Kickstart your spring garden
After the cool, dry Joburg winter, the first signs of spring are a breath of fresh air. I know, we are desperate for rain but now is the perfect time to get your hands dirty and prepare your garden for a beautiful and abundant summer. Here's my simple guide to spring gardening.
Revitalise Your Soil
Soil is the foundation of your garden, so it needs some TLC after the dry winter months. If you took a break from gardening during winter, you may start by clearing out any old plant debris, weeds, and fallen leaves. This prevents pests and diseases from taking hold. If you, like me, were gardening through winter, then you may need to remove the crops that are likely bolting in the heat, in addition to clearing out the weeds. Next, enrich your soil by digging in a generous layer of compost and well-rotted manure. This adds vital nutrients and improves soil structure, helping it retain moisture for the hot summer ahead.
Prune and Prepare Your Plants
Early September is ideal for giving your plants a good haircut if you didn’t get around to it in winter. Prune back your dormant deciduous fruit trees and roses. This encourages new growth and better airflow, which helps prevent fungal diseases. For your perennial plants, trim off any dead or damaged foliage to make way for new spring shoots. I know I need to remove the dead leaves from my banana trees which suffered a bit this winter.
At this point, you should also feed your fruit trees and roses with a good, organic fertiliser which can give them the boost they need to fruit and flower through the summer.
Start Your Summer Seeds
This is the most exciting part! If you’re anything like me, you love flipping through seed catalogues in search of interesting varieties of plants to grow. With the weather warming up and the threat of frost behind us, you can start sowing seeds for summer. At this point in the season, I don’t worry about starting seeds indoors because it is hot enough outside.
I have already started sowing tomatoes, peppers, and brinjals (eggplants). In a week or two, I will sow maize, beans and squash. For flowers, you can already sow seeds for sunflowers, zinnias, and cosmos. The most important thing to remember is to sow (and grow) what you will eat. Don’t get carried away sowing and nursing seeds that will yield produce which you have no interest in eating.
Water Wisely
As the temperatures rise, so does your garden's need for water. Change your watering schedule from the infrequent winter routine to a more regular one. If you can, water your garden beds deeply in the early morning to allow the moisture to penetrate the soil and reduce evaporation. If you know any rain dances, now might be a good time to start doing them (preferably on TikTok so we can learn them too)!
I hope this helps to set you off well on the spring/ summer gardening season. Connect with me on my social media – Instagram and TikTok – to share your gardening tips. Here’s to a season filled with lush greenery and bountiful harvests!
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