When to plant vegetables in South Africa – A Guide

By Amy Grundling & Renée Grundling

Photo taken by Amy Grundling. 

Having your own vegetable garden may be a dream come true hobby or simply a way to reduce grocery costs and improve a quality way of life. Growing your own vegetables puts you in charge of what is entering your body. You decide what you want to grow, how you want to grow it and how you want to treat it with nutrients and pesticides. You can therefore decrease unwanted elements frequently used in commercial farming and increase the organic nature of your diet.
 
Given our current Covid-19 situation, a vegetable garden can become a sustainable and safer solution to obtaining fresh produce. Not only will you avoid contact with contaminated grocery stores, but this will also keep you busy in self isolation or quarantine. Gardening has many health benefits including improving your state of mind, wellbeing and developing a sense of place and responsibility in your home. You may even enjoy the sun, fresh air and birds chirping while you tend your garden.
 
South Africa is entering its Autumn and Winter months, an ideal time to plant various types of vegetables depending on your location in South Africa. One can use the information below (Seeds for Africa, 2020) as a guide:

​Reference:
Seeds for Africa, 2020. VEGETABLE PLANTING GUIDES. [Online]
Available at: https://www.seedsforafrica.co.za/pages/western-cape-vegetable-planting-chart-1