Get ready, set, sow!

Veggies that can be sown now are beetroot, bush and runner beans, carrots, lettuce, bush squash, spinach and Swiss chard. In cooler areas it is possible to put in a crop of cabbage and peas but not in the warmer areas around Pretoria.

Towards the end of September, start sowing the long summer crops that require higher germinating temperatures: tomatoes, brinjals, chillies and sweet peppers, cucumber, sweet corn, butternut, melons and other trailing squash.

Some interesting varieties are carrot “baby darling”, cherry tomatoes “yellow pear” and “sweetie”, capsicum “long red cayenne”, egg fruit “long purple”, sweet corn “golden bantam”, Swiss chard “bright lights”, and watermelon “sugar baby”.

Marlaen Straathof of Kirchhoffs Seeds has five tips for growing veggies successfully from seed:

Read the instructions on the back of the seed packet. It gives depth of sowing, spacing, time to harvest, sun or shade requirements and what time of the year is best for sowing.

Dig over the bed to a depth of 30cm, break down large clumps of soil, remove stones and sticks, mix in one bag of compost per square metre, and rake level. Water and leave overnight so that the soil is damp for sowing.

Plant seeds at the right depth. Large seeds (ie pumpkins, beans) can be sown individually. Finer seed can be scattered over the bed or sown in rows and covered with sifted soil.

Keep the soil moist, but not drenched while the seed is germinating. This is most important. If it dries out while sprouting, the seed will die. Most seed germinates within seven to 10 days.

Two weeks after germination fertilise with an organic plant food, like Margaret Roberts Organic Supercharger, and repeat once a month. That will produce strong, healthy plants.

Knowing the requirements of the different veggies is also necessary for successful veggie gardening, says Straathof.

Root veggies (carrots, beetroot, and radish) should be sown “in situ” and not transplanted from seed trays. Soil should not be too fertile or the roots will be misshapen. Shallow-sown carrot seed easily dries out. Cover the bed with hessian or shade cloth and water through the cloth until the seed starts to push through, then remove the cloth.

Legumes (bush and runner beans) have large seeds and germinate easily when sown directly into the soil. Only sow nicely formed beans and throw out shrivelled beans. Fruiting veggies such as tomatoes, brinjals, peppers and chillies are best started in seed trays and transplanted when they are big enough to handle. Use a good germination mix, not a seedling or potting mix. Feed seedlings with an organic food.Sweet corn should not be planted in a single row but rather in blocks or two or three rows running north to south, for easier pollination. Cobs that weren’t pollinated will be missing half their kernels.

Squashes, cucumbers, and butternut require warm soil to germinate and they can be started off early in pots and transplanted.

Transplant in the afternoon, when it is cooler, then water with lukewarm water.