This is the time of year when, for a variety of reasons, some green vegetables suddenly decide to ‘bolt’, with lettuce, Swiss chard/leaf beet, mustards, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and spinach being prime examples.

By ‘bolt’ we mean that when temperatures soar and if they are short of nutrients, are short of water or have reached the end of their productive life, these greens suddenly show rapid central growth and eventually turn into flowers.

What happens is that they are determined to preserve their own species. So, first they reach for the sky, then send up, often, very tall flower spikes and then, once the small flowers have been pollinated, they produce thousands of seeds which ripen over the weeks to come.

Seeds can be harvested from all heritage plants and is a very satisfying thing to do

If the seed from which the original plants were grown is ‘heritage seed’, completely natural and not interfered with by man, it is wonderful to harvest the new crop of seed (from the best and strongest plants only) so that you have a continuous supply of free seed. If, however, the original seed was F1 Hybrid or similar, then there is no point in harvesting seed as the resultant plants are unlikely to be up to standard.

Harvesting seeds for future crop security is a very satisfying thing to do and seed can be harvested from all heritage plants, be they fruit, flowers, vegetables or herbs.

Give it a try and enjoy the results.

SUGGESTIONS FOR SEEDS TO SOW IN JUNE

In the flower garden: The heat certainly slows down us gardeners and reduces the variety of flowers we can start off from seed, but sowing, albeit less, must go on if there is to be autumn and winter colour in our gardens. Here are a few suggestions to get to grips with this month and please do not be afraid to experiment with more.

Zesty zinnias are a tried and trusted flower, in a multitude of forms, heights and colours that can be sown, either directly in the garden or in seed trays/pots right now. Kept moist, they germinate and grow rapidly and burst into bloom in no time at all and, planted in clumps, make an eye-catching statement of the bravest kind. Then there are easy-to-grow Tagetes in all of their orange, yellow, rust, burnt amber, deep gold variations, combinations and frills; faithful cosmos are an absolute must as are rudbeckia, gaillardia, tithonia, gompherena, gerbera, coleus, balsam, matricaria and kochia which, when grown, resemble miniature cypress trees in blazing autumnal hues, hence their common name of burning bush.

Hollyhock and dahlia seeds are usually sown towards the end of next month, as are Antirrhinums but I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to try a few now as long as they are kept in partial shade and, as with all seedlings, given protection from the approaching monsoons. With the monsoon planting season on the horizon, it wouldn’t hurt to keep a regular check on your local nurseries to see if they have any interesting trees, climbers/ramblers and shrubs that you can make space for and to take them home now so that, when the monsoon threatens to break, you have them on hand to rush out and plant.

In the vegetable department: Quick -growing summer and autumn varieties of cabbage and cauliflower produce well if they have direct sun for just half the day, along with compost-rich soil and daily evening watering. Then there are more and yet more chillies to be sown, as well as capsicums, pimentos, aubergines, green onions, Swiss chard/leaf beet and spinach. Lettuce can be grown in the shade and there is just time for another lot of cucumbers, along with more rows/patches of okra, radish/mooli and tomatoes by the score.

At this time of year, plant your tomatoes twice as far apart than at other times of the year: this helps increase air circulation and reduces chances of blight. Plus, remember to water only the soil around the plants, not the tomato plant leaves, no matter how dusty they may be. Watering tomato plant leaves encourages a host of problems that we can all do without.

The fruit front: If sown before the end of the month, watermelons and sweet melons can go in now too and a few Chinese gooseberries won’t go amiss.

The herb garden: Chives, garlic chives, Calendulas, coriander, basil, lemon grass, aniseed, dill, borage and, in partial shade at this time of year, plenty of jewel-bright nasturtiums to liven up soups and salads with their peppery flavour.

Herb of the month: Mint or podeena. There are many different types of mint which is a herb that we should all use a lot more. Extremely versatile in the kitchen and ‘home pharmacy’, this simple to grow herb can be started off from late autumn or winter to early spring-sown seed, or from cuttings taken from established plants, which are then allowed to root in water before being transferred to a pot, or by root division of overcrowded plants.

If you sort through bunches of fresh mint from the bazaar, you will often find stems that have a bit of root attached and these grow with ease. Along with regular green mint, see if you can find pineapple mint, peppermint, spearmint, apple mint and chocolate mint to name but a few.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened. Commercial enquires will be ignored.

Published in Dawn, EOS, June 2nd, 2019