Which Vegetables To Plant During The Year In The Western Cape

Getting your hands dirty and your thumbs green can be one of the most rewarding tasks you'll ever undertake. Setting up a vegetable garden isn't exclusively reserved for the retirees and the stay at home mom who loves giving her crocs the runaround and the mothers day trowel set to good use.

Each area and garden presents its obstacles and information is key to getting the best out of your piece of land. The challenge of developing a coastal garden in the Cape has often deterred even the most resolute of homeowners along with the current water shortages. Prospective gardeners are often stuck with poor soils at the coast and at times severe summer drought making it pretty tough to get started.

As an amateur gardener you will struggle so rooting out (see what I did there) mistakes can make all the difference in securing a greener and productive garden. While we cannot predict for the elements we can provide you with a helping guide and seasonal calendar for planting veggies in the Western Cape.

This guide is by no means perfect but will give a good guideline for seasonal eating. Remember, eating seasonally is best for nutrition and flavour as produce is in peak condition and properly ripe, you also get the best possible prices. Seasonal eating is also best for the planet too, avoiding long-distance transport or air freight, and all the costs of storage so if you're committed to reducing your carbon footprint, then this is a great way to get started. 

Please note that the dates below are for the ideal planting time, not the ideal harvesting time.

Note: If you would like to plant herbs too then check out our article - Which to plant herbs in the Western Cape

January

• Beans (Bush)
• Beans (Climbing)
• Broccoli
• Brussel sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

February

• Beans (Bush)
• Brussel sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Celery
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

March

• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Celery
• Parsnip
• Potatoes
• Radish
• Swiss chard
• Spinach

April

• Beans (Broad)
• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Celery
• Lettuce
• Onion
• Parsnip
• Peas
• Potatoes
• Radish
• Swiss chard
• Spinach

May

• Beans (Broad)
• Celery
• Lettuce
• Onion
• Parsnip
• Peas
• Potatoes
• Radish
• Swiss Chard
• Spinach

June

• Beans (Broad)
• Celery
• Corn
• Onion
• Parsnip
• Peas
• Potatoes
• Radish

July

• Beetroot
• Celery
• Parsnip
• Peas
• Potatoes
• Radish
• Tomato

August

• Beetroot
• Celery
• Corn
• Eggplant (Brinjal)
• Lettuce
• Parsnip
• Peas
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Radish
• Tomato

September

• Beans (Climbing)
• Beetroot
• Celery
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Eggplant (Brinjal)
• Lettuce
• Melons
• Parsnip
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Radish
• Tomato
• Watermelon

October

• Beans (Bush)
• Beans (Climbing)
• Beetroot
• Celery
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Eggplant (Brinjal)
• Lettuce
• Melons
• Parsnip
• Peppers
• Pumpkin
• Radish
• Tomato
• Watermelon

November

• Beans (Bush)
• Beans (Climbing)
• Beetroot
• Cabbage
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Lettuce
• Melons
• Parsnip
• Pumpkin

December

• Beans (Bush)
• Beans (Climbing)
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Lettuce
• Melons

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Tags: vegetables , garden, planting