As we move into September, thoughts in the northern hemisphere have turned towards autumnal days, golden leaves and harvests, as the days gradually become shorter and cooler. It's quite the opposite in the UAE, as we watch our gardens wake from a sweaty semi-slumber. As temperatures start to cool here, new shoots appear and it's time to spring into action and get busy in the garden.
Laura Allais-Maré, the founder of Slow Food Dubai, is at the vanguard of the UAE’s gardening and growing scene. While she says she’s not a horticulturalist, she’s taking a hands-on approach to sharing her knowledge of natural farming and permaculture, helping others develop their own skills through Slow Food Dubai and the Balcony and Urban Gardeners Group (Buggs) of the Middle East on Facebook.
“I believe passionately in getting people to take responsibility for where their food comes from and what they buy,” the South African says.
Slow Food Dubai is now managing a new community outreach project called The Urban Garden, with Time Hotels in Tecom, to encourage and teach people about growing their own herbs and vegetables in the challenging conditions of the UAE. Currently, 14 types of vegetables and herbs are to be found in the group’s nursery, and will be planted out by volunteers at the site in the next week or so.
To help get the planting season started, Allais-Maré offers a helpful run-through of what jobs the UAE’s balcony and urban gardeners should be tackling over the coming weeks.
Repotting
“I like to repot my plants once a year,” says Allais-Maré. “I take the plant out, remove a little bit of the old soil and plunge it into a bucket of water so it does not take in too much air on the root ball. This helps to prevent transplant shock while I get the new potting mixture ready. I used to do this with cypress trees in South Africa when we transplanted them, and I have never lost one.”
Allais-Maré uses a potting mix that consists of 50/50 sweet red sand and a good potting soil, with a bit of perlite and compost added. If the plant’s root system looks a little pot-bound, gently tease out the roots and loosen them before repotting to help the plant re-establish itself.
Feeding
“I feed just before the summer, and feed [in early September], because the plant is at its most stressed during the excessive heat, even when it is dormant and is just trying to survive,” Allais-Maré says.
“Start by loosening the soil around your plants in the ground. Get some good organic compost and animal manure, dig it in a few centimetres under the surface, being careful not to get too close to the roots, and water it in well. If you have a villa garden, you really don’t need to fill the entire plot with manure and feed. Focus instead on the particular areas that you know will be supporting planting.
“Animal manure is available from Warsan [in Dubai] and other markets for about Dh5 a bag. Ideally, you will get this a few weeks before you intend to use it, and leave it to bake in the sun a little to allow it to mature if it’s still a bit ‘fresh’.
“A more convenient manure solution can be found at Shalimar Bio Tech Industries, which sells 50-kilogram bags of vermicompost pellets. You dig them through just below the surface. Smaller bags are available at supermarkets for the balcony or container gardener.
“For an extra boost, try a compost tea [drained liquid from composted matter], but dilute it well, because if it is too strong you may overpower the root systems of the plant you are trying to nurture. Mix this with a little Epsom salts, which help to replace magnesium in the soil.
“Alternatively, you can add a few teaspoons of Epsom salts around each plant, every two or three weeks. In particular, use this on roses and lemon trees if you see their leaves turning yellow.
“A Bokashi bucket to create your own compost from kitchen waste can also be handy for the garden if you have the space.
Propagate and germinate
“Now is a good time to take new cuttings, which you can propagate, and get established before next summer sets in,” Allais-Maré says. “But the best part of autumn is that you can start germinating your own seeds indoors, and as soon as the night-time temperature is below 30°C for at least two days in a row, you can begin to plant them out in your garden.
“Remember to place seed trays indoors, close to a window that receives full sun, as the tinted glass common in UAE buildings cuts out much of the red and white light, and without proper light the growth will be spindly. Once the seedlings are around 3cm high, they should be ready to be placed outside, in full shade, until they are 10cm to 15cm high, when they can then be planted into containers or straight into the garden.”
Allais-Maré suggests that new gardeners experiment with basil, chillies, capsicums and tomatoes (look for heirloom varieties and a good seed) because all are hardy and will continue cropping right though to May. Malabar spinach is another staple, and if you have space, watermelons will thrive. Also try okra, rosemary, lettuce, rocket, borage, lemongrass, sweet potato and mint.
Once it is cool enough, The Urban Garden project will plant out seeds directly to ground in two-week waves across the season, to give a phased harvest and continuous cropping.
For vegetables, ideally plant heirloom and organic seeds if possible, although these can be difficult to source in the UAE. Try to avoid GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and hybrids, as it is difficult to propagate seeds collected from these plants for the following season.
For flowers and colour, Allais-Maré favours portulacas, petunias, dianthus, pansies, alyssum, periwinkles, marigolds, lobelias and begonias, which she grows from seed (although you can buy a dozen plants for about Dh10 at the markets), as well as jasmine for its scent.
Pests and bugs
“You will notice that the bugs are now waking up too,” says Allais-Maré. “Take care to use organic pesticides wherever possible, particularly if you are intent on growing organic vegetables.”
To eliminate pests, Allais-Maré has developed her own brew, which incorporates 10 millilitres of neem oil mixed with 3 litres of water, and a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.”
“Shake this up and spray it on your plants, three or four times a week, ideally avoiding doing this during the heat of the day.”
Tools and supplies
Before the new season sets in, you’ll need to make sure you have all the necessary tools to get your garden back in shape. What tools you need will depend on the size of your plot, whether it’s a balcony or terrace space with containers, or a larger garden, but here are some basics to get you started.
A small hand trowel and hand fork are useful for managing pots and planting bedding plants directly in to the ground. A hand rake or a larger rake will be useful for clearing dead leaves from under shrubs and bushes, and also for smoothing turned-over ground before planting. Good-quality secateurs should, with care, last a lifetime, and are well worth the investment for clean pruning and general cutting back.
A watering can with a fine spray and/or a hand sprayer is convenient for keeping seedlings and pots watered, and for applying feed and organic pesticides that you have mixed yourself.
For larger gardens where plants are being set directly into the ground, a digging spade and fork are essential for turning soil and planting. A hoe is also useful for saving your back while trying to keep on top of weeds, and you may like to invest in a good pair of gardening gloves to protect your hands while working.
If your garden has larger stems and branches, tree loppers will earn their keep, and you may also wish to invest in a pair of garden shears for keeping hedges, creepers and larger shrubs in good shape.
For compost, plants and plant supplies, try Warsan (near Dragon Mart), the plant market near the Iranian Hospital in Dubai, and the Dubai Garden Centre, as well as the Plant Souk at Mina Port in Abu Dhabi, among others. Carrefour, Ace Hardware and Géant will also sell some garden supplies and seeds.
To learn more about growing your own food in Dubai, you can join the volunteers at The Urban Garden project, who are "all people who want to learn how to grow their own vegetables and make a difference". Details are available at www.slowfooddubai.org. For other gardening tips and troubleshooting, visit the Balcony and Urban Gardeners Group (Buggs) in the Middle East on Facebook.
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