NATURE’S PALETTE

CURIOUS CROPS TO CULTIVATE IN YOUR GARDEN

Meet Sharon James, an avid gardener from the Cape Winelands, with a special interest in growing unusual edibles organically. Whether adjusting to seasonal changes, experimenting with companion planting and crop rotation, or creating a biodiverse environment that nurtures healthy soil and attracts beneficial insects, this garden guru isn’t afraid to dig her fingers into the soil. Here are her four favourite veg varieties to add to your yard this winter.

Kohlrabi

Cool season crops are here, and a firm favourite in my winter garden is kohlrabi — the sputnik of the veggie world! Grown for its funky looks, delicious, crunchy texture, and hint of peppery sweetness, kohlrabi is a bulbous Brassica that matures to the size of a tennis ball with leaves grown on long stems that emanate from the bulb in a sculptural manner. The flavour has been likened to that of a broccoli stem and its name (of German origin) translates to cabbage turnip.

It’s an easy-to-grow vegetable that comes with plenty reward. Prepare a richly composted, well-drained medium, and sow a couple of seeds at a time, 30-40 cm apart, directly into your growing area in early autumn or spring when soil temperatures are mild. Be sure to choose a sunny spot and to keep the soil moist so the seeds don’t dry out. Once established, water the seedlings regularly and harvest within 60 days (give or take a few) by cutting the stem at the base of the bulb.

Seeds for this exotic vegetable have become more readily available from local suppliers, and whether you’re growing the Purple Vienna or White Vienna variety, kohlrabi is best cultivated among veg that share similar growing needs, such as beetroot, dill, celery, and particularly nasturtiums, which shade the soil and keep it moist. Nasturtiums are also helpful for detracting cabbage aphids from Brassicas, but if your kohlrabi are affected, simply spray them with a mild soapand-water solution to deter further pests.

To prepare, simply peel the tough outer skin and enjoy them raw — either thinly sliced with a light sprinkling of salt or julienned in a salad or slaw combined with apple, dried cranberries, toasted flaked almonds, feta, and sesame seeds for a fresh and healthy, crunchy dish. Cooked variations include roasting, which brings out their nutty flavour, or making a mash with boiled potatoes and roasted garlic, topped with toasted hazelnuts and fresh parsley.

Rainbow carrots

Growing the rainbow is a sure way to get the best array of nutrients and plenty of fun out of a single harvest. And nothing beats the flavour of a freshly pulled carrot!

While orange carrots provide us with all the important alpha- and beta-carotenes, and yellow carrots contain eye-protecting lutein, purple carrots are packed with powerful anthocyanins, and the reds supply us with valuable lycopene. All are rich in anti-oxidants and, surprisingly, have their own flavour profile. Your specially-prepared seed mix might often include heirloom varieties such as Cosmic Purple, Solar Yellow, Atomic Red, and Black Nebula. So, grab a pack of rainbow carrot seed and start sowing now!

Root veggie seeds are always best sown directly. When preparing your carrot seed, combine them with a handful of fine sand and sprinkle into loose soil enriched with earthworm castings to help retain moisture. Adding acid-neutralising wood ash will provide root veggies with necessary potassium and phosphorus. Keeping the soil moist throughout the germination process is crucial, and don’t lose hope if your seedlings are not up within a week, as carrot seeds do take some time to sprout.

After a few weeks and once they’re established, thin them out to allow each root enough space to develop, or simply leave them as is and harvest early as young carrots. The surprise of pulling up each root to see the colour revealed remains fun for all.

Harvest carrots anywhere between eight and 12 weeks from sowing. They like to have their roots kept shaded and develop their best flavour over the cooler seasons, but do well just about all year round in a temperate climate, except in the hottest midsummer months. Growing carrots with leeks, onions, and garlic protects them from aphids or carrot fly, while marigolds and sage are said to repel nematodes.

Their beautiful white flowers have an umbrella-like habit and are attractive to many beneficial insects. If left to go to seed one flower can provide you with enough to grow an entire bed of carrots next season.

Cauliflower

Whether you’re growing the early-maturing and dependable classic Snowball, the easy-to-grow and vibrantly purple Sicilian Violet, or the prolific, brilliant-green Italian Macerata, these heirloom varieties are a must-have.

To cultivate cauliflower from seed, I succession sow them in modules from February to May. Plant them out over autumn and winter approximately 10 cm deep into soil that has been enriched with plenty of organic matter. Cauliflowers are heavy-feeders and benefit greatly from a good start and a drenching of seaweed tonic from time to time. Grow them in a sunny spot in the garden, keep them well-watered, and mulch with autumn leaves and clippings or grass cuttings to maintain soil moisture levels. Once the heads start to emerge, protect them from the sun by gathering some of their leaves up and tying them together. This will help to retain the vibrant colour of your cauliflower.

Cauliflower is a slow-growing crop that takes anything from three to five months to mature, depending on variety and climate. Harvesting is determined by the firmness of the head, and they should not be allowed to branch or develop into individual flowers.

Companion-wise, cauliflower grows well with celery and sage, which repel the white cabbage fly that many Brassicas are susceptible to.

Rainbow Swiss chard

Striking, delicious, and versatile, rainbow chard is a leafy green with colourful stems and leaf veins that brighten up any winter garden. The greens are lush and sweetest in the cooler months, but chard can be grown all year round provided it gets shade during the summer.

Seeds are best sown from August to May, and while transplanting seedlings is generally hassle-free you can also easily sow your seed directly where the plants are to mature. Note that each knobbly seed is actually a cluster of seeds, so be sure to sow sparingly to avoid needing to thin out the plants. The same goes for its cousin, beetroot. Consider spacing the seedlings 30 cm apart to keep them from growing too close together as this promotes fungal mildew infections.

Rainbow chard grows best in nitrogen-rich soil which encourages leafy growth. The leaves can be harvested by removing a few stems from the outer growing area of each plant as they mature. Pull them downwards and away from the plant in a twisting action. The whole plant is edible and delicious, and some of my favourite ways to enjoy this staple include preparing it in omelettes, in salads with avocado and a citrus dressing, Thai stir-fries, added to creamy garlic sauces, or in a feta and chard pie. The opportunities are endless!

Sharon James @goods_to_gather_in_the_garden