Not sure how to prepare a vegetable garden for winter? Autumn is a great time to learn, before the cooler weather sets in. That way, you can ensure that when spring rolls around, everything will bounce back quickly.
Unlike many other parts of the world, most of South Africa doesn’t get snow or frost in the wintertime, so it’s still relatively easy to grow vegetables during the colder months. You can’t, of course, just grow anything. You need to focus on vegetables that do well in the colder months.
Below chef, Norman Heath of Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront shares his top tips for keeping your vegetable garden growing during this time.
Plant only what you eat and use
This is an important one. If you don’t eat beetroot, don’t grow it. You will find that you let a lot of it go to waste if you grow things you don’t like. This is the season for hearty soups and stews so look into vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, beetroot, and spinach. Autumn and winter are also great planting seasons for garlic if you want an abundant summer harvest.
Plant in full sun
Most vegetable gardens need full sun or at least six full hours of sunlight per day. And in winter when the ground stays moist and wet for longer, you are going to want that sunshine so that your ground isn’t kept too soggy or cold. Sun, of course, is also good for photosynthesis, which all plants need. If you can’t plant in full sun, look into getting grow lights, which will mimic sunlight and fool your plants into thinking they are in the sun.
Use mulch
Mulching is when you cover your garden beds with dry leaves, wood chips, or even dry grass. Mulching in winter is important and has a number of key benefits. Winter can be harsh with its rain, storms, and more. With mulching, you are protecting your garden from soil damage, preventing frost as the soil under the mulch is unlikely to freeze and it helps prevent soil erosion in harsh weather conditions.
Keep a hand on your garden
Pests thrive in the damp and wet conditions of winter. Be sure to check on your garden regularly and do regular maintenance and upkeep. If you don’t have the time or capacity to do this yourself, you can look into using outside help. SweepSouth, for example, has an outdoor service that offers gardening services. With their help, you can ensure that your winter garden is neat and pest-free.
Don’t be afraid to fail
Even in the kitchen I sometimes fail. So, I don’t let it get me down when I also have failures in the garden. I look at it as a learning experience for next time. There are many websites and resources that come in handy should you need more advice on how to make a success out of home gardening this winter. YouTube is a good place to start, but you’ll also want to read websites and gardening media that are specifically aimed at South Africa and its specific growing conditions.