Selwyn view
Thursday april 19 2012
Page 11
Veggie crops for autumn and winter Time to get planting is now
W
ow! Those warm days over Easter certainly gave the weeds in my garden a chance to put on some growth. Crikey! They must have shot up overnight, and now with the little rain we have had, they are claiming more and more space. So this weekend I am going to deal with them and plant some more veges. This time of the year, all I plant are seedlings. Forget about seeds until spring for everything except salad greens and mesclun blends.
The garden shops have truckloads of vege seedlings at the moment, so go for it. Rip out the remainder of your summer and autumn crops and get planting. Don’t let the weeds move in!
the crop matures gradually. Other seedlings to consider are celery, silver beet, spring onions, winter lettuce, mizuna, spinach and kale. Herbs are great value, too. I plant mine on the deck for ease of access over the winter. Thyme, parsley, Autumn crops – chives, coriander and sage can all still be planted. In fact, what to plant coriander is a much more Brassicas - These are the reliable cool weather crop quintessential cool weather than most realise; it’s the Rachel Vogan crops. Cauliflower, broccoli, heat that often makes it bolt The Happy Gardener cabbage, kale and the trendy and run to seed. cavolo nero. Cavolo nero, or Seed potatoes - these can the pineapple cabbage, as it’s sometime be planted out now if you have a sheltered referred to, is a brilliant space saver as it spot away from frosts or try planting them grows tall as opposed to its wide-spreading in a planter over winter near the house. cousins of cabbage and broccoli. Jamie Spuds hate frosts and will wither and die if Oliver often uses this somewhat special uncle Jack Frost comes lurking round. Try sounding vege in his cooking and I can see using Haxnicks Potato Planters. These are why. It’s easy to grow, looks ever so fabulous convenient and can be reused next season. Share a bag of seed potatoes with some in the garden and tastes great! If space is an issue, select punnets that neighbours or friends if you don’t need have a variety of seedlings in them. Plant out them all. a punnet every two to four weeks to ensure Cover up new soft seedlings if we get a
quick cold snap. Old plastic drink bottles are effective, or use portable easy grow tunnels. Remember, slugs and snails are still around so lay Quash Slug bait or egg shells round to protect your crops. However, it’s no big deal if you don’t plant any veges to enjoy over winter. Simply put your vege patch to bed with a good layer of pea straw or mulch and give it a break until spring. Happy gardening! www.thehappygardener.co.nz
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