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 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

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

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

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

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

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 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