RAW Urban Gardening: Late Summer Planting


RAW Urban Gardening
 
Late Summer Planting
 
The end of a Joburg summer is a bitter sweet time. Scorching days and sticky,
hot nights are coming to an end. But as the temperature starts to cool slightly,
comes an opportunity for a new start in your garden..
 
With a seed for every season, here are RAW’s suggestions for late summer
planting
 
• CABBAGE: Cauliflower was certainly the hero veggie last year as a
replacement for all things carb - from cauli-mash, rice, rosties to wraps.
This year, you should keep your eye on the humble cabbage; a win from
both a health and diet variety perspective. Think easy and light chicken
cabbage wraps, Asian slaws or pickled cabbage dishes for fresh meals
and easy side dishes.
 
RAW Savoy Cabbage, an Italian heirloom that dates back to the 1800s
(like some of us) is a varietal that should be sown in late summer, in full
sun when soil temperatures are between 5 and 18 degrees. The seeds
will germinate in around two weeks and you can harvest around 8-15
weeks later. A friendly kind of veggie, you can grow bean, beets, celery
and onions in the same bed. Avoid greedy climbing beans, strawberries
or eggplant – they don’t always play as nicely in the veggie playground.
 
• MICRO-GREENS: So much more than decor or a pretty touch, there
is method to the madness of the micro-greens craze. RAW’s
Rainbow Blend of micro-greens is a concoction of flavours from
beetroot, Asian cabbage and kohlrabi to Italian broccoli and radish.
Still in time for light summer salads, micro-greens are easy to grow.
Sow thickly in trays and place on windowsills for best results. Sow
every 5-10 days and snip with scissors when 2-4cm high. If you want
something with a little more kick, try RAW’s Old Mexico version of the
herbs as well. A combination of coriander, red beets, cabbage, radish
and pepper cress, this varietal is screaming for you to make tacos –
and serve a shot of tequila on the side of course.
 
• SPINACH: And now for the game-changer. RAW Strawberry Spinach
should be sown in full sun 10cm apart. A throwback to North America,
Strawberry Spinach grows tiny, delicate leaves that can be cooked like
spinach or tossed in a salad. Keep an eye out for the red pulpy fruit in
late summer. This variety's berries grow at the base of each stem, and a
plant in full fruit is quite a sight. Wait until seeds are a dark burgundy
before enjoying their sweetly unique flavour. As if this plant wasn't
already the best thing to happen to your garden, you can get a
continuous crop of spinach by making successive plantings every 10
days.
 
All seeds are available at selected garden centres nationwide. Don’t forget to
get social with us! Follow RAW on Facebook and Instagram while staying up
to date with our latest offerings on our website.
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