Foreign Friday. Volksvreemde Vrydag

Tomatillos (Physalis philadelphica/Physalis ixocarpa)

When I bought my first tomatillo seeds a year ago (May 2013) I was very hopeful. It was the first seed I bought, and being a naive, first-time veg gardener I thought I would harvest a ton of green and purple tomatillos come summer. By March this year I was ready to pull the whole lot out. One miserable tomatillo. Hopes and dreams dashed.

Middle Feb 2014 - still hoping for any type of harvest

Middle Mar 2014 - hopes dashed...

... one miserable tomatillo harvested by Mid-March 2014

I really don't know what I did wrong with my tomatillos, but I have two theories. One; the sun scorched them, nestled up against the vibracrete wall. Two; the soil wasn't fertile enough. It's difficult to say which one of these theories is the correct one, or if it is a combination of the two. This is because I added tons of compost just as the weather cooled down slightly by the end of March.

In the gentler weather of April I started to notice a difference, and by middle May I had tomatillos everywhere:

15 May 14 - An abundance of green tomatillos!!!

15 Mei 14 - Groen tomatillos in oorvloed!!!

Now I was faced with another problem. You see, after I basically wrote off the tomatillos in March I had set this bed out for brown onions. Only brown onions. The granny told me April is the best month to plant onions in my neck of the woods. April came and went as I waited for the tomatillos to ripen, but by middle May I couldn't delay anymore. Yes, my tomatillos would've been bigger had I harvested them later, but onions are worth more in this household. You see, tomatillos are volksvreemd... onions not. So out went the tomatillos and in went the Texas Granos. 

This is what I harvested:

 

Maybe I should try a simple Salsa Verde recipe now. What do you think?

Botanical Name: PHYSALIS PHILADEPHICA or PHYSALIS IXOCARPA
Common Name: Tomatillo, Mexican tomato, husk tomato
Volksnaam: -
Native to: Mexico
Date planted/sowed: 10 + 18 Oct 2013
Ease to grow: Moderately easy to grow, but I had difficulties getting the plants to fruit
Costs: R11.00 for 35 seeds and about R20.00 for compost
Notes: Compost soil well two weeks before sowing tomatillo seed. Also avoid planting against hot, reflective walls.

Backyard Farmer Contemplations. Agterplaas Boer Denke

As the autumn season draws nearer and nearer to a close, I thought it appropriate to reflect on my autumn garden. There isn't too much to show harvest wise, except the abundance of sweet potatoes, but let me share with you the goings on in my corner of the Garden Route:

Black Hungarian peppers and Bishop's Crown peppers/Swart Hongaarse en Klokvormige soetrissies

Bishop's Crown peppers in the backyard veg patch

Black Hungarian peppers in the backyard veg patch

Now that the weather is cooler but still warm, the peppers have come into their own. I think I got the green peppers too late in the season to produce, but the Bishop's Crown peppers have stolen the show. Such pretty vegetables, aren't they? Another pepper that has done really well (despite attempts at annihilation haha), is the Black Hungarian pepper. I got these critters from the kind folks at Organic Seed SA. The peppers turn a deep, glossy purple and is really quite mild. Even people who dislike hot food will love this one.

Tree Tomato/Tamarillo/Boomtamatie vruggies

What were only dainty little flowers on my Tree Tomato two short months ago, developed into plump fruits in the meantime. I can't wait to sample some of these fruits. Not only are they delicously strange and exotic, but they are also packed with vitamin A and C. I think they are a valuable and easy-to-grow addition to any South African garden.

Despite hectic berg winds, hail and the occasional downpour my autumn garden is coming along nicely. I hope to share the progress with you next time :-) 

Cold Season Planting in South Africa. Koue Seisoen Tuinwerk in die Tuinroete

Okay, so I was a bit late with my cold season planting... I blame Murphy's Law. You see; not only was April my annual leave month, but I also visited Prince Albert and a few good friends in the Mother City. Time flew, and I got distracted, delayed... and dismayed! It was already middle-April and I didn't have any cold season crops in the soil. Neither seed nor plants. Oops! As my dreams of leek, kale, broad bean, radish and pea harvests started to go up in smoke, I decided to somehow make time and jump into the garden. Here is how that went:

The one good thing the delay in autumn planting caused is that the chicken manure I worked into my whole backyard veg patch and fruit bed had rested for more than a month. Ample time for it to reduce in strength so it wouldn't burn my little plants or seedlings. So with the composting and garden planning done (what felt like) ages ago I could get down to the fun part. I don't mean fun as in no sweat or hard work, but I always enjoy planting the most. It just feels the most productive for some reason.

The veg patch ready for sowing/Agterplaas gereed vir beplanting

On 17 April I planted young leeks I bought from the kind people at George Nursery and sowed Witkiem broad beans and Sugar Ann Snap peas sourced at the wonderful Organic Seeds, and also some radish seeds. The Black Palm/Nero di Toscana kale I sowed a day later, as I ran out of hours on the Thursday. I sourced the kale from the equally great site Livingseeds. I watered the seeds well and left the rest to wishful thinking and lots of prayers. You see, I was leaving for Cape Town a day later and the kind folks at the South African Weather Bureau were predicting torrential downpours. I had visions of rotten seeds and drowned seedlings instantly!

After the dismal summer harvests, I decided to plant a small selection of vegetables. Only the varieties that would work best. Or so I hoped. Therefore I decided to go with the Witkiem variety of broad bean; with the added bonus of rejuvenating my soil after the horrible blight-infested tomatoes. Sugar Ann peas looked like the best bet to me too and they have such a cute name, I just had to try them!

Kale was a different ball game altogether. I didn't know anything about kale until I read an article (or two) about it online. I don't even know the Afrikaans name, but I'm going for "Boerkool". Apparently it is the healthiest green vegetable you can possibly eat. It packs a punch in especially vitamin A and C (200% of the Recommended Daily Value) and also a ridiculous amount of vitamin K (over 700%), calcium and manganese. Not only will I therefore be able to enjoy a vegetable from my own garden, but I will be eating something with "potent anti-cancer properties", the ability to boost DNA repair and lower cholesterol. Bring it on, I say!

When I returned from Cape Town it was with trepidation. I already knew it rained more than 100mm in the space of three days. That's four inches of rain - more than some places get in a year! Oh no! I wasn't only pleasantly surprised with my little veg patch; I was delighted! Let me show you why:

Witkiem broad beans popping out/Witkiem boerbone wys hul gesig

Carentan leeks/Carentan prei plante

Black Palm kale making an appearance/Boerkool?

Cherry Belle radish/radyse

Sugar Ann Snap peas/Die erte maak hul verskyning

 Can anyone say; HUNDRED PERCENT GERMINATION RATE? I'm so chuffed with my little garden, and blessed of course! Now I'll just have to wait and see what bounty I get from it...

Which cold season crops did you plant this autumn?