize rotting. We are weeding the beds as weeds take the nutrients and moisture out of the soil. Adding a layer of mulch also decreases the growth of weeds.

As lettuce and Asian greens tend to bolt in the heat, we sow them under the trees in the garden.

It is important to continue feeding the established vegetables with an organic fertilizer so that they can continue producing. We use BioOcean from Atlantic Fertilizers.

A beady eye is kept out for pests such as red spider, aphids and caterpillers. We use the biological products from Andermatt Madumbi. We have also planted marigolds and nasturtiums which contain natural pesticides. In addition, we encourage beneficial insects such as ladybugs and praying mantises to control pests.

To ensure we get a good yield from our tomatoes we make sure that they are well watered especially during the first 7-10 days in cooler weather and every 5 – 7 days in hotter weather. Tomatoes do not like to get their leaves wet so watering in furrows or drip irrigation is best. Tomatoes will do well if a side dressing of compost and BioOcean is given 4 – 5 weeks after transplanting.

The tomatoes in our garden are planted are staked. This keeps the lower fruit off the soil, which prevents scalding during very hot weather and supports the plants when it is very windy. 

Once the tomatoes are staked, break off any lateral growth close to the ground. This prevents fungal diseases and helps with ventilation.  Regularly remove all side growth that spring up in the axils between the main stem and the leaf pedicles.

We are enjoying harvesting the vegetables that we planted in Spring. On the menu now are green beans, carrots, spinach, onions, spring onions, baby marrows, gem squash and lettuce. We also have a range of fresh herbs that will flavour any Christmas feast.

Pop in on a Tuesday from 09:00 – 11:00 to purchase your share of our freshly harvested, organic vegetables. We look forward to seeing you there.