September planting 2 – the southern hemisphere
On this particular front, I can only really speak from my experiences growing vegetables in Cape Town, South Africa. If you’re really worried about cold-hardiness, waiting until late-August/September before sowing your favourite vegetables should see you right. Here are some ideas for the next week or two’s sowing…
Broad beans: Also known as Fava beans, these tend to be expensive at the South African supermarket – assuming you can ever find them in the first place. As one of my all-time favourite veg, their relative rarity in South Africa sent me out into my garden, packet of seeds in hand.
Sow now at intervals of about 20cms between seeds/70 cms between double rows – the double rows will help the growing beans to support each other, but you might still find it a good idea to stake your plants, especially if you’re in windy Cape Town. Water regularly, pinch out the growing tip when enough pods have set on your plant and you should be harvesting your crop 10-12 weeks from now. Varieties you might want to try include Aquadulce (known for its hardiness if you’re still not sure about the weather), Karmazyn (for its unusual, pink beans) or Witkiem Manita for early maturing.
Peas: Not being big fans of hot weather, peas are best sown in cooler temperatures, making now the ideal time to kick things off. Sow into small pots/toilet roll inserts/seed trays and transplant into the ground/container about 3 inches apart. If the weather in your area is still very cold and wet, don’t sow directly into the soil now – the seeds are likely to simply rot. Once your seedlings have reached about 3 inches in height, you’ll see tendrils beginning to show – that’s a good time to put in some support in the form of small branches/stakes or netting to give them something to clamber up.
Peas take about 12 weeks to grow. The more you pick, the more will grow, so harvest regularly for a good crop, starting with the pods at the bottom of each plant and working your way up. Peas are excellent nitrogen fixers for soil, so rather than pulling the plants up once you’re finished with them, cut them down to the base, leaving the roots to rot back into the soil and add nutrients for your next harvest.
Aubergine/Eggplant/Brinjal: Sow now in full sun and expect your crops about three months later. Starting out in trays, allow a good 70cms between plants when transplanting into soil, or one plant per 33cm container if you’re patio growing. Check my earlier posting on growing aubergines for more details on the ins and outs of successful growing.
Beetroot: Another home-growers’ favourite, beetroot is really easy to grow. The spiky-looking seeds are actually 
made up of clusters of three or four seeds joined together – this means you’ll have to thin out the seedlings when they begin to grow, leaving only the strongest ones in place for your harvest. You can start beetroot off in growing trays, but you’ll have more success if you sow directly into the soil – wait until all chance of frost has passed before doing this, though.
Beetroot likes sun, although partial shade is all right too. Sow about 10cms apart and expect to harvest about three months after sowing.
