last gasp harvest

[tielan]

Report from a late summer garden (in the southern hemisphere):

Harvest and planting for winter.

My area in Australia is mild enough that cool-weather leafy greens do pretty well over winter, so long as you protect them from frost.

I know most of you equatorially-north folks are just getting into planting times for your gardens - what do you plan to grow this year (and how's that coming along), and is there anything new you're going to try this growing season?

Speaking for myself, I'm trying to grow: cabbage, cauliflower, bok-choy, raab broccoli (I've never had luck with regular broccoli), rocket, brussel sprouts, onions (both the ones you use the leaf stalk and the ones you store the bulb), carrots, parsnips, sugarbeet, and the usual run of beetroot (which I have finally worked out how to cook: bake in individual wrappings of foil, and then after 40 mins, put a dob of butter on top and bake for another 40 mins).

Comments

[tielan]

Have you grown cabbage and onions and radish before? If so, do you have any tips? I've managed spring onions and carrots (they got too crowded and ended up looking more than a little monstrous and forked), but not the others.

I just got my quarterly Diggers' Club magazine this afternoon, and they have so many bare-rooted fruit and nut trees available! I'm absolutely drooling, wanting to just plant up the front fenceline of our place...

[liana]

I've had no luck with onions, but for carrots check that your soil is loose enough. Dense or compacted soil could be the cause of forking. You may want to add some organic material such as compost or peat moss. Also some sand or gypsum. When they start looking crowded, pull some to thin them out. I use the thinned roots for snacks and throw the greens in soup or salad.

[tielan]

Yeah, I've sown them in loose soil this year, so we'll see how it works out. And yes, lots of organic material in the bed!

[dirtygreatknife]

Cabbage, no. It does seem VERY happy with compost around it and a good drink of Seasol, mind you everything seems to like that. I was recommended a food call GroRite, which is from hydroponics stores, and I've seen the results from that from the guy who rec'd it to me, so I'm definitely buying a bottle of it.

The biggest problem I've had is when it rains for days and you're at the mercy of the aphids. I use neem oil to control those, but when it's raining, it gets washed off, which is frustrating! The radish are quite happy left to themselves, but they love a lot of water, so it's best to make sure the soil doesn't dry at all during those dry periods. Part sun, too, so they're in pots under the semi-shade of my giant sage plant.

I love Diggers, it's such an awesome place. I'm looking forward to visiting the one in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens on Friday, I have no doubt I'll buy more plants!

[tielan]

It does seem VERY happy with compost around it and a good drink of Seasol, mind you everything seems to like that.

True! :) I stole some actual seaweed from the beach during the Sydney heatwave in February, and it's still making seaweed brew for me. But I also have bottles of seasol which I really should use up...

Ooh, enjoy the gardens! Living in Sydney, it's a bit far for me to get to their gardens, but if I ever make it down there, I'm definitely going to check it OUT!