Pests come in all shapes and sizes. Large pests may include dogs, cats, birds, porcupines, monkeys, baboons, and even children and their sports equipment! Smaller pests include insects such as caterpillars and beetles.

Planting time is here again! This is a fun time of the year where we can dream of crops to come.

So far in this series we have covered how to plan your organic vegetable garden, increase your soil health, plant your crops and make compost. We have also discussed the benefits of mulching and how to weed and prune in the small-scale vegetable garden. After a few months without an article, it’s time to begin the series again. In a prelude to next month's article on what to plant in winter, this article looks at some intelligent tips for watering.

So far in this series we have covered how to plan your organic vegetable garden, increase your soil health, plant your crops and make compost. Last month we looked at the benefits of mulching. Today I am writing about weeding and pruning in the organic garden.

Having already covered the planning, preparing and planting of your vegetable garden, this month we look at the vital importance of mulching. If you have never mulched before, now is the time! Read below for five reasons you should start mulching.

In the southern hemisphere, the first of September is officially the beginning of spring. This is the time to be planting the vegetables that will feed you throughout summer and the early stages of autumn.

Composting is the ideal winter activity. While the garden is resting, you can be busy preparing fresh nutrients, a concoction of vitality to add to the garden during the growing season. I like to add compost in two different ways: firstly, with new gardens I dig in a lot of compost before planting. As we saw in the last article, this improves the consistency of both clay and sandy soil types. Secondly, I add compost around the plants by placing it on the top of the garden throughout the growing season. This acts as an insulating mulch and the nutrients seep into the soil and feed the plants.

Last month we started this series with an article on how to plan and design your vegetable garden. This month we move on to the most important ingredient in a successful garden, the soil. We will look at the various soil types and how to enrich it. Composting is an important part of enriching the soil, so come back next month where we will cover how to make your own compost and how to use a chicken tractor.

Welcome to THE STOEP HARVEST, an exciting new addition to the Green Times. Once a month, Sam Adams will be writing an article that looks at how to design, create and maintain a successful organic vegetable and herb garden. There will be information for both first-time gardeners as well as those more experienced.