Melinis – Gardens Botswana

November 2 2019 – we received 70mms of rain here in Matebeleng, and what a relief it was to finally have our first rain of the season.

In the vegetable garden today: the tomato plants need our homemade oil/ washing soap spray to remove the mealybugs that are beginning to destroy the new buds. Swiss chard is looking good. Tree tomatoes have just started flowering. Unfortunately my Tomatillo went without one day of watering, and has shrivelled up. Radiccios were doing well, but are now infested with the mealybug. I find when its really hot, and plants don’t get a regular good watering, the mealybugs move in. Sorrel plants are doing staggeringly well, and they are my new favourite veg at the moment. I love their donkey-weed like taste (for those that snacked on weeds when they were small), and they don’t mind getting a little dry either. I planted Kohlrabi for the first time this season, and they did so well, whereas the radishes and turnips gave a lot of foliage and pretty flowers but hardly any roots – so I’ve collected the seed, and will sow again next week. Jerusalem artichoke plants are all starting to grow, and are about 10cm high at the moment. The asparagus still hasn’t emerged yet, so I’m not sure if it survived the locust attack of last year. I’ve sown Aztec corns this year, and strawberry popcorn, the plants have grown well and set flower already, and a couple have cobs emerging, so will wait and see. I have one purple bean that germinated, and I’m crossing all fingers and toes that I get some beans from it, as I have no beans left to sow for next year.

In the herb garden today: the persian and cinnamon basils are doing well, I have sown genovese basil two weeks ago, and transplanted the seedlings into seed trays over the weekend. My garlic chives are still doing well despite the cats lying all over them. Mint is running rampant, and my favourite spearmint is actually starting to spread quite well, whereas the peppermint is a little invasive, so having lots of teas to keep it in check. Sage, Rosemary, Salad burnett and Parsley plants are all doing well, my mom gave me a new variety of lavender, and I find the delicate pretty ones always struggle initially, but I think its finally settling in. I give it a good dose of water every day. I’ve also taken a few cuttings in case it bites the dust. Borage has finished flowering, and one of the plants has already shrivelled up, and the other is looking as though its on its way out as well. The nasturtiums were a bit sunburnt, but look like they’re going to make a comeback.

In the fruit garden: huckleberries are setting fruit, one peach on my peach tree is ripening, the lemons look like they’re going to give another good harvest. The gooseberries are all about 80cm high and will be flowering soon. The mulberry tree gave a short spring crop, but will probably flower again soon. The pomegranates have all got fruit on, and are gradually ripening, I am watering at least two to three times a week to keep them from splitting or aborting. The coffee tree was attacked heavily by mealybug, but it is now flowering, and will hopefully fruit well this year. The Kei apple, Figs, waterberry, white sapote, olives, guava and litchi are still not there yet, but I’m hoping the natal plum will fruit again this year. Pyracanthas all have a good crop of mini apples on them, and the snow cane bramble is taking a rest this year, it really likes a great deal of water. The grape is hanging in there – just, and my last wild strawberries are not doing so well either. I think I will have to move the strawberries to where they can get a bit more water.

In the indigenous garden: where I water my trees, quite a few plants are already flowering. The devils thorn – Dicerocaryum is at the base of a planted Sausage tree and doing well, along with Tephrosia and their pinky-coloured flowers brighten up the garden. Albucas flowered in early spring, a Trachyandra last week, and Vernonias have started at the base of the Bird plum, Berchemia tree. Waltheria is just starting to flower, and the Hibiscus micrantha are either flowering, growing or setting seed. The Xerophyta retinervis plants have come out with a flush of green leaves, and give some relief to the barren rocky areas. The combretum trees are in flower, and insects are going wild, creating a hum whenever you walk past, the Mmilo trees (Vangueria infausta) and Baobabs have new budding leaves, and depending on the location, the Grewias are just putting leaves, flowering or are still bare. The African wattle is also just coming into flower, with its lovely shocking yellow, and the birds are loving it.

In the pond gardens: All the water lilies are flowering, ‘Chrome’ is looking spectacular as I’ve let it get a bit out of hand. Alisma plantago has flowered and set seed, the Pontederia cordata are flowering rampantly in the Catfish pond, and the Amazonian sword (Echinodorus) is also going a little wild in Elmer’s pond. All the lotus have come up, but they’ve yet to flower. The irises have almost finished their flowering, and the last splashes of yellow are disappearing from the pond margins. All the cyperus species, especially the papyrus have been stripped of leaves by the birds, but are quickly putting new leaves out, and the imperata grasses, arums, and kniphofias are just about to get going, after surviving the long months of blistering heat. Indigenous species such as Ludwigia hasn’t begun to flower yet, and the Schoenoplectus which has been overtaken by all the cyperus species has managed to keep its foothold in the pond, and I’ve cut back the cyperus a bit to give it some room.

New this week: I decided we needed a green roof garden, and so have put a small one, about 2.x1.5m and started planting it with succulents. It’s trial and error, but I’m hoping it will do well.

November 11 2019 – we received 8mms of rain last night, with a lot of wind as well.

In the vegetable garden today: All the tomatoes appear to be doing well this year, despite the mealybugs that I keep removing with a spray of water. I’ve got some purple cherry tomatoes, indigo rose cherry tomato, beef tomato, and a couple of others that I’m not quite sure of yet. The Jerusalem artichokes have invaded the garden, but I love their flowers, and so have let them run rampant. I’m still waiting for my chili seeds to pop up, but have a couple still growing in the garden from last year: the ‘Black Pearl’ and ‘Hungarian hot wax’ and a Habanero. I’ve sown ‘Black Tuscan’ Kale and have 2 that have germinated so far; and my red giant mustard seeds have come up too. Celery is about to be transplanted into the garden, and all the sweet potatoes have started to sprout. The corn all have cobs on, and so crossing fingers that they continue to do well, and I get a crop from them, which has only happened once before.. usually they get mowed down by grasshoppers, mealybugs or a parade of other corn loving insects. Lablab beans have just sprouted too, which will give the archway into the garden a lovely splash of their pink flowers.

In the herb garden: the curry bush (Helichrysum) is giving off a lovely smell after the rains, and the summer savoury is doing well, but the tarragon got hit by the heat, so have moved it into a more partial sunlight spot and keeping it well watered. All the elder shrubs are flowering, so will have to get around to harvesting some to make a cordial, or just put them directly into some water to enjoy the refreshing taste. In a previous year I had sown Epazote as a novelty herb, known as ‘Mexican Tea’ but it promptly invaded my garden, and I still haven’t managed to totally eradicate it from the garden, but persistence is key, so will keep plucking it out when I see it. Feverfew is another self seeder, but I love the flowers and it is always welcome to pop up where it likes.

In the fruit garden: I finally have grown goji berry from seed, and it is doing surprisingly well, now about a foot high. Cape gooseberries all doing well, and just starting to flower. The snot apple tree (Azanza garckeana) has put a flush of new leaves, so hopefully it will defeat the mealybug this year and give us a good crop. All the granadillas are doing well, especially the yellow variety, which has given us gradually more fruit each year.

In the indigenous garden: These recent rains have transformed brown sticks into a dazzle of bright new green buds. All the combretums, grewias, and acacias are covered in soft green hues. The Vitex zeyheri has beautiful grey leaves, and the marula and sausage tree are bursting into new leaves tinged with burgundy. But the star of November is always the African wattle, which is now in flower, and full of birds. Purple Monsonia flowers are opening up and Xerophyta retinervis is as showy as it can get after the rains.

Fungi: Mushrooms emerged after the first rain, at the base of a Cassia shrub, and while they looked so yummy, I think they are poisonous – Agaricus xanthodermis – Yellow staining Mushroom.

In the garden: Cannas have started flowering, and Erigeron has created a gorgeous mat of flowers. All the Bromeliads are doing well in the jungle garden along with recently planted Hypoestes phyllostachya, the Ti plant, Bird’s nest fern and Statice. But the most beautiful is the Orange Jasmine, which is smelling absolutely divine.

November 12 2019 – we received 7mms of rain last night, a lovely light and steady rain

November 13 2019 – we received 40mms of rain last night, the garden is now a carpet of green.

November 18-19 2019 – we received 15 mms of rain during the night and 5mms around 4pm, which gave a beautiful double rainbow just before sunset.

In the vegetable garden today: We’ve harvested tomatoes from four plants so far, the indigo rose cherry tomato has just ripened too, and tastes lovely as well as having interestingly coloured tomatoes. The sunflowers have flowerheads developing, and the purple bean gave me two beans before rotting off. The chard, sorrel and celery are all doing fine with no problems at all. I have three chickens who have learnt to fly out of the coop, and are starting to become a problem as they’re pecking out all my sprouting rocket and radishes. The cobs on all the maize and popcorns are starting to develop nicely, and the bulls blood beetroot is ready to harvest.

In the herb garden today: Parsley is starting to spring up since the rains, and the sage has just settled into its place, and looks nice and healthy. The salad burnett, basil and summer savoury are all doing well. Fennel and dill haven’t germinated yet, so I think my packet of seed has been left open too long, so will have to get a new one. Lemon balm, yarrow, nettle likewise. I think the artemisias need a more friable mix compared to my usual more gritty mix. So will sow again next week. The feverfew is flowering, gotu kola and mint are invading whatever space they can find, and withania somnifera – ashwaganda is just beginning to take off. I bought some oregano seedlings from Sanitas and so happy, as I’d lost my last batch to a group of tortoises we gave a temporary home to in the garden. I really hope they will take over like the last plant did, as I love to use oregano in quite a few dishes. The coriander has gone to seed, and now just waiting for it to dry on the plant.

In the fruit garden today: The natal plum has just started to flower, so hopefully we will get some more fruit this year. The mmilo are all flowering, and I managed to find some custard tree seedlings.Finally! I can’t wait for this lovely fruit tree to grow and bear their delicious fruit. Cross fingers. The papaya seeds that I sowed have just started to germinate, and I have a few varieties, so now trying to work out where to plant them, as space is becoming an issue. All the grewias are flowering, and since the goats are no longer around, I think we’ll get a lot of fruit on the bushes this year. All of the citrus flowers aborted earlier in August, so hoping that a second flush will appear. Unfortunately my Macadamia tree bit the dust – that’s the second one I’ve tried, so it will have to wait until I’m ready to try again. As its a permaculture garden I don’t treat the trees for the fungal diseases that I know are quite prevalent in the garden (as the Avocado quite quickly gets the black stem rot). So I will have to find the perfect place for it next year.

In the indigenous garden today: Purple flowers are prevalent in the garden at the moment, from Ledebourias peeping out from under bushes and grass, to deep purple Vernonias putting on a pretty display alongside the light purple Barlerias, and creeping Devil’s thorn. While wild foxglove seedlings are popping up all over. Complimenting the purples are the yellows – Talinum flowers are just starting, Eriospermum porphyrovalve form dense clusters on thin soils and the perennial hibiscus have started to flower too. White Heliotropiums, Crinums, Clerodendron ternatum and Chlorophytums are now in flower. The spectacular Ornithogalum seineri flowers are just about to open, and the red balls of Ammocharis cornica are just finishing. The unusual green flowers of Dipcadi marlothii, make a lovely sight at the bottom of the garden, and Dipcadi viride are just about to open. We were visited by a group of horses that usually move around this area, but it was so lovely to see them looking better now that there is some grass for them to eat.

In the pond gardens today: After the heavy rains, we noticed the catfish pond had developed a leak, whether the resident monitor lizards claws made a hole, or a falling rock, we haven’t managed to find out yet. First we have to empty the whole pond of the huge swathes of Pontederia cordata, then we will relocate the catfish to a temporary tank, before we will be able to see where the hole is. It is back breaking work, and usually results in a little sunstroke at the end of the day.

Last week we were given a Cape Shelduck, a resident of the village had kept it in his chicken coop and was scared it was going to die, as it wasn’t eating and looked pretty miserable when we got it. So first it became a resident in our kitchen while we made the shack a bit more secure for him, and then we dug a shallower pond above our large central pond, so that he had somewhere he could stand and swim in too. He’s been on an unhealthy diet of kapenta, and cat nuts, but he seems to be eating well and he really loves taking a bath in the pond, after which he spends about an hour grooming himself. Luckily he had a feast of flying ants the other day too.

In the garden today: I have started to limit my spending on plants, and so have started filching from my Mom’s garden, not quite without her knowledge. She’s been super sweet, and actually given me a lot of shade loving plants, and cuttings for my shady tropical garden, many with lovely variegated foliage. Chlorophytum – hen and chickens, Dieffenbachia, Aglaonema, lovely variegated Yuccas, a few cuttings of Hydrangeas and Impatiens, a Ti plant, Strelitzias, Anthericum and some Bromeliads. I want to add some orange and purple flowers to bring out the bronze foliage of the Dyckias, Alternanthera and Philodendrons, so I think Clivia, Liriope, Vinca and Cyclamen will work well, plus perhaps some Gerbera in the more lightly shaded areas. Our large African snails are back in the garden after the rains, and they’ve had babies… we have to be so careful when walking around. The Virginia creeper is in full flower, and is lovely to brush past when walking around behind the house.

November 23 2019 – while I was away at the farm, we received 4mms of rain here in Matebeleng

Sad news and a valuable lesson: I was digging up an area of my rather long compost heap that’s inside my herb garden, and heard the birds getting a bit twitchy but didn’t pay them any attention, and unfortunately I dislodged an underground nest belonging to a white throated robin chat. I was so distraught! I put it all back as it was, and kept an eye on them to see if they could rebuild their nest, and they stayed all day fluttering around the eggs, but unfortunately this morning they are no longer in the garden. I have no idea if they can lay more eggs in one season, but I’ve learnt my lesson, and will have to be more careful about where I dig in the future.

In the vegetable garden today: the sugar beets are doing well, and I’m about to plant out celeriac seedlings. The Potato eyes I planted a few weeks ago have sprouted, I will wait until they’re a bit bigger and then start to bank them up with soil. The radiccios have sprung back, and have fought off the mealybug. I’ve been blocking hole after hole in the chicken coop, and hoping that this last time has seen the end of the naughty critters stealing into my garden, because they love radiccio leaves. The large sunflowers have just opened up, and the Jerusalem artichokes are just about to. Usually to get lots of good tubers you should cut back the flowers, however, I like the flowers, and I get quite a good crop of tubers anyway even if I do let them flower. The corns did so well in the rains, but now with this heat I think the cobs are going to be a little short on kernels. The courgette has fought off the powdery mildew and is enjoying a second sprurt of growth. Time to stake more of my tomato plants.

In the herb garden today: I planted horehound for the first time, and its doing well, if a little straggly. The catmint which I hang in pots from tree branches to keep the cats from demolishing it, has filled the one pot, so I’ve propagated it by removing a stem with roots from the rest of the bunch, and have planted it in another pot. The feverfew is flowering, although the competition in the garden is fierce, and fewer plants self seeded this year.

In the fruit garden: The huckleberries still haven’t turned purple yet. Two gooseberries have flowered and the fruits are just starting to grow. The pomegranates and coffee beans are still doing well, just waiting for the fruits to ripen and the beans to grow. We have a dozen grape and papaya plants that grew from seed, so I’m busy puzzling where to plant them. The goji berry is doing well but being attacked heavily by mealy bug, just removing them by hand.. and a Kiwi plant has germinated, now I just have to keep the mealybugs off it and hope it makes it.

Rescued Shelduck: So our Cape shelduck called ‘Pidi’ took to the skies on Friday morning, he’s been getting stronger from when we first got him, and has had a couple of short flights, one ending up in a fence, however this one looked like he’d been flying for ages, and took him over the Notwane river onto the Oodi side, so we’re crossing fingers he makes it out there. And maybe one day, he might come back for our delicious cat nuts.

In the Indigenous garden: Evolvulus flowers are blooming, and so many Dipcadi plants, of which I didn’t realise we have quite a few varieties, Dipcadi marlothii, viride, platyphyllum, longifolium and possibly gracillimum, papillatum and crispum. Hirpicium bechuanense or gazanoides, Chascanum and Barleria are all in flower, Indigofera and Tephrosia, and the wild Portulacas, plus the unusual and gorgeously attractive Pterodiscus ngamicus are in flower.

Indigenous trees: Psydrax livida is in flower and our honeysuckle tree Turraea obtusifolia too! The wild medlar fruits (mmilo, vangueria infausta) are still green, and the Bridelia mollis trees are a little out of sync on their flowering, as the male tree is in flower, but the female tree hasn’t a flower on her. The Wattle trees still have a few flowers but are also setting seed, and the lovely bicoloured chinese lanterns of Dichrostachys cinerea are beginning to show.

Indigenous grasses & sedges: The grasses are taking over! This year they are looking so abundant, probably as the goats are no longer around to eat them.

In the garden: Anthuriums and other lovely reds coming through the green this week. Hypericum berries are turning from red to black, and the Bromeliads continue to flower. Zephyranthes, the rain flowers have been blooming off and on from the start of the rains, and this week I planted an Iceberg rose from my Dad in the garden, plus a miniature, and both look like they’re doing well.

In the pond gardens: All the water lilies are flowering, Alisma plantago is just about to flower, Pontederia cordata is still flowering and so is the Amazonian sword (Echinodorus). The lovely Nymphoides indica has just started to flower, and I’m going to add it to the new refurbished catfish pond. The catfish pond was emptied of plants and water in order to find the leak, the pond liner cleaned and dried, and we found 2 holes. One was definitely due to Termites! The other to a bad join when it was first laid. So we cut a few squares of extra liner, put one each on the bottom of each hole, and on top, then using the heat gun we sealed it all together, laid the liner back, over a layer of clay to try and seal any future Termite holes and filled the pond to just above the holes. The water only evaporated a little, so we added in the 12 catfish who have grown to about 70cm now, and they seemed to be very happy, plus having removed the Pontederia they now have a much larger space to swim around. I’ve decided water lilies only from now on in the ponds, as its too backbreaking removing the huge Pontederias.

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November 2019

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