Growing Goji Berry is easy. Goji berry, also called wolfberry, is a bright orange-red berry that comes from a shrub that’s native to China. The Goji berry plant (Lycium Barbarum) is a hardy, deciduous shrub. This highly branched, deciduous shrub grows up to 3 meters tall and wide in its … Read More

Growing thyme – from seed to harvest. Thyme is perfect in many poultry, meat and fish dishes, as well as casseroles and stews, and a main ingredient of Italian dishes and bouquet garnish. French, English, and German thyme are the most well known culinary varieties that you will find at … Read More

Growing Chayote from planting to harvest. Chayote is a warm-season, tender perennial vine of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), cultivated for its pale green, pear-shaped fruit. While it is botanically categorized as a fruit, it is most often prepared as a vegetable in savory dishes. Every part of the chayote squash … Read More

Growing Okra and Maintaining Okra Plants. Okra (Hibiscus esculentus) is a tall, upright plant with a hibiscus-like flowers. The immature, young seed pods are the most used edible part of this plant, but the leaves are also edible. This is a popular vegetable which originated from the hot climates of … Read More

Growing Pepino Melon from seed to harvest. Pepino Melon (Solanum muricatum) is a small, evergreen shrub bearing purple and white flowers followed by deliciously sweet, smooth, oval shaped fruit. The skin of the fruit turns light creamy-yellow with purple stripes when fully ripe. The whole fruit is edible, including the … Read More

Growing Tamarillo from seed to harvest. It is a small tree or shrub and is also known as the tree tomato. The plant is a fast-growing tree that grows up to 5 meters. The tree usually forms a single upright trunk with lateral branches. The flowers and fruits hang from … Read More

Growing Litchi Tomatoes, from seed to harvest. The Litchi tomato is a unique heirloom plant in both appearance and taste. It is native to tropical and warm temperate regions of South America. The litchi tomato fruits have been an important food staple in indigenous cultures for hundreds of years. The … Read More

Growing Rhubarb and Maintaining Rhubarb Plants. Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks (petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of Rheum in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The whole plant – a herbaceous perennial growing from short, thick rhizomes – is also called rhubarb. Although … Read More

How to grow Roselle from seed to harvest. Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is an annual or perennial herb or woody-based sub shrub, growing to 2–2.5 m tall. The plant has many culinary and medicinal uses. It is an ideal crop to grow in your garden.

The flowers are white to pale yellow … Read More

Growing Cape Gooseberry from seed is easy and it can overwinter outdoors in mild areas or when grown in favored positions such as the foot of a sunny wall. It is part of the family called physalis, a nightshade relative of the tomato and some other ground-growing berries. Cape gooseberry … Read More

How to grow Passion Fruit from seed to harvest. The passion fruit name came from the English translation of the Latin genus name – Passiflora, which means passion flower. It is an evergreen vine that can grow to 30 or 40 feet in length. It is widely grown in tropical … Read More

Growing Strawberries is easy and it is an ideal fruit crop for the home garden as they do not require much space and produce good yields. They also grow well in containers. Botanically, the “fruit” of the strawberry is the enlarged receptacle of the flower. The visible “seeds” that dot … Read More

Growing Asparagus from seed. Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that can keep producing up to 20 years and is grown differently from other vegetables. Early shoots emerging from the ground with the thickest stems are harvested during Spring. Later shoots is left to grow, eventually producing a mass of feathery … Read More

How to grow Anise from seed to harvest. Anise plant (Pimpinella anisum) also called aniseed, is a Southern European and Mediterranean herb with a flavor reminiscent of licorice. The plant is attractive with lacy leaves and a profusion of white flowers and grows as a bushy ornamental herb. It can … Read More

Growing Broccoli from seed. Broccoli is an edible green plant in the cabbage family whose large flowering head, stalk and small associated leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Broccoli is classified in the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea.

Broccoli Types

Sprouting Broccoli such as Calabrese.
Chinese broccoli (Kai … Read More

How to grow Feverfew, maintain Feverfew Plants and how to harvest Feverfew. Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is a flowering plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae, that is native to Asia Minor and the Balkans, but is now common throughout the world. Also known as “featherfew,” because of its feathery leaves. It … Read More

Globe Artichoke plants are herbaceous perennials that are members of the Asteraceae family,  a group that includes thistles, dandelions, and sunflowers. Growing Globe Artichoke in South Africa’s warm climate is ideal and they are considered as short-lived perennials. In cooler regions they are grown as annuals. Artichokes are usually grown … Read More

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is also known as aubergine or brinjal. South Africa’s weather is ideal for growing Eggplants and it can be grown as a perennial. Eggplants are native to warm regions and need consistent warmth to set fruit. They grow fastest when temperatures are between 21 and 30°C and … Read More

How to grow Elderberry, maintain Elderberry Plants and how to harvest Elderberries. Elderberry (Sambucus) is a large bush or shrub that is native to the U.S. and Europe. The bush produces purple-black fruit in bunches that are used in wines, juices, jellies, jams. It is also of great medicinal value … Read More

Growing Peppers is easy, but a bit of patience is required as it is a long season crop. Peppers are all part of the plant genus Capsicum.

Peppers can be broadly classified according to the pepper’s heat :

Sweet Peppers
Mild Peppers
Hot Peppers

How to grow Peppers from Seed

Peppers take … Read More

Growing Beans in the home garden is very rewarding. Warm season bean plants are cultivated for their highly nutritious immature pods (snap beans), immature seeds (shell beans) or mature seeds (dry beans).

Beans can be classified according to their growth habit:

Bush Beans – Determinant-type growth, those that grow as a … Read More

How to grow Amaranth from seed to harvest. Amaranthus is a cosmopolitan genus of annual or short-lived perennial plants collectively known as amaranths. Some amaranth species are cultivated as leaf vegetables, grains / pseudocereals, and ornamental plants. Some of the Amaranth varieties include Green Marog, Dreadlocks Amaranth, Molten Fire Amaranth … Read More

Growing Kale for seed is easy. Kale is a cold-hardy vegetable that can be planted in early spring or autumn. Kale, or leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage (Brassica oleracea) cultivars grown for their edible leaves, although some are also used as ornamental plants. Kale plants have green … Read More

How to grow Tobacco, maintain Tobacco Plants and how to harvest and cure tobacco. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is one of more than 60 species in the genus Nicotiana. The tobacco plant is a member of the Solanaceae family which also includes plants such as tomatoes, potatoes, peppers or eggplants.

There are … Read More

How to grow African Wormwood and how to maintain Wormwood Plants.

African Wormwood (Artemisia afra) is also known as wild wormwood, African wormwood (Eng.); wilde-als (Afr.); umhlonyane (isiXhosa); mhlonyane (isiZulu); lengana (Tswana); zengana (Southern Sotho)

Named after the Greek goddess Artemis, this soft aromatic shrub is one of the most popular medicinal … Read More

How to grow Mullein and how to maintain Mullein Plants.

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is also known as woolly mullein, the great mullein,common mullein,Aaron se Staf (Afr) or Aaron’s Rod (Eng), is a species of mullein native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia.

It is a hairy biennial medicinal plant that can grow … Read More

Sage (salvia officinalis) is a widely cultivated herb that is native to the Mediterranean region. It is a low shrub with pale, velvet-soft greyish green leaves. Sage is member of the mint family. Growing Sage is easy and the plant does well in containers, the ground and indoors. Sage is … Read More

Growing Malabar Spinach from seed is easy. Native to India and Indonesia, the plant is also known as Indian, creeping, Asian, Vietnamese, Surinam, Ceylonese and Chinese spinach. There are two varieties of Malabar Spinach, namely Green Malabar Spinach (Basella alba) and Red Stem Malabar spinach (Basella ruba). Both varieties taste … Read More

Growing Murraya koenigii, or curry leaf trees, is relatively easy. Curry Leaf tree is a species of evergreen tree grown for its aromatic foliage, which is widely used in Indian cooking as well for health and medicinal benefits. The curry leaf plant is tropical to sub-tropical and produces small fragrant … Read More

Growing Tomatoes from seed is easy. Tomatoes are long-growing, heat-seeking, sun lovers! Tomatoes are available in a wide variety of sizes, from tiny grape-size types to giant beefstakes. These warm-season plants do not tolerate frost.

Tomato cultivars can be classified according to their growth habit:

Determinate tomatoes are plants that grow to … Read More