Snap away the winter blues with fresh, flavoursome garden peas, bright Bumble Bee flowers and the fragrant aroma of lavender.
Veggie of the month
Add fresh spring flavour to your food by growing garden peas as microgreens. They can be grown all year round, even in winter, in a warm, bright spot. The crunchy shoots, small leaves and tendrils have the same sweetness as peas, and they are just as nutritious. All you need is a warm, bright room, a damp growing medium in a container and Kirchhoffs bush pea ‘Greenfeast’ or sugar snap ‘Sugar Charm’. Soak the peas in water for 12 to 24 hours. Place them on the growing medium and cover to keep the peas out of the light for 3 to 5 days. Check daily and spritz the peas to keep them moist. Once the peas have sprouted, remove the cover and move them into bright light. Keep them moist until ready to harvest when the seedlings are about 6cm tall. Harvest the first true leaves or let them grow on to form shoots and tendrils. Using scissors, cut the seedlings just above the ground, rinse and use immediately or store in the refrigerator. Garden pea micro greens are a delicious garnish, good in sandwiches, salads and stir fries. www.kirchhoffs.co.za
Indoor plant of the month
Who can resist the fragrance of lavender. Feeling a little blue? Just rub some lavender leaves through your fingers and inhale their perfume. Pot lavender ‘Blue Magic’ is one of the earliest lavenders to flower and it likes a warm room or patio that receives morning sunlight. Let the soil dry out slightly before watering and nip off the dead flowers to encourage more. At the end of its flowering period, cut back and plant in full sun in the garden or in an outdoor container. Lavender leaves and flowers have many uses. Add sprigs to cupboards to freshen them up or sip a cup of soothing lavender tea before going to bed or put a sprig or two under your pillow. www.lvgplant.co.za
We’re planting
Calibrachoa ‘Bumble Bee’ for its vibrant, dramatic flowers that bring spring just a little bit closer. This tough grower flowers under the lowest of light conditions, brightening end of winter gardens, containers and hanging baskets. It also thrives in the heat, making it a long-lasting garden or patio plant. Plants grow 15 to 30cm high and can spread up to 60cm. As its name implies, it attracts bees, as well as butterflies. Grow it in a position that receives plenty of sun. Water garden plants once a week and containers or hanging baskets more often. Feed once a month with a liquid fertiliser. www.ballstraathof.co.za
Garden tasks for July
• Prune the roses from 20 July to 3 August and dig fresh compost into the soil around the roses. • Feed winter annuals, herbs and vegetables in pots with a liquid fertiliser. • Water spring bulbs for 40 minutes once a week. • Water the veggie garden once a week and protect frost-tender veggies with frost cloth. • Turn the compost and moisten if the heap is dry. • Put food and water out for the birds. • Service the lawnmower.
Text: ALICE COETZEE
