Gauteng Smallholder April 2017 | Page 42

IN THE GARDEN

Planting ideas to beat the autumn blues

If you ' re not careful , autumn on a smallholding can get you down . With the arrival of cooler weather and shorter days , the super-energetic have a tendency to think that life as they know it has come to an end and won ' t return until next spring ( and that ' s months away ). Slackers , on the other hand , depressed that their dreamed-of garden never got off the ground , tell themselves they ' ve failed ( again ). But there is another way of

The cooler months need not mean an end to fresh , home-grown veg
looking at this situation : see autumn as a challenge . Yes , there is still time to sow seed , and get that veggie plot up and running , even in the coolest spots . In fact , with some crafty choices , the hitherto gardenless will even

WATERFOWL

From page 39
has aglossy bottle-green head and white collar which demarcates the head from the purple-tinged brown breast , grey brown wings , and a pale grey belly . The rear of the male is black , with the dark tail having white borders . The female is predominantly mottled with each individual feather showing sharp contrast from buff to very be able to impress family and neighbours . Radishes are the most rewarding vegetable to grow , because they come up so quickly . Apart from the fact that they impart a fresh reminder of
dark brown . The bill of the male is a yellowish orange tipped with black while that of the female is generally darker ranging from black to mottled orange . The drake reaches a weight of 2,5 to 2,7 kg , while the duck weighs 2,25 to 2,5 kg . ❑ Pekin:
They are characterised by a yellow bill and creamy white plumage , with orange shanks and toes . The summer to your salads , radishes are a great species with which to introduce young kids to the joy of gardening , because the seed germinates in no more than a couple of days and they grow quickly . Now is a good time to plant them because they prefer cool weather . You can grow
Continued on page 41
ducks have an upright carriage and a peculiarly upturned rump . When young it is difficult to determine the gender of the duck ; when older the male ducks acquire a curled tail feather . Ducklings have bright yellow plumage . The drake reaches a weight of about 4 kg and the duck 3,6 kg .
Continued on page 41
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