Virgin Gardener wants winter vege advice

Posted by Mel Buckley on March 17, 2011 at 10:17am

I grew my first crop of tomatoes over summer and had SO many I made my first batch of relish and then had so many more I had to make a second batch.

My potatoes did very poor (I remember my grandparents harvesting millions of nuggets). But the one meal we did get from them were VERY yummy.

So now I have some room to put some winter veges in and have NO idea what to put in. My son and I tried stumpy carrots last year and they were very stumpy and quite yuck to eat.

Are caulis, broccolli etc easy to grow? Can you plant lettuce now? Can you put anything in where the tomato/spuds have been?

Thanks for your help

relish.JPG

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Replies

  • Gary Brown April 27, 2011 at 12:25pm

    I have no luck with caulis and have given up on them, but brocolli is easy, just firm the soil down around the seedlings as others have suggested.

    There is quite a list of things to grow, but if you don't want to use the space where your toms and spuds were, my suggestion would be to sow mustard greens, they have a reputation for cleaning up the soil, and should be dug in when they reach 30cm, adding a boost to your soil in time for spring. I let mine go to seed last year and they now sprout all over my garden, in places I never dreamed they would travel to, but they are a welcome addition to the compost pile.

  • Matt Moir April 20, 2011 at 11:37pm
    I just started a group last week called What to do this month it lists gerden chores and veg and frower seeds/seedlings recomended to plant on month by month basis I also posted a link this site will tell you what to plant for your reagon and the country that you are in
  • Letitia Shaw April 20, 2011 at 5:38am

    Hi Mel - I've just harvested 8kg of potatoes......this was 3rd time lucky as both previous crops over the past couple of years netted a total of one meal of marbles each, just like you!  Apparently they like quite heavy soil, which I've got now.

     

    All brassicas can go in now - most garden centres have mixed punnets which are quite handy.  I'm going to give tuscan kale another go (didn't do too well last year), and am also going to try native spinach (just bought the seeds in the weekend) - happy to save a couple of seedlings for you if you want? (assuming of course they germinate!!).

     

    I have also just sowed some broadbeans and sugar snap peas, and planted out a few lettuces.  Hoping to sow a few beetroot in the weekend....


    So, even though winter is looming, you still have a bit of variety to choose from

    • moggy > Letitia Shaw April 20, 2011 at 11:40am
      brassicas fine, broad beans fine, however your sugar snap peas I would be surprised if they did anything at this time (would be pleasantly surprised to be proved wrong though)
  • Angie Gibbons March 18, 2011 at 9:48pm

    Hi this can be a good guide for those starting out!

    http://www.gardengrow.co.nz/

  • Kali March 18, 2011 at 9:55am
    if you want something quick and gratifying try a  patch of mesclun salad greens, they will be ready to pick young  leaves off in 6 weeks or so and last a fair while.
  • Rex Morris March 18, 2011 at 5:57am
    You can plant broccoli, cauli, cabbage at any time - I suggest, every fortnight, you buy and plant a combo which has 2 of each. This way you will get a regular supply of vege throughout winter into spring without an over supply of any of those.  You can also plant seedlings of leeks, celery, silverbeet, spinach. Try parsnip and carrot seeds  also  but might be a little late but still worth trying with our indian summer.  Also think about early spring planting and leave a space for this so you have somewhere to start.
  • moggy March 17, 2011 at 9:02pm

    put anything where the tomatoes/spuds have been, just not in the same family

    lettuce, still time to sow seeds, though get them off to a good start by sowing indoors then planting out

    the potatoes might have been a late crop variety, so don't get put off by the poor  result.

    In my experience cauli flower is near impossible to grow (others will have different stories). I would sow celeriac, parsnips and cabbage now.

  • Richard Grevers March 17, 2011 at 11:15am

    Caulis and other brassicas need really firm soil if you want them to develop decent heads. I would probably buy seedlings - a little late to start them from seed if you want them to mature over winter. start them under frost cloth to keep the white butterflies off. Apparently it's too late for brussels sprouts.

     

    Maybe sow something like lupins (a legume) as a winter green compost  crop where your tomatoes and spuds have been. Then cut them and dig them in in spring about a month before you are ready for spring planting.

     

    There are varieties of lettuce wich you can plant year-round in most parts of NZ.

    Yams is another crop you could plant now.

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