Gem Squash

Following my unsuccessful butternut crop last year, I made a conscious choice to avoid experimenting with the Curcurbita (pumpkin) family in my vegetable patch and resorted to purchasing my supplies.

To my surprise, I noticed a plant growing in October.  It had germinated from a seed that escaped from my compost bin so I decided to leave it and see what would happen.

Early in December the first flowers appeared and after my pumpkin fly experience I didn’t hold high expectations.  When the fruit began forming I realised that I was actually growing gem squash!

Three months later, the fruit have survived and I am about to eat my first harvest.

I wasn’t too sure when they would be ready to harvest so I did some research and uncovered an interesting fact.  Did you know that gem squash is unique to South Africa?

I’ve also learnt that if planted at the beginning of spring, it is unlikely to be attacked by pumpkin fly.  Also, given that my garden now contains a lot more plant material which attracts numerous pollinators, I did not have to go through a manual pollination exercise. 

As you can see in the photograph, the leaves have white spots on them.  This is a bit of mildew which is common with this crop during humid weather which we've experienced in the last couple of weeks.  I'm not too concerned about it as the crop is almost ready.

The gem squash plant is easy to grow but needs a lot of space as it sends out long vines.  My plant has spread itself over 5m².  The plants thrive in rich, well drained soil in a sunny spot.   Once planted, the soil must be kept moist and you can expect to harvest around 70-90 days.  The fruit is ripe and ready to be picked when the skin is too hard to pierce with your fingernails.

Spring Lawn Treatment

We performed a spring lawn treatment in our garden in the middle of September and 7 weeks later can show the results.

We have Kikuyu lawn in our garden which naturally dies back in the winter.  We watered it twice in winter in order to let it go through this natural process. 

Just after winter

The lawn treatment started by mowing the lawn on the lowest possible setting.  We then followed up with a scarifier to remove the dead thatch.  It seems like such a harsh process as the ground was almost bare at the end of the process.  It is a very dusty job so it's advisable to wear a dust mask and goggles. 



Scarification in progress



Scarification removes organic material from around the base of the grass plants that can prevent dense grass growth and can encourage the growth of fungus and bacteria.  It is best carried out at the beginning of spring so that the grass is actively growing and will fill any spaces created in the process.  If growth is slow there is a higher risk that the gaps will be filled by weeds.



The scarification was followed by aerating the soil.  We performed this manually with garden forks.  If you have a larger lawn area it’s much easier to use a spiked roller.  We then applied an organic fertiliser and added top dressing.  We completed the process with a deep watering.

7 weeks later we have a healthy, green lawn and our neighbours honestly say that the grass is greener on the other side!



7 weeks later



Diascia integerrima (Twinspur)

My garden survived winter and two hail storms and as the summer colour bursts forth at an alarming rate I watch for daily changes as each day greets me with a new blossom.

I’ve discovered one of the most under-rated indigenous plants which had been a star performer in my garden – Diascia integerrima (Twinspur).  The books speak about this plant having flowers throughout summer and autumn.  My collection has given me a constant display of the stunning salmon-coloured flowers since the day I planted them on 25 April 2011.  The plants have also grown and spread to cover a considerable area.  It is certainly a plant that should have a place in every garden and is available in shades of pink, orange and white.

Despite its delicate appearance, Diascia integerrima is a hardy perennial which is low maintenance, drought tolerant, frost resistant and grows in full sun or semi-shade.  It is seldom attacked by pests and is a great filler plants for mixed herbaceous borders.  It is also suitable for hanging baskets, containers and rockeries.  It grows about 30cm high and has a spread of 40-50cm.  It is naturally found in rocky sites and among streamside thickets.

Interestingly, this plant is pollinated by a specialized genus of bee, Rediviva, whose forelegs have evolved to as much as three times their normal length in order to reach into the spurs of the flower, to harvest the fatty oil produced by the glands.  This modification is restricted to the females.  Upon landing on a flower, she will insert her elongated front legs into each hollow spur and probe the ends for the oil-producing elaiophores.

Natural Bonsai

Whilst I admire the skills and creations of those who practice the Japanese art of growing a bonsai, a part of me feels disturbed by the procedure of purposefully stunting the growth and potential of what could be a magnificent tree with many uses.

Two years ago, my husband and I collected seeds from 6 different species of Acacia.  We went through the process of germinating and planting specimens, watching them develop and noting the different growth patterns.

From the onset, we noticed that one of our Acacia sieberiana (Paperbark) saplings was a little different.  He battled to burst forth from the hard casing protecting the seed and, in the process of shedding off the covering somehow got damaged.

We fed and nurtured all the plants with the same treatment.  Whilst all the others grew straight stems at phenomenal a rate, this little one grew very slowly with a twisted trunk.  Despite being weak and warped, he continued growing and developing himself.

Where similar plants grown for commercial purposes would have long ago been discarded, we kept this treasure and now have ourselves a natural bonsai without going through the practice of wiring his trunk to give it an artistically misshapen appearance.

The other plants are now towering young trees up to 3 metres tall and I hope they will grow into
magnificent specimens fulfilling many purposes like providing a home to wildlife, enhancing the air and providing shade.  Incidentally, my garden is far too small to grow a full size Acacia sieberiana , so, whilst I cannot benefit from sitting under the shade of my bonsai, I have the privilege of using him as the centre piece on my patio table.  I still have my view on the practice of creating bonsai, but I can now appreciate one of the advantages of owning one.  Most importantly, I played a part in creating him and did not give up on the joy of watching him reach for the sun.

Benefits of Mulch



Gazania without mulch 



When we moved into our property, the verge had five clumps of Gazania krebsiana (Gazania) growing at intervals along the wall.  Not wanting to invest too much on this area, I simply added some compost and mulch and instructed the gardener not to touch the area.  He was previously “turning the soil” with a garden fork to aerate it, but not adding any much needed organic material to it.  This was causing the soil to dry out much quickly, and disturbing the falling seeds from the gazanias, preventing them from germinating.





Gazania with mulch



The mulch used is a mixture of dried grass cuttings and dead leaves.  It’s been about 3 months since the gazanias received this new treatment and I now have new seedlings sprouting in the bed, so by January, the entire area should be carpeted in a mass of dark green leaves and beautiful flowers.  For more on Gazania krebsiana, a separate blog will follow soon.



  











Gazania  seedlings



In the meantime, here’s more on mulch...



Mulch is a layer of material – usually organic – which either forms naturally or is applied to the surface of the soil.  Establishing my new garden has involved applying a mulch to mimic a forest floor.  Mulch improves plant growth by:

• conserving moisture in the soil by reducing evaporation;
• providing additional nutrients from easily decomposed organic material;
• modifying soil temperatures (either keeping the soil cool and moist in hot periods or by allowing the soil to warm up more quickly in cooler periods);
• discouraging weed growth;
• preventing topsoil erosion.



Organic mulch can include:-


• Straw
• Leaves
• Grass cuttings
• Nut shells
• Fruit pips
• Rotted compost
• Peat

Mulch should be applied after the ground has been weeded, but before plant growth is well advanced.  The ground should be well soaked before mulching.  Mulch should be spread in a 5-8cm layer over and around the roots of plants.  A well mulched flowerbed should not require heavy watering unless there has been a long spell of dry weather.

Pebbles can be used as an inorganic mulch but I try to avoid this unless it specific to the garden design as it can be quite tedious to maintain.

Winter's tale



Wondering why I’ve been so quite?  It’s been winter and there was very little that I could do in the garden during the month of July.  This is generally a very quiet month for most South African gardeners where the bulk of the maintenance would be applying mulch and compost.  With my garden being so new, with mulch applied during the planting phase, there were no maintenance jobs required.  My only concerns were whether we would get frost and how my plants would handle the conditions.  So far, all my plants are surviving their first winter.  Only a few Chlorophytum comosum (Hen-and-Chickens) lost some leaves to frost but they have already recovered.  I just have a few more weeks to go through until I can say with certainty that the worst is over.



Felicia amelloides



However, I’m already seeing the first signs of spring:



·       Dimorphotheca jucunda (Trailing mauve daisy) have just begun flowering



·       Arctotis stoechadifolia (Trailing arctotis) has numerous buds

·       Felicia amelloides (Kingfisher Daisy) is flowering continuously.



Building Steps

There is nothing more satisfying than facing a successful building project.  I view building as a small miracle - watching a pile of bricks and mortar being transformed into a permanent structure.  However, building can also be quite daunting as it actually requires a fair amount of skill to create a stable structure from a pile of bricks.  So, realising my limited skills as a brick-layer, I chose to outsource my small building projects.

I designed steps for two sections of the garden.  Although I could see the logic of my well thought over dimensions, the builder questioned my decisions.  I stuck to my plans and, only after the job was completed did the builder admit that it actually looked “OK”. 

The main thing about building steps is to ensure that the dimensions are practical.  The tread (where your foot goes down) should be a minimum of 300mm so that the whole foot (of an average person) can rest on it.   The riser (height of the step) should be between 100mm and 175mm.

The first step is off our kitchen door.  The original step into the doorway was 26mm off sloping ground which can be uncomfortable for the elderly or disabled.  This was not really an issue for us until I ran a marathon and my stiff legs battled to lift high enough to enter the house.  I planned a small 450mm x 900mm wide step to make the entry into the house easier.



Kitchen - Before



Kitchen - After



Excuse the messy finish.  This is still work in progress.

The second step is off the patio into the “yellow room” of the garden.  There was a drop of 400mm which was also manageable on good days but totally off-bounds on marathon day.  To make a dramatic entrance into the garden, I designed a 600mm x1200mm wide step.

Patio - Before

Patio - After



Both steps were built with face bricks matching those used to build the house, with concrete pavers on the tread.