There is no excuse not to grow your own vegetables

Vegetable gardeners now have more choices than they have ever had before. Whether it is heirloom seed, tried and tested open-pollinated varieties, new high-yield hybrids (non-GMO) or compact container veggies, there is a cornucopia of options.

No space to garden? Grow container veggies. Tired of tasteless supermarket tomatoes? Sow some Oxheart heirloom tomatoes. Longing for some salad greens? Sow baby-leaf varieties for a quick turnaround. There is almost no excuse not to grow veggies.

Another option has come into the mix. Gro-Pak seed was a well-known South African brand discontinued about 15 years ago but has been relaunched as an online seed supplier of compact varieties for containers and small spaces.

Up until now, patio-range vegetables like cucumber Patio Snacker or tomato Tumbler (for hanging baskets) were only available as plants from garden centres.

‘Tumbler’ is a patio tomato for hanging baskets. Picture: Supplied

“It’s retro gardening with a twist, explains Kathy Varney. “The brand has kept its old-fashioned look, range of heirlooms and open-pollinated veggies, but also emphasises new and special varieties, like the Simply Delicious range of tomatoes and peppers, or the Simply Salad lettuce and winter green mixes.”

With online shopping having increased exponentially as a result of Covid-19 – as well as the desire to grow veggies – the time was right to offer a range of gourmet vegetable seed online via gropak.co.za for delivery by couriers, Postnet or Speed Services (Post Office).

“We are an essential service provider, which means we are shipping almost every day, so that seed can be ordered as needed,” said Varney. “Our skeleton staff operates under strict hygiene procedures for their safety and for the recipients of the seed.”

Mixed lettuce leaves can be grown through winter if protected from frost. Picture: Supplied

June and July are the quietest months in the veggie garden, except for the frost-free areas of the Lowveld and KwaZulu Natal coast, where it is prime time for sowing runner and bush beans, beetroot, brinjals, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, melons, garden peas, pumpkin and other squash, radish, spinach Swiss chard, tomatoes and turnips.

In colder areas the basic tasks of watering, feeding and protecting plants from the cold, allow time to plan next season’s garden.

Browsing through veggies online, it is easy to get overenthusiastic, said Varney. Stick with what you like to eat and what grows best in the type of soil, she says.

In gardens with heavy soil, it is best to steer clear of beetroot, carrots and other root crops that prefer free draining, sandier soil. That is how containers can help. In free-draining potting soil it is possible to grow the candy-striped beetroot “Chioggia Guardsmark” or the baby carrot “Sweetheart”.

Sugar snap peas can be sown from next month. Picture: Pixabay

In cold highveld gardens, it’s possible to start sowing garden peas in July as they do best in spring. Sow in seed trays and germinate in a warm, sheltered place or indoors.

Choose easy-to-grow vegetables and master them before moving onto more challenging ones. Garden Green Beans like the bush bean ‘Malelane’, sugar snap pea ‘Cascadia’, which has extra disease tolerance to spring diseases like powdery mildew and Enation virus.

Spring onions, baby marrows (zucchini) and Swiss chard are all quick to harvest and highly productive.

To order seed online visit: gropak.co.za or email orders@gropak.co.za or phone 011-794-2306

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.