By understanding how soil works, we can see the benefits of understanding that soil is an ecosystem that needs as much attention as the plants planted in it.
Think of soil as the ocean. You can’t see much on the surface, but once you go below, as you would in an aquarium, you see all sorts of life teaming beneath the waves. These soils are alive with billions of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes as well as macrobial organisms like earthworms and insects. All play an important role in enriching and aerating the soil, processing organic matter and feeding the plants.
Advantages:
Anchors plants and promotes strong root growth;
Holds water and makes it accessible to plant roots;
Holds air so that roots and soil microbes can breathe;
Holds nutrients and makes these available to the roots.
Tests to find out your soil type Before planting up a new bed, garden or veggie patch, make time to get to ‘know’ your soil. There are many different soil types, and there may be great variation between different areas of your garden. Soil is broadly classified into loam, clay and sandy soils. There are two simple tests that can be done to help you determine what is what:
1. The sausage test
Wet an area of soil, then collect a handful and roll it into a sausage shape and gently bend.
If it is very crumbly and breaks before bending it means your soil is sandy.
If it holds its shape and then breaks slightly when bending then it’s loamy soil (ideal).
If it bends and holds its shape (without breaking), it means your soil is clay.
2. The ball test
Wet an area of soil, collect a handful and roll it into a ball.
If the soil particles won’t bind together, the soil is sandy.
If the soil moulds to a loose ball but breaks easily then its loamy soil (ideal).
If the soil retains its shape after moulding, it’s a clay soil.
Working with your soil type
Once you have established what soil type you have, you will be able to implement a suitable plan of action for its improvement or sustainable management. Even loamy soil needs continuous enhancement and nutrition to support optimal root and plant growth. The EcoBuz range offers a holistic, balanced approach to soil health.
Loam soil
This soil consists of a combination of clay and sand particles that results in:
A workable soil with good colour that holds its shape.
A balance of large and small soil particles, with mixed pore spaces.
Good water-holding capacity.
Medium porosity – allowing water and nutrients to be absorbed while the excess can drain away.
Good aeration – allowing oxygen to penetrate into the soil to sustain life.
A soil that can hold onto nutrients for use by plants and keep the soil pH balanced.
Sandy soil
The problem:
Sandy soil has the following characteristics:
Coarse and gritty to touch.
Has large particle sizes with large pore spaces.
Has a low water-holding capacity.
Drains easily.
Well-aerated.
Poor in nutrients.
The solution:
Start building the soil to negate the problematic characteristics as discussed above. By adding compost, you promote soil aggregation and improve water-holding capacity, while also adding nutrients. Other good practices like mulching, planting cover crops that can be used as green manures, and adding plenty of organic material into the soil will eventually turn the soil around and give you and your plants the benefits of a healthier soil.
Clay soil
The problem:
Clay soils are not ideal for gardening, as the small clay particles prevent the free flow of water, oxygen and nutrients. These soils are prone to water-logging and crusting, and are easily compacted.
Clay soil has the following characteristics:
Soft and powdery to touch.
Very fine particle size with minimal pore spaces.
High water-holding capacity.
Poor drainage.
Poor aeration.
Nutrient content is usually pretty high, but unavailable for uptake.
The solution:
Start building the soil as with sandy soil. Adding compost to clay soil makes it easier to work, and over time compost improves soil aggregation, aeration and enhances nutrient uptake. Compost builds and contributes to soil structure. A healthy soil is the key to a healthy garden. The journey to garden wellness starts with soil that’s healthy and HumiGro, a carbon-based soil conditioner with a complex list of nutritional elements that form the basis of soil fertility. Think of it as a highly concentrated form of compost. Adding HumiGro:
A potato farmer from Harrismith is changing the way we look
at soil.
Potatoes – just add butter and you have the perfect side dish, whether they are boiled, mashed or fried. We all eat potatoes, and in most households no meal is complete without this starchy tuberous crop. But, and here’s cause for concern, do you know where your humble potato comes from, and what it contains? Has it been grown in clean soil? After all, we are always told that we are what we eat.
James Leslie, a progressive farmer from Harrismith in the Free
State, knew where his potatoes were coming from and where they were going, and
decided to make what some farmers might call a radical change to his approach
to farming.
James’s company, Sesisonke Farming, was founded in 2005, and
the name is particularly apt. ‘Sonke’ means ‘all of us’ in Zulu, a description
that encompasses who the company is and why they are doing what they are doing.
So what are they doing? Essentially, Sesisonke Farming is trying to grow
cleaner food using cleaner soil, which obviously benefits all of us.
James started questioning their methods of farming after
taking his young son to the fields with him one morning. As children do, he was
playing in the soil and eating it, and James had to stop him because of the
poisons in the soil from the pest control products he was using at the time.
When the soil is poisonous it’s time for change. It was then that James decided
to plant in virgin soil (virgin soil is soil that has never been cultivated
before). As you’d expect, he was apprehensive about his yield, especially
relative to the yield from his conventionally farmed lands.
But after harvesting and finding that the ‘virgin soil’
potato yield was higher than the previously planted fields, James knew the
future was in balanced soil. He started to learn, discovering that soil health
is not just about adding nutrients but feeding living organisms such as
bacteria and fungi living within it. According to this new theory, soil should
be seen as a functional whole, an ecosystem. After returning from a seminar
hosted by Graeme Sait, a world leader in the knowledge of healthy soil and the
direct impact it has on our health and planet, James started implementing the
principles to attain a healthy crop while building soil health.
In the last few years, we as consumers have been made aware
of words like organic, sustainable, wholesome, nonchemical and natural. The
perception is that a farmer has to go to great lengths to attain these labels,
but even if they do, do we as consumers even understand these global demands?
When he delved deeper, James was surprised as to the lack of
knowledge available on how soil functions in a healthy environment. He did,
however, bump into likeminded people during his research, like those at Madumbi
Sustainable Agriculture. They found a common purpose to challenge and change
traditional ways of practising agriculture and revolutionise the farming
industry with the goal being to produce nutritious, uncompromised food for the
nation.
By focusing on conditioning and building the soil over more
than a decade, James now plants in a humus-rich biosystem. This results in
softer, more fertile soil, and softer soil equates to less tilling. Less
tilling means that the microbes don’t get disturbed and destroyed, and microbes
add to the health of crops. Healthy crops are in turn less prone to disease,
and that means less chemical applications are required.
“Over the past two decades, human health care has evolved from reactively reaching for medication and anti-biotics to proactively improving overall health, wellness and fitness. It’s time to do the same in your garden.”
To further build the soil, James plants as many cover crops
as possible, after harvesting his main crop. These crops are then incorporated
into the soil as green manures adding valuable organic matter into the cycle.
Keeping living roots in the soil guarantees that the microbes are fed, and by
bringing animals to eat these green crops he ensures that the fodder is
recycled and the nutrients are put back in the soil by the excrement of the
grazing feeders
On my visit to James, he explained the life of soil so well.
He said, “It’s like looking at the ocean’s surface. All you see is blue and
waves, but once you go to an aquarium and submerge yourself you realise the
enormity of life below the surface. It is the same with soil – under a
microscope you can see the millions of functioning microorganisms that inhabit
that space below the surface. They all have a role to play.”
Every time James plants a crop, every hectare is planted
with compost, to boost the levels of organic matter or humus (partially
decomposed organic matter). The humus retains moisture and keeps soil
temperatures moderate. This is also big-scale worm farming, as James uses
vermitea (worm ‘wee’) as an additional fertiliser. Thanks to these practices,
James has maintained a steady yield even through Harrismith’s drier years,
mostly due to his healthy soil and its humus content.
By understanding what the soil needs to function as an
ecological community and the impact good soil has on food production, James and
the Sesisonke team, with the help of Madumbi, have guaranteed good health, for
the soil and for you.
If traditional flower beds and large gardens don’t match the amount of time and space you have, don’t rule out gardening all together. Container gardens blend the traditional and the modern, solving a number of typical garden problems:
If garden space is at a premium
When your outdoor garden consists of a 2x2m patch of grass that is almost never sunny, or when you have no outdoor garden at all, planting in pots is the best way to add any lacking nature around you. Container plants and propagators can be placed anywhere -indoors or outdoors, windowsills, patios and balconies, even on your rooftop – as long as there is adequate sunlight.
If you don’t have the right garden for your favourite plants
Container gardens allow for more versatility; not only because you can match specific soil requirements to each plant, but also because you can easily move them around. If you want to grow a plant that requires partial sunlight but only have a baking hot balcony, you can move the containers indoors and outdoors whenever you need to, allowing you to plant whatever you want. This is also great for renters who won’t have to leave their plant children behind when moving!
If pesky pests are a problem
The isolation of container plants and less surface area means some problems typical larger gardens face are either infrequent or much easier to control. Pests and diseases are less likely to find your plants or spread to others, making eradication effortless. Similarly, problems with weeds or space invaders are almost non-existent.
If you want to help the environment and save water
While the droughts may be subsiding in South Africa, you can still help the environment and reduce the threat of drought in the future by opting for a water-wise container garden. Water requirements can be optimised for each plant rather than watering an entire piece of ground. By collecting water that would go unused (like running cold water when waiting for hot water) to water your pot plants, you can drastically limit your water usage. Alternatively, you can invest in self-watering planters that will do the job for you!
If you are a gardening newbie
Container gardens allow you to start small, experiment, and scale up whenever you want to. For those without experience with plants, pot plants are easier to monitor and modify watering or sunlight accordingly. Container gardens are a great way to introduce children to gardening or help physically challenged gardeners because they are more manageable and accessible.
Valentine’s Day is a florist’s favourite holiday but most of the time these one-day-gifts are forgotten about a week later. Sad wilting flowers definitely do not say eternal love – keep them alive with these tips for fresh Valentine’s Day Flowers.
Cut Flowers:
The V-Day staples are typically red roses, with lilies and tulips also a common option that say love and passion. There is also the occasional bouquet of left overs that say I forgot and this is all they had left. No matter the intention, every flower is a gift and it’s not hard to treat them like one:
Cut the stems at an angle to make sure they can absorb water. Repeat every 2 or 3 days.
Remove leaves below the water line to prevent bacteria growth and place the bouquet in room temperature water. Replace the water every few days to prevent cloudiness.
Myths like bleach, pain tablets, coins and hairspray are sworn by remedies but in reality, don’t do much for your flowers. Adding ¼ cup of a clear sugary soda, adding a splash of vodka or putting your flowers in the fridge overnight are a few ways to make your flowers look brand new, even 10 days later.
Orchids:
For the extravagant and possibly suggestive suitor, orchids are the flower of luxury and seduction. Although they may have a reputation for being difficult to take care of, a little attention to their environment can keep them going, making great indoor plants:
Place in a mild, humid environment with occasional sunlight.
Water well, but not often as the roots need time to dry out. In summer, water once a week and winter, once or twice a month.
Transfer to a new container once it is finished blooming as store containers are typically not suitable for long term growth. A chunky, well-draining medium with things like bark, rocks, and even styrofoam covered with moss works best. Orchid growing mediums are available online or at most garden centres.
Roses:
Roses don’t have to be given in the typical ‘dozen’; a flowering rose bush is also a great long-lasting alternative. However, longevity requires a bit more attention than a perishable bouquet:
Replant soon, either in a new container or in the garden as store containers usually do not leave enough space for the bush to grow. Water on the first day and replant once the soil has dried out.
Replant with a mixture of compost, bone meal and fertilizer and plenty of space between other plants. Must receive a minimum of 5 hours sun.
Water the roses daily until there is new growth and water often afterwards.
Thrifty gardeners like to use every part of the vegetable. Why throw away luscious beetroot tops, colourful Swiss chard stems or crunchy broccoli stalks? If you use what everyone else tosses away, then you are a ‘root-to-stem’ gardener. This is the latest trend in a world that’s conscious of waste and the rising cost of food.
Creative gardeners and cooks are taking this trend even further with recipes for carrot-top pesto, radish greens chimichurri and roasted cauliflower steaks.
It has also been discovered that the parts we throw away (hopefully on the compost heap) are just as rich in nutrients, if not richer, than the parts we eat, such as broccoli stems, beetroot leaves and more. There are plenty of summer veggies that can be eaten root-to-stem. Here are our suggestions:
Swiss chard: ‘Bright Lights’ varieties with colourful stems offer the most options. Chopped small, they can be added to soups and stews, sautéed with onions, peppers and other veggies in stir-fries, or steamed and added to pasta, quiche and other baked dishes. Those with the large white rib can be steamed and served with hollandaise sauce, as an asparagus substitute.
Growing tips: In summer, Swiss chard grows better in partial shade. Water regularly and feed monthly with a nitrogen-rich fertiliser to boost leaf production. Harvest 2 – 3 outer stems at a time from each plant.
Summer squashes like baby marrows and patty pans, as well as winter squashes (pumpkins and butternut), produce edible flowers, and the young leaves can be eaten like spinach, often referred to by people in rural areas as marog.
Cook the leaves as soon as possible after picking because they wilt quickly. Wash well and shred. Sauté an onion and some garlic and add the leaves. Add some water or stock and some chopped tomatoes and potatoes and stew until the vegetables are very tender. The ‘hairiness’ of the leaves diminishes with cooking.
Growing tips: Plant in full sun, in well-composted soil that drains well. Allow enough space for plants to grow (overcrowding may cause fungal disease). Water at the base of the plant and avoid wetting the leaves.
Don’t we all love to snack? Behaviourists, who have studied the psychology of snacking, say it’s not always because we are hungry. We snack to improve our mood (boredom or comfort eating), as a convenient on-the-go meal or energy boost (school and work lunches), and when socialising, watching television or sport.
Despite our best intentions, snacking is here to stay! But what we snack on makes a difference to our health, weight and fitness. That’s why growing our own healthy veggie snacks can help reduce, and maybe even eliminate, the consumption of chips, chocolates and other delicious (but diabolical) treats.
Snacking veggies meet all the criteria of snacks – they are crunchy, sweet or savoury, varied, interesting and easy to eat. They also appeal to the eye, especially the new multi-coloured varieties.
Cherry tomatoes have always been popular as a snacking food, but now there are ‘currant’ and ‘grape’ types that are extra sweet, flavourful and even more snackable. Small-fruiting tomatoes are quicker to harvest than the large fruit varieties and most varieties are suitable for growing in containers and even in large hanging baskets.
Try these for snacking:
Candyland Red is a new currant-type tomato. The dark-red sweet fruit is smaller than the cherry tomato, ready to pop into your mouth straight from the garden. The plant is tidier than other current-type tomatoes and the clusters of fruit are formed on the outside of the plant, making it easier to harvest. These are delicious for snacking.
Baby carrots are another super-crunchy snack, and they are ideal container veggies, especially if the garden soil is heavy. Direct-sow seed into troughs or pots that are at least 20cm deep. Thin to 10cm apart. Use regular, fine potting soil, keep moist during germination and water regularly.
Try these for snacking:
Parisian Round carrots are sweet and round, ideal for lunch boxes. They grow faster than normal carrots because of their shallow root system and are great for poor soil conditions. They can be sown all year round and are ready for harvesting within 50 – 70 days of sowing.
Radishes are the ultimate slimming vegetable because they contain lots of fibre, vitamin C and potassium, and very few calories. Snacking on radishes, rather than high fat or sugary foods, helps fight hunger pangs but keeps weight off. They have also become more colourful.
Try these for snacking:
Rainbow Mix consists of purple, yellow, white and red radishes and Watermelon radish has a whitish-green outer skin, but when cut it resembles a small watermelon with bright pink flesh. The flavour is mild, nutty and slightly sweet. Sow thickly into compost-enriched soil or use a good quality, fast-draining potting soil for container-grown radishes. Keep the soil moist during germination. Use the thinned out small leaves in salads. They are as tasty, but not as peppery as the radish root, excellent for snacking. Water regularly because radishes need to grow quickly if they are to be plump and crunchy.
Control those carbs this festive season by snacking away without feeling guilty.
There are always those gardening tasks we cannot get away from. A little bit of work will be greatly rewarded when the family pops around for the festive season.
Prune rambling roses, feed, water well and add a layer of mulch. Stake dahlias as they grow and keep disbudding them by removing the side buds to encourage large flowers. Cut back chrysanthemums to ensure bushier growth and lots of flowering stems in autumn. Mulch with fresh compost and water well afterwards. Keep spraying deciduous fruit trees against fruit fly.
To avoid blight on tomatoes and mildew on cucumbers, squashes and pumpkins, water them early in the morning to give the leaves time to dry off before nightfall. Give citrus trees their mid-season feed of granular fertiliser. Spread evenly over the drip line 20 – 30cm away from the stem. Mulch and water well.
Planting seed potatoes in December and January will produce a harvest in April and May for storing and eating during winter. Weed the garden. After weeding place a layer of organic mulch over every last inch of soil. Mulching not only saves water and your time when you’re desperately busy with other tasks, but will also provide a professional and well cared for look and will display existing plants to their best advantage.
Add swathes of gauras, angelonias, cupheas, lavender, Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’, bacopas, perennial verbena and pentas – none of these need excessive pampering or watering!
Large vegetables (tomatoes, brinjals, squashes etc.) should be watered deeply twice a week while seedlings and shallow-rooted veggies (Swiss chard, lettuce etc.) need less water more frequently, even daily in hot December temperatures. Support fruit-bearing tomato stems to prevent the stems from breaking or bending. Use soft ties and loop the tie around the stake and the stem in a figure of eight. Fertilise fruiting crops when they start to flower and leafy vegetables after picking.
Remove weeds that compete for water. Renew mulch if necessary.
5 minutes to spare
Check quick-bearing veggies (beans, marrows etc.) each day and harvest so that fruit doesn’t grow too big or too tough.
10 minutes to spare
Start sowing cool-season crops (cabbage, cauliflower etc.) in seed trays. Keep them out of direct sun but in good light and make sure the soil is consistently moist during germination.
Good idea…
Grow loose-leaf lettuce in the shade of taller plants like runner beans, tomatoes and brinjals.
Gardening in shady areas can be tricky. Bedding begonias, available in seedling trays, fill that gap beautifully as each plant produces masses of waxy flowers to brighten the darkest of corners. It’s also planting time for gaudy tuberous begonias, which are perfect for patio pots and hanging baskets that receive dappled shade. Buy some tubers today and start planting! Some begonias, however, enjoy adding grace indoors, and among the many hybrids of Begonia elatior you will find the right colour to match your interior decor.
Not only are these beauties showstoppers in your garden and home but the flowers are edible too! While people have been eating flowers forever, they have never been trendier than they are right now. Some are used mainly for their appearance, but others taste as good as they look. Begonias are one of the more flavoursome flowers. These fleshy-stemmed plants have been cultivated for their colourful blooms for centuries, and numerous hybrids have been bred from the 900 or so species that are found in the wild.
Two particular hybrid cultivars have found their way into the hearts and diets of modern society. The flowers are eaten fresh for their slightly bitter citrus or lemon flavour, while texturally they are crisp and moist, which makes them a great addition to salads and sandwiches. They’re especially suited to fish dishes and other meals where lemon is an important accompaniment. These tasty morsels can also be added to soups and pastas, and also make for an attractive garnish on dinner plates. A creative option is to dip begonia petals in yoghurt to create an unusual dessert that is sure to get tongues wagging at a dinner party. The colourful flowers also add another dimension to creative cocktails served with or without alcohol.
The specific types used as edible flowers are the large tuberous begonias (Begonia x tuberhybrida) and the lesser wax begonias or bedding begonias (Begonia x semperflorens). The tuberous types are not common in local gardens, but the wax begonia is one of the most commonly planted summer bedding plants. Flowers are plentiful and easily accessible to most gardeners, but be aware of pesticide usage around plants that may be considered for eating and remember to wash the flowers thoroughly before eating. Go ahead and add some flare to your drab saladsthis summer!
Thinking of hanging baskets, it only conjures up images of lush planted colour, suspended from filigree brackets, faded red terracotta tiles as mountains form the backdrop. Yes, Europe! We have all seen these pictures and some of us have been privileged to visit these countries. Rows upon rows of hanging baskets greet us, pelargoniums and petunias trailing over the verges of the pots.
With our living spaces becoming smaller and our gardens decreasing in size, we constantly look for clever ways to incorporate plants into our lives. Hanging baskets have the ability to make a dead space come to life, adding an extra dimension to our gardens and even indoors.
Some of us have failed miserably trying to replicate these beautiful creations and have thought that we are dreadful gardeners. Gardening is a very practical thing, that’s why I love it. We just have to be clever in what we plant and have realistic expectations. It’s all in the planning.
The biggest mistake we make is wanting a hanging basket, planting it up and then hanging it in the wrong spot because we did not think it through. Plants don’t change, some love shade, other full sun. The rules still apply. You cannot expect a sun loving plant to grow in the shade and vice versa.
Rule number one, find the area you want to hang your basket. Look around and take note of the suns position. Is it in full sun or dappled shade? Is there a wall that will catch the hot afternoon rays? These factors will all dictate the type of plants you use in your basket.
Rule number two, soil, soil, soil! It is the living stomach of the plant. Good soil is like a food warehouse, where the roots get their nutrients and grow. If you have poor soil, you will have poor plants.
With a magnitude of styles available, you can find the perfect hanging basket for your décor style.
Get going:
Locate the area where your basket will be hanging.
Choose your basket, make sure that it is sturdy and the chains or rope are able to handle the weight of the plants.
Most hanging baskets, if not woven, have drainage holes. If not, drill some holes, you don’t want your flowers to have wet feet.
Potting Mix:
Mix a third deconstructed palm peat with your potting soil. Add a hand full of organic fertiliserand a sprinkling of bone meal.
If you are planting up seedlings that need more moisture, add 5g EXLGelpowder to your mixture, this will retain water for longer.
Place your hanging basket on a plastic pot, nestling it on the opening. This way you can plant up your hanging basket with ease as it will not fall to the side.
Fill the bottom of your basket with the potting medium you have mixed.
Place the bigger plants in the centre of the basket and if you have trailing or smaller plants, place them on the sides. If the roots are a bit pot bound, gently tease them loose before placing them in the hanging basket.
Fill the rest of the basket with your soil mixture and gently firm down.
Give a good watering and add a liquid fertiliser once a month to your watering. Water your hanging basket regularly when dry.
The last and most important. When hanging your basket, don’t hang it so high that you cannot enjoy what you have planted. Suspend between 1.2m to 1.6m, at your eye level. This also allows for easy watering and maintenance.
If you have planted annuals, deadhead regularly to encourage blooms. Also prune if one plant is outgrowing another, as to keep balance in your hanging basket.
Colourful combinations:
For the herb lover:
Basil in the centre
Nasturtiums and thyme on the edges
For the salad lover:
Lettuce in the centre
Parsley and violas on the edges
For the succulent lover:
It is important to substitute your palm peat with silica sand. Succulents prefer drier soil. Do not add the EXLGel. Do feed with liquid fertiliser once a month.
Our Team is ready to answer any questions or concerns that you may have. Feel free to get in touch!
Office Hours: 8:00am – 16:00pm
If we are not available then email us and we will get back to you as soon as possible. hello@tanyavisser.com
1. The sausage test 
2. The ball test 
Sandy soil has the following characteristics:
Clay soils are not ideal for gardening, as the small clay particles prevent the free flow of water, oxygen and nutrients. These soils are prone to water-logging and crusting, and are easily compacted.
