What’s happening in the Somerset West Village Garden this JUNE?
Located at 41 New Street, Somerset West Village Garden (SWVG) is a community project that grows and provides vegetables for the homeless and unemployed. Since its inception in 2015, it has, however, become so much more… it is now the green heart of Somerset West.
Jenny Findlay, SWVG founder and Di Irish, SWVG committee member, share a monthly update here on the blog, telling us more about what’s happening in the garden and what we can expect to stock up on at weekly harvest days.
Here at the Somerset West Village Garden, June is the month for tidying up and making compost, as well as sowing the last of the peas and broad beans and planting cabbage, broccoli, kale and spinach seedlings, before it gets too cold. Interestingly, these vegetables thrive with the shorter day hours and cooler soil that winter brings.
Things we look out for on these crops are cabbage butterfly caterpillars, aphids, powdery mildew and leaf miner infections. Chrysanthemums and Artemesia afra are excellent companion plants to ward off aphids, while nasturtiums are not only lovely to look at, but also serve as an attractive alternative to our cabbages for butterflies to lay their eggs. How fantastic is that?! For treating mildew and Leaf Miner larva, we use Andermatt products, which are organic biological solutions and, therefore, kind to the environment.
In June, we continue with our composting programme. This is the backbone of the vegetable garden and we just love how this supports sustainability, while also benefitting the garden in so many ways.
Good compost adds beneficial organisms and nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as copper, zinc, iron and manganese to the soil. In addition, it improves the soil structure and is especially good to improve the friability of clay and sandy soils. Compost allows soil to retain water for longer periods. A good layer of compost is an effective mulch during our hot and windy summers in the Western Cape.
Furthermore, we’ve partnered with Circular Homes to establish a Bokashi programme at the garden. This form of fermented composting is done on a small scale and offers the perfect solution for getting rid of kitchen waste and leftover food from your plates without having it end up in landfills. Also, bye-bye smelly bins!
Bokashi Bran, which contains the fermenting microbes, is sprinkled on top of each layer. To date SWVG has composted more than 3,000 bins which translates to over 51,000kg in five years.
From 2022 the COCT started diverting 50% of organic waste away from landfill, they are aiming for 100% by December 2027.
We add the mature Bokashi to our compost heaps to make excellent nutritious compost.
To find out more about how the Bokashi method of composting works, pop in to SWVG on Tuesdays between 09:00 and 11:00 and speak to Natashia from Circular Homes.
Vegetables in season are all the lovely leafy greens, such as Cauliflower, Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Turnips, Kale, and Spinach. Broccoli, Kale and Cauliflower contain Vitamin A, B6, C and K and Broccoli and Kale are generally considered as superfoods. Eat Kale raw or cooked or add to smoothies, salads and stews. We are currently harvesting both curly Kale and Cavolo Nero.
Pop in to SWVG on a Tuesday from 09:00-11:00 to pick up some freshly picked organic veg.
