Pretoria - May 2021

Garden tasks for May
• There is still time to plant Spring bulbs
If you have ordered tulips, plant them
as soon as possible after they arrive.
• Water Winter annuals at least once a
week and give them a weekly feed with
a liquid fertiliser to keep them flowering.
• Train climbing sweet peas up their
supports and check for aphids. Use an
organic insecticide or soapy water (but
not too strong a mixture).
• Trays of pansies, violas and primulas
can all still be planted out.
• Pelargoniums, succulents, cacti, ferns,
agapanthus, and day lilies can receive
less water but don’t let camellias and
azaleas dry out or their Spring flowers
will be affected.
• This is a good time to plant flowering
shrubs like abelia, buddleia, Cape
honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis),
Calliandra, escallonia, may (Spiraea),
Mackaya bella, and viburnum.
• If you are in a frost belt, stock up on frost
cloth and watch the weather report.
• Pot up some of your favourite
perennial herbs and pop them in a
sunny sheltered area.
• Go on a snail blitz and get rid of
snails that are overwintering in
old pots or among the clumps of
perennials. Put out snail bait or traps
to protect young seedlings.
We’re planting … Calibrachoa Cha-Cha
Diva Hot Pink, which is exactly
the kind of showstopper
that the name implies.
A great performer in
containers, hanging
baskets and in
sunny raised
garden beds,
which, for all its
star quality,
is a plant
that is really
easy to grow
and care for.
Plant it in
well-drained
soil or good quality
potting soil, water
regularly (especially containers) and fertilise
once or twice a month to keep up the quality of
flowers. Containers and baskets do best with
morning sun. Details: ballstraathof.co.za
Veggie of the month - broad beans
One of the easiest Winter crops to grow is broad beans, and
it likes the cold, which encourages it to set pods.
Broad beans are sturdy upright growing plants, about 1m
high, which are rarely bothered by pests or diseases. From
seed sown in May you should be able to start harvesting
from the end of July or early August through to late
September or October.
They may be easy, but they’re heavy feeders, needing wellcomposted
soil with additional fertiliser (2:3:2 or 3:1:5). And
while they grow in all kinds of soil, they do need full sun and
shelter from the wind.
Sow seeds directly into the soil where the plants are to
mature, keep them moist during germination and then
water regularly once the seedlings have germinated. As they
grow, the plants will need to be staked.
Beans should be ready for harvesting within 12 to 16 weeks.
The pods are ready for picking when they have filled out
and before they burst open.
Fresh beans have a delicious earthy flavour that fits in well
with Winter cooking, in stews, casseroles and soup. And
being a legume, the broad bean is an excellent source of
high-quality plant protein.
May 21 Get It Magazine 25