May 19, 2005

The boundary wall of the edible garden should, by this time, have been planted with a good assortment of climbers, which produce something useful and tasty to eat. So we will now take a look at what you can grow to keep them company.

I would suggest that the border in which the climbers are planted be kept at a width of approximately three feet as this allows enough space to grow some interesting things, plus, it is easy to weed without having to put a foot on the all-important surface of the soil.

The edging for these borders should be selected carefully, not too high to be obstructive, not too low to be a waste of time and absolutely no sharp edges. Natural stone can create a wonderful effect, but is on the expensive side, therefore, keeping budgetary constraints in mind. I would suggest using bricks, which, if inserted at an angle, can also be very pleasing to the eye.

A word of warning here, please don’t utilize hollow blocks for this purpose as their empty centres provide instant homes for wasps, scorpions, snakes, slugs, snails and other nasties.

I would also suggest that the width of the pathway edging these borders be two to three feet wide, which is usually quite enough, although having said this, you also need to make provisions for easy negotiation for push chairs if you expect to have young children visiting your edible garden or for people in wheelchairs.

The pathways themselves can be constructed out of carefully laid paving slabs, bricks arranged in artistic patterns or plain old concrete which, providing that the correct ratio of sand/cement/stone chips has been used may prove to be the easiest to maintain as there should then be no cracks for stubborn weeds to force their way through.

Now, time to get back to the all important subject of under-planting your climbers. Over the years, people appear to have become far more interested in growing and using both medicinal and culinary herbs. Many of the imported varieties can thrive in Karachi if correct attention is given to their individual requirements.

Many of these herbs are shallow rooted annuals and they will not interfere with the climbers beneath. Instead, the herbs tend to very happy as the climbers provide them with the all important protection from direct sunlight and they repay this kindness by helping to keep the climbers roots cool. They also help to prevent the evaporation of water from the soil by keeping it covered, which, in turn, helps to minimize the amount of water required.

Amongst the easiest to grow herbs in this category are:

*Basil, of which there are numerous varieties including an attractive dark purple leafed, pink flowered, extremely aromatic one;

*Coriander, oregano, camomile, and borage are both blue and white flowered and if happy self seeds all over the place;

*Parsley, truly a bi-annual, but best treated as an annual in Karachi and whose wonderfully bright green or dark emerald leaves are highly decorative as well as highly nutritious;

*Arugula, sometimes known as rocket/ajmud/ajwain/balm/chevril/dill/marjoram or perilla.

Perennial herbs tend to be deeper rooted than the annual ones therefore, with the exception of plecanthrus, an indigenous herb, are better grown in suitable clay pots or other suitable containers. Clay pots are often the best as these retain moisture and keep the plant’s roots far cooler than plastic or metal ones, which heat up and dry out rapidly.

Amongst the range of perennial herbs, often better grown as annuals in Karachi and sown in September and November along with other plants, fall into the ‘cool-annual’ category are:

*Fonnol of which the bronze variety is quite stunning;

*Anisood; or feverfow, an interesting member of the chrysanthemum family;

*Thyme and please give citrus thyme a try as it’s wonderful;

*Sage, either salvia officinalis (Spanish sage or teal) or salvia lavandulifolia;

*Chives, garlic chives and the numerous varieties of mint;

*Both lemon grass and ginger can be grown in the edible garden, directly in the ground or in pots. If grown in the ground then they are not suitable companions for the climbers — The lemon grass being greedy for the same nutrients while ginger must be dug up for harvesting and this would unnecessarily disturb the roots of the climbers.

Seasonal vegetables which can also be grown in these boundary wall borders include:

*Lettuce of which there are now some remarkably attractive varieties available;

*Cabbages, including the ornamental ones and yes, they are edible;
*Cauliflower, try the purple one for a change;
*Celery;
*Spinach;
*Carrots, the stump rooted or dwarf varieties only;
*Mustard mizuna, that is Swiss chard, with its orange, yellow, red, white or green stems;
*Endive.

Other vegetables will be grown in specially prepared beds in the central area of the edible garden and we will get on to this subject the next time around.

Edible flowers which can be mixed in with the herbs and vegetables in the boundary borders include:

Geraniums, pelargonium, nasturtium, tagetes, pansies, violas, calendula, bellis, evening primrose and carnations.

Oh! You might even manage to find room in this border for some strawberry plants although they are just as happy, sometimes more so, in pots.

As the edible garden is being created on the ‘no dig’ principle, it is extremely important to always have a good supply of mulching material in hand. This can be in the form of well-rotted organic compost, wilted weeds, grass clippings, shredded newspaper, other waste paper, chopped straw or any other natural waste product.

The method is that whenever you decide to weed or tidy up the garden, or when you consider that the plants need feeding, this mulching material should be spread all around the plants without touching their stems, which would suffer adversely from the heat generated by a new mulch. Do not, under any circumstances, dig it into the soil.

The mulch will rot down and feed the soil and the plants at its own and nature’s pace. It also serves to suppress weeds and conserve soil moisture at the same time.

In using this method of topping up and feeding the soil without disturbing its structure in the slightest, you gradually increase soil fertility and the activity of beneficial beasties such as earthworms by a tremendous degree and, in time, the benefits are there for you to reap.

We will take a look at some veggies next week so, until then, keep up the good work please.

* Submit your garden questions and queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com and a selection of answers will appear in future issues of this magazine

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