It is officially AUTUMN and so planting of the winter veggie seedlings starts in earnest. Those gardens which are exposed to extreme cold really do need to have had the seedlings in the ground already, to make the most of the warm soils. This encourages root growth and makes them more resilient to the cold months ahead. My staples are CABBAGE, all the BRASSICA family, CHINESE GREEENS, PEAS, LETTUCE, CORIANDER, ROCKET, RADISH and CHICORY.

- If time and space are a problem in your life then do remember that you can still get some good home grown nutrition and add flavour to salads by growing your own SPROUTS. Simply soak the seeds overnight in water. I usually double up the water volume for the amount of seeds used. In the morning rinse them clean and spread them out on a drip tray or use a colander and place this on a windowsill. I find it handy to place it close to the sink as you will need to rinse them daily to maintain the moisture level around the seed. After about three or four days they will have sprouted and you can add them to a salad, stew or casserole. It is a wonderful way to introduce children to veggie growing as it is a quick process and they can physically see the metamorphosis from a ‘dead’ seed into something living. Lentils are an easy, but a boring choice, but why don’t you give chick peas, peas, beans, sunflowers, radish and onions a go.

- A step up from sprouts is growing MICRO-GREENS. Again this is ideal for small urban households who may not have access to soil. Using a pot, one that is 15cm to 20cm in diameter, sow an entire packet of seeds into some potting soil which has had a small handful of bone meal added to it. Be brave and sow interesting tasting veggies or root veggies (carrots, beetroot etc.) whose tops are usually thrown away but which are perfectly edible, and very tasty when young. The idea is to allow the seeds to grow to about 3cm and then, using a sharp pair of scissors, you snip these young leaves off at ground level and add them into a salad. You then give the pot a liquid feed with an organic liquid fertilizer such as Nitrosol or Seagrow, and they will re-sprout quickly to give you another crop. Obviously they need a nice sunny place to grow in and because the pot is fairly small you will need to give it a good soaking every other day, but if the weather is hot, then you will need to water daily. You can normally keep these going for a good two months before starting over again. Do not be afraid to mix different types of seeds together for an instant micro-green salad.

- I got an e-mail from Roger Meyer, asking me about acidic borehole water and the effect it has on crops and the soil. One of the greatest problems that we face as a nation is the effect that irrigation of crops and the use of boreholes have on our ground water levels and the quality of the water. If you are intending to grow crops on a piece of land that has its own water supply it is essential to have it tested to get an idea of what it contains, and more importantly if it is compatible with the soil type that you have. If you find that your water quality is not suitable for crop production or your soil type, then you have to install a filtration or reverse osmosis system that purifies the water before applying it to the crops. It is generally not possible to irrigate with the untreated water and then try and correct the problem by adding materials to the soil.

- OLIVES are in full fruit at the moment. Although happiest in the Cape with its winter rainfall, they will grow in Johannesburg and even produce fruit. If you have some ripe olives you may want to try pickling them yourself. I have to admit it is much easier to simply buy them! After harvest the ripe unblemished fruit is soaked in water which is rinsed and changed daily for the first two weeks (that is a lot of water!) One then makes up a brine solution using salt and vinegar and left in a container for up to three months before you can enjoy your home grown and produced olives. What I find interesting is that the birds adore our indigenous wild olive which produces tiny fruit, but are not that keen on the fruiting varieties.

- MULCHING is one of the most important jobs to do at the moment. This will keep the soil temperature and moisture level consistent. I find mulching a very satisfying job. It is a bit like making a bed (as in the one you sleep in) in that it is a bit of a pain but the results are worth the effort, and there is nothing more beautiful than seeing fresh green growth popping up through a bed of well rotted straw! Of course one can use anything for a mulch, the whole idea is to not have bare soil exposed to the elements and so shredded paper, a thin layer of grass clippings or even the old leaves from your veggie garden, I find Swiss chard especially useful for this and am constantly cropping off the older outer leaves and simply placing them on to the soil surface.

- GREEN MANURING is a way of feeding your soil if you live in an urban area and do not have access to animal manure. It is always a good idea to leave a bed fallow for a season and the idea is to sow something easy that will grow into a green carpet. While the crop is young you dig it into the soil and then sow a veggie crop into the soil (especially Nitrogen hungry crops such as tomato) and they are able to access the nutrients from your decomposing cover crop. So if you have the space to allow some fallow ground, simply mulch the bed and leave it over the coming winter. Should any weeds pop up allow them to grow on a little but do not let them flower or seed. Simply pull them out and dump them on top of the soil. In about mid July you will sow your cover crop, you can use rye at that time of the year, and about six weeks later you will dig it in and plant your first summer crop into that soil.

- Easy to sow COLOUR ANNUALS keep veggie gardens looking pretty, Virginia Stocks are easy to sow and will pop up in nooks and crannies, while Calendulas will act as an insect repellent. Violas and pansies can be used in salads and in drier parts of the garden you can sow Namaqualand daisies.

- POTATO’S are ready to harvest, as are SWEET POTATO’S if you have grown them. Carefully dig them up and store them in a dry, dark and cool place. If you have had a good crop from a particular plant then keep some of these tubers aside for next years planting.