Mid-March normally signals a drop in the average daily temperature, particularly in the KZN Midlands. I have found that it is also the ideal time to get your vegetable garden going again.We have found, in our almost 30 years of living in Hilton, that growing veggies in the heat of summer with the consistent rain and mist is difficult. There are bugs galore, all sorts of fungi and plenty of weeds.
From mid-March it gets cooler, less misty and rains start easing off. This results in less bugs to munch your precious veggies, the possibility of fungi is reduced and there are also less weeds.
I hear you thinking "Why grow veggies when the pesky monkeys are going to demolish them?"
My best advice is to build a protective structure over your veggie garden. This can be a steel or treated pole structure, covered with steel mesh or shadecloth. Treated poles (CCA) covered with 10-15% shadecloth will give protection from monkeys, birds, hail and, to some degree, insects. You don't need a very large structure. In fact a covered area of just 3m x 6m would be quite adequate to supply a family with lovely, fresh vegetables.
If you are unable to do it yourself, I have the number of a very able handyman who can assist.
If you are serious about producing your own organic, healthy and fresh veggies, then investing in such a protective structure will be more than worthwhile. Get it done. You won't regret it.We have a lot of compost and chicken manure in stock to help you get your vegetable gardens going, and if you need any advice, please feel free to pop in and chat to me.
So the good news it that I survived the Three Cranes Challenge last weekend – 109 km in 3 days traversing the Karkloof Mountain range.
The bad news is that we have to close the nursery again for a few days to allow us to tackle our next adventure. This time the whole family is going on a canoe trip down the Orange River in the Augrabies Falls area.The nursery will be closed from Saturday, 14, to Wednesday, 18 March. We hope this closure does not inconvenience you.
News supplied by Tanglewood Nursery.