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Growing Mondays: Planting time!
Autumn growing is awesome.
Jo Hunter Adams
March 03, 2025
Hi! I'm Jo, writing from Heart & Soil homestead, a 1-acre homestead in the Far South of Cape Town, South Africa. Every week I share inspiration and education for your growing journey. Thanks so much for reading! If you are enjoying our newsletter, consider forwarding on to someone in your community. If you received this from a friend, you can sign up here
Welcome to Growing Mondays, where I share ideas to help you grow edible and medicinal plants.
I love about Montaigne that, despite roving bands of thieves and constant political upheaval, he reportedly never kept his castle guarded. He left all his doors unlocked. He acknowledged the terror that could come. But by considering it and allowing it in, he resolved to live with its presence: “I want death to find me planting my cabbages, not concerned about it or—still less—my unfinished garden.”
The wonder of nature entering into the polytunnel. The value of the tunnel is warmth and protection from wind, NOT excluding natural elements. If we can include and create a biosphere for an evolving complex ecology, we are much less likely to have a massive plague of a single organism.
It’s planting time!!!
This week I’m planning to plant spring onions, napa cabbage, purple cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, lettuce (cos and iceburg), kale, direct seeding radishes and carrots, and generally just getting excited about autumn.
We have a relatively long window in which to plant autumn crops. In two weeks I’ll plant a new batch of beetroot and English spinach. In peas April I’ll plant peas, and possibly broadbeans. Broadbeans only bear in September/October here, so I’m not totally sure if I want to give them space all through winter- I will see how our space is looking.
I really enjoy the balancing of priorities that happens this time of year: what do we give space to? For how long? Am I focused on yield or experience or teaching? How do I balance these different priorities.
In the garden, there are few right answers. There are just better options for current settings, and way to head in the right direction. Here’s to heading in the right direction.
Today’s morning harvest. I know I need to include eggplant/brinjal in a few meals this week!
Upcoming workshops
8 March Veg growing workshop
29 March 9-10:30 Food Forest Workshop
5 April 8:30-10 Veg growing workshop
19 April 9-10:30 Medicinal Plant workshop with special guest René Nägeli
In May I’ll take some time for contemplation, before jumping back in June.
Cowpeas- I’m going to let them have this space a little longer before planting out our autumn crop.
Praying mantis in the tunnel.
I’ve planted out two beds in the tunnel to get a start on napa cabbage, one of our favourite and most important crops. I’m leaving the brinjals and peppers in for a little longer, so we can enjoy some great nutrition before freezing enough to last the winter.
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