Village Gardens Botanical
Sow Seeds Now for a Summer Crop
Prepare your beds today for a lush, abundant seasonal yield. Explore expert cultivation timelines and essential garden preparation insights for your finest harvest yet.
SUMMER VEGETABLE GUIDE
Beans and Peas
French and climbing beans can be started now, either in small pots of compost, then planted out when the first pair of leaves appear, or straight into the ground, trained over a wigwam of canes. Peas can also be sown and trained over similar supports or trellis.
GROWING GUIDE
Squash, Baby Marrows & Pumpkins
If you have plenty of space, squash, baby marrows and pumpkins, sown now, can be left to ramble around a veggie bed or attached to strong supports.
GROWING GUIDE
Root Vegetables
Carrots and parsnips should be grown sparingly in long rows and harvested fresh as and when you want to use them.
Beetroot and Other Summer Vegetables
Beetroot, sown now, can be harvested when they are small and sweet, or left until fully matured, depending on your taste. The leaves of beetroot seedlings can be picked and used as a delicious, nutritious addition to salads. Egg plant, chillies and summer cabbage will all grow quickly if grown in November.
Sowing & Harvesting Guide
Lettuce, Peppers and Radishes
Sweet peppers, radishes and tomato seedlings plus varieties of lettuce will soon grow but remember not to grow too many lettuce seedlings at once or you will end up with a glut of them! Lettuce is best sown in dappled shade to avoid bolting and running to seed. Ideal varieties of lettuce to choose are Lollo Rosso and Lollo Biondo, which have leaves you can pick individually whenever you want.
SUMMER KITCHEN GARDEN
Growing Herbs for Summer
To ensure a fresh supply of herbs all Summer long sow a succession of Sweet Basil, coriander, parsley and thyme. Grow mint in a separate container.
Gardening Essentials
Companion Planting – Nature’s Pest Control
It’s a good idea, while sowing edible seeds to include some ‘companion’ plants around the veggie bed in order to keep pests away. Flowering plants like Calendulas, Nasturtiums, Echinaceas and sunflowers are invaluable natural pest repellents.
Village Gardens is an established landscaping and garden design company in Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs, creating beautiful outdoor spaces that balance aesthetics, practicality and environmental sustainability.
Their expertise includes water-wise landscapes, indigenous gardens, edible gardens and outdoor spaces designed to attract and support local wildlife.