Grow your own vegetables with the trench-bed method

Tag : mustard leaf


Hilda Pheto describes the Food Gardens brand of vegetable garden.“We remain faithful to the trench-bed method. It is a trenchthat you dig that is one metre by two metres; one metre is the sizeof a spade — so it is one spade by two spades.
“We wanted to reach the most illiterate person because thispractical means of measurement can reach people who would notnormally be able to use a method that is highly technical. Themethod is so down to earth, it is so old, but people have realisedthat it is actually going to work because fertilisers are expensiveand people need something that is sustainable.
People have tried tunnels, hydroponics — they’rewonderful but they’re very technical and they’re highmaintenance,” explains Pheto.
According to Pheto, “the trench-bed uses the household waste,so it is eco-friendly, and you clean the environment at the sametime as you feed the soil, so it works well. With this method youjust break the soil up, de-compact it, then you put in thebiodegradable matter: anything, the old bones, mielie cob, grass,leaves — you’re encouraging earthworms underneath thatlove the humid fertility so the veggies can deep root.
“We don’t use any agric-chemicals, no matter what. Wesay that we are using organic principles. We use garlic chives,marigold and companion planting to confuse the insects as pestcontrol.
“We do not dig it for five years. You are not causing thecarbon to escape — it preserves the carbon footprint.
“You can extend this trench to up to 10 metres long forfamily use — it encourages people to start small businesses.You can block-plant spinach or beetroot.
“We use minimum water because we encourage grey-waterharvesting and rain-water harvesting and mulching. This methodworks in rural areas where there is no water, as well as in urbanareas.”
Lastly, it is important to plan your vegetable garden properly.Plant what you will enjoy eating — variety is good for yourhealth and for the soil, and sow seeds in correct seasons. The FoodGardens Foundation has a seed-sowing guide that shows which seedsyou should plant for each month of the year for your climaticregion (see below).
For more information, visit www.foodgardensfoundation.org.za orphone 011 880 5956.
• A practical, step-by-step guide to trench gardening is alsoavailable onhttp://biophile.co.za/gardening/starting-a-vegetable-garden
Suggested sowing times for the midlands
SUMMER
December. Amaranth morog, bush and climbing beans, beetroot,cabbage, carrot, mealies, radish and sweet corn.
January. Amaranth morog, bush beans, beetroot, cabbage, carrot,kohlrabi, CM kale, leaf mustard, leek, lettuce, radish, Swiss chardspinach and turnip.
February. Beetroot, cabbage, carrot, CM kale, kohlrabi, leafmustard, leek, lettuce, onion, parsley, radish, Swiss chard spinachand turnip.
AUTUMN
March. Broad beans, beetroot, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, carrot, CMkale, kohlrabi, leaf mustard, leek, lettuce, lucerne, onion,parsley, radish, Swiss chard spinach and turnip.
April. Broad beans, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, carrot, leaf mustard,lettuce, lucerne, parsley, radish, peas and turnip.
May. Broad beans, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, lucerne and peas.
WINTER
June. Cabbage, Chinese cabbage and peas.
July. Cabbage, peas (chillies and green peppers may be planted invery protected areas).
August. Bush beans, beetroot, brinjal, cabbage, carrot, chillies,green pepper, leaf mustard, leek, lettuce, lucerne, peas, Swisschard spinach and tomato.
SPRING
September. Amaranth morog, bush and climbing beans, beetroot,brinjal, cabbage, carrot, chillies, cucumber, green pepper,lettuce, marrows, leaf mustard, leek, lucerne, mealies, parsley,pumpkin, radish, squash, Swiss chard spinach, soup celery, sweetcorn, tomato and turnip.
October. Amaranth morog, bush and climbing beans, beetroot,brinjal, cabbage, carrot, chillies, cucumber, green pepper, leafmustard, lettuce, marrows, mealies, New Zealand spinach, parsley,pumpkin, radish, squash, Swiss chard spinach, soup celery, sweetcorn and tomato.
November. Amaranth morog, bush and climbing beans, beetroot,cabbage, carrot, leaf mustard, lettuce, mealies, New Zealandspinach, radish, soup celery, sweet corn and tomato.