Time to plan your summer veggie garden

Nothing much grows in July, which makes it the perfect month to plan your summer veggie garden. Here are some tips:

• Make a short list of all the crops you want to grow. It’s a good idea to choose vegetables that are easy and quick to grow, have a high yield and are what the family wants to eat. If you are still new to growing vegetables, don’t try too many crops at once. Start by selecting three varieties.
• Decide how much of each to plant. That will depend on the family’s taste for each crop, the available space, and the productivity of each crop. For instance, zucchini take up space, but you only need one or two plants for a good supply.
• Compile your seed list and buy your seeds. Growing from seed is the most affordable way to grow vegetables. A single packet of seed should last for a season or more. Keep the seed packets sealed, in a cool, dark place.
• Draw up a schedule of when to plant each crop and your succession plantings. Instead of sowing everything at once, stagger the planting of a crop so that the harvest is spread over a longer period.
• Decide where to plant each crop. Vegetables do best in full sun. Plant taller vegetables towards the back of a bed and compact ones in front. However, taller plants can be used to shade sun-tender veggies like lettuce. Plant good companions like tomatoes and basil together.

Need inspiration? Here are some ideas from MayFord seeds:

7 Easiest Crops to Grow
Easy crops are those that grow quickly and are prolific producers, don’t need support or trellising, and are generally disease free and not troubled by pests. Bush beans are particularly productive, needing regular watering. Plant them close together so they support each other. Frequent picking prolongs their productive life.

Try this: MayFord bush bean ‘Sibaya’ is a French fine bean bred in Africa for African conditions. It produces a shiny green slender, straight bean within 60 days of germination.

https://mayford.co.za/beans/

Beetroot needs light soil that drains easily. Thin out to a final spacing of 10cm between plants. Both the roots and tops are eaten, making it an efficient crop.

Try this: Mayford ‘Chioggia Guardsmark’ has a mild sweet flavour and has striped purple and white flesh. It is an heirloom variety.

https://mayford.co.za/product/chioggia-guardsmark/

Chard provides leaves all year round. Sow in spring and a second crop in autumn. Chard needs regular watering and feeding once a month, or a slow-release fertiliser when planting.

Try this: Mayford ‘Mixed’ chard has bright, differently coloured stems and mild flavoured leaves.

https://mayford.co.za/swiss-chard/

Herbs, such as basil, chives, coriander, dill, and rocket all grow easily from seed, providing flavour, as well as vitamins and minerals. They need fertile soil that drains well and regular watering.

Try this: Mayford ‘Basil’ is a summer annual that produces fragrant and tasty leaves for salads, sauces, and tomato-based dishes.

https://mayford.co.za/herb-seeds/

Loose leaf Lettuce is primarily a spring crop that does best in cooler weather. The individual leaves can be harvested for up to three months. Heat tolerant varieties can be sown throughout the year but in summer should be grown in semi-shade (morning sun, afternoon shade).

Try this: Mayford ‘Vera’ is a vigorous variety that produces a rosette of frilly, glossy green leaves. For an interesting salad bowl plant it with ‘Rosa’ that has frilly red leaves or ‘Maira’ a red oak type lettuce with mild flavoured leaves.

https://mayford.co.za/lettuce/

Tomato varieties that fall into the easy category are determinate (bush) tomatoes that generally don’t need staking and are bushy, growing to a ‘determined’ height. Plant them in fertile soil, where they get plenty of sun, and water regularly. Irregular watering (too little, too much, or long gaps between watering) makes the plant susceptible to diseases and pests.

Try this: MayFord ‘Legato’ is disease-resistant saladette tomato. The firm, sweet Roma-type fruit is high in lycopene, which is a proven antioxidant.

https://mayford.co.za/tomato/

Zucchini (baby marrow) produce prolifically and if grown early in the season won’t suffer from powdery mildew. Watering around the base and not the leaves reduces susceptibility to mildew. Pick frequently for small, tasty fruit.

Try this: Mayford ‘Caserta’ is a fast growing, very prolific speckled zucchini that produces its first fruit within 45 days of germination. Harvest when 15cm long.

https://mayford.co.za/product/caserta/

Text: Alice Coetzee