Winter Vegetables for your Plantboxes

Autumn is here, making it the perfect time to prep your winter garden. Growing your own food is highly rewarding, and using raised plant boxes makes the process incredibly easy.

Here are the best, most beginner-friendly vegetables and herbs to grow in your South African garden this winter.

Top Winter Vegetables

• Swiss Chard (Spinach): This is one of the easiest crops to grow. You can simply cut the outer leaves when you need them, and the plant will keep producing new leaves all winter.

• Radishes: Perfect for quick results. Radishes grow incredibly fast and are ready to pull out of the soil in just 3 to 4 weeks. They also take up very little space.

• Spring Onions: These are tough plants that handle cooler weather beautifully. They have shallow roots, making them perfect for plant boxes.

• Loose-leaf Lettuce: Crisp cool air is great for leafy greens. Instead of trying to grow full “heads” of lettuce, plant loose-leaf varieties so you can pick leaves as you need them.

Top Winter Herbs

• Coriander (Dhania): Coriander actually prefers the cooler winter months. During hot weather, it quickly produces flowers and stops making leaves, but in winter, it thrives.

• Parsley: A very hardy plant that handles the cold easily. It is perfect for picking fresh to add to warm winter soups.

• Thyme: A low-maintenance herb that does very well in the contained environment of a plant box.

Quick Tips for Box Gardening Success

• Sunlight: The winter sun sits lower in the sky. Make sure your plant box is placed where it will catch at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight every day.

• Good Soil: Plant boxes need light, airy soil. Fill yours with a good quality potting mix and stir in a handful of compost to feed your plants.

• Watch the Water: Because of winter rainfall, make sure your box can drain easily so the roots don’t sit in mud. Raised boxes are naturally great at draining excess water.

Happy planting! You can find the perfect raised planters to start your winter vegetable journey right here at www.plantboxes.co.za.