Living Signs

My company, positive cycle, recently undertook to create a living sign. This was a little challenging but we pulled it off with flying colours. We made the sign in Durban but are looking forward to making many more in the not too distant future. There certainly is no shortage of inquiries for living signs in Johannesburg.. We feel very proud of our work, all of us at positive cycle, after all how many conservationists get to make a living sign that says the words, 'go with green'? We worked through the night every evening for several days and all our hard work and planning paid off. Living signs make a real impact for any business.

Growing Carrots.

Carrots have the reputation of being among the easiest vegetables to grow. Growing carrots in Johannesburg is pretty much as simple as sowing them although it is wise to remember a few handy pointers.

• Loose sandy soil is preferable.
• Very rich soil will make your carrots hairy.
• The looser the soil the easier it is for your carrots to grow.
• If you think the carrots are ready to harvest brush away some of the sand from the carrot top and push a finger down the side of the carrot. If the vegetables extend beyond the tip of your finger then the carrot is likely ready after its twelve week growing cycle.

Carrots are an excellent source of dietary fiber and, you guessed it, carotene.

Growing chilli peppers.

Not everyone is a born farmer, but one way of encouraging people to grow vegetables is to get them started with a chilli plant.
Chillis like sheltered but brightly lit spots with high humidity and temperature. Growing chili peppers in a green house is pretty much ideal and that is how this bumper crop of chilis pictured left came about. Obviously, there is more to a successful chilli harvest than only light, humidity and temperature. Starting out with an ideal soil mixture is very important too.
You can use the chilli peppers when they are still green, or let them ripen to full colour for a fiery feast.
https://sites.google.com/site/growyofood/

Vegetable gardening in Johannesburg

Vegetable gardening in Johannesburg may not sound like a normal career to people out there but that is exactly what I am doing. From my home in humble old Auckland Park, Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa I am slowly but surely beginning a process to green the earth. I am planting at schools, private homes and businesses all over Gauteng. Certainly keeping myself busy. It seems that everyone wants to learn about vegetable gardening the organic way. To that end I am working on a book, that's aside from all this blogging.
https://sites.google.com/site/growyofood/  no that's not where you will find the book, at least not yet, but you can read all about Positive Cycle and the amazing work we do.

Vegetable gardening in Johannesburg

  

I found this gigantic brown mushroom while gardening in Johannesburg.

Anyone gardening in Johannesburg who sees this in their garden can be very glad indeed.

Mushrooms are a bit like canaries in mines, they won't be around if the conditions are not good.

Mushrooms help to break down organic material like wood into usable molecules (phosphorous,potassium and nitrogen for starters) for plant roots to absorb and turn into strong healthy vegetables.

If mushrooms are present it means you have achieved nutrient rich soil of stable moisture and temperature levels and you can expect everything else to start growing like a monster too.

Little tricks of the trade like this are what make gardening so very stimulating. 

https://sites.google.com/site/growyofood/home/garden-maintenance

Who says vegetable gardening in Johannesburg is ugly?

The Positive Cycle vegetable garden in Johannesburg is one of the most beautiful out and guess what, it is mainly edible.

Organic gardening in Johannesburg.

Spring has well and truly sprung and doing my rounds of the organic gardening in Johannesburg and surrounds that I oversee is proving hot and thirsty work. This is the time of year when not only gardeners, but their worst enemies the pest species are thrilled at all the growth in the vegetable garden.Strawberries will be attacked by sap beetles if you give them half a chance and watch the moisture levels because predicting the temperature and wind is not so easy as we heat up toward summer. I often think how wonderful it is that organic gardening is becoming so very popular in Johannesburg. Not only is Johannesburg the largest man made forest, it might just be on its way to becoming the largest urban farm too.