Performance, yield and stress metrics of leafy Traditional African compared to conventional vegetables in modular living wall systems in Tshwane, South Africa

<p dir="ltr">This dataset captures the performance of leafy Traditional African Vegetables (TAVs) and leafy Conventional Vegetables grown in modular living wall systems in Tshwane, Gauteng. It was developed to support research on Edible Green Infrastructure and urban food production in space-constrained environments. The dataset is intended for reuse by researchers and practitioners exploring vertical farming, climate-resilient crops, sustainable urban agriculture, or household-scale food security applications.</p><p dir="ltr">Data were collected over a 12-week experimental period during which eight crop species, four TAVs (<i>Coleus amboinicus</i>, <i>Portulacaria afra</i> <i>prostrata</i>, <i>Portulaca oleracea</i>, <i>Asystasia gangetica</i>) and four Conventional Vegetables (<i>Ocimum basilicum</i>, <i>Brassica rapa</i> subsp. <i>chinensis</i>, <i>Petroselinum crispum</i>, <i>Allium schoenoprasum</i>), were cultivated on north- and west-facing living walls. The dataset includes observational notes, fresh biomass measurements and chlorophyll fluorescence values (Fv/Fm), which were used as indicators of plant stress and physiological performance.</p><p dir="ltr">The results contained in the dataset show that although Conventional Vegetables recorded slightly higher chlorophyll efficiency, several TAVs, particularly <i>Coleus amboinicus</i> and <i>Portulacaria afra</i> prostrata, produced substantially higher biomass. Orientation-related data are also included, showing that while orientation did not significantly influence yield, crops on the west-facing wall experienced lower stress levels.</p><p dir="ltr">Overall, the dataset provides structured, comparable measurements that can be used for further analysis, meta-research, modelling plant performance in vertical systems, or informing design guidelines for edible green infrastructure. All data were collected as part of a larger thesis project and are suitable for integration into broader urban agriculture or ecological resilience studies.</p>