What's in for winter

Winter is a difficult time here because we have lovely warm days, most of the time, but bitter night-time temperatues (-5°C is regular and -10°C very common). Plants don't do much growing but many will sit there happily waiting for spring; Basically, you have to plant your winter vegetables as soon after the summer solstice as possible so they can get some decent size before they go into suspended animation. They are fine to eat, in fact, some are at their best. A winter veggie patch here can contain:
For eating
carrots, parsnips, turnips, swedes (I think), collards, kale, lamb's lettuce, coriander, parsley, open lettuce as opposed to hearting varieties, silver beet, beetroot, fenugreek, cabbage, spinach and probably kohlrabi though I've never tried it
For overwintering (i.e., sitting in the garden waiting for spring)
broccoli, cauliflower (in more protected spots), garlic, onions, shallots, broad beans, chickpeas (I think) and peas

Because I've only recently moved in to my house the gardens aren't in much shape so I only have beetroot, collards, kale, lamb's lettuce and spinach. I'm experimenting with chickpeas for overwintering.

What's in you garden for winter harvest and for overwintering?

I've planted Beetroot, Chicory ( picking already) Radicchio, Tatsoi (picking) Chinese cabbage, Kale, miniature Cauliflowers, miniature Cabbage, Chard, Brussells sprouts, Broccoli, Romanesco, Celery, Leeks, Carrots and chancing it with some fast Peas. We tend to get our coldest weather in August/September so I'm hopin g we'll pick most of it through the winter. The mini caulifowers are supposed to take 12 weeks to cropping so they should be ready before it gets too cold. I'm seriously thinking of putting some standard ones in as well. I'm not putting broad beans in this winter, I may plant some in spring. Still got loadfs in the freezer. Asparagus is in its 3rd year now so hoping we'll get some. I pulled up the globe artichokes as I'm the only one who likes them. I tend to grow less in winter because the kids don't like greens all that much so it's just enough for Bob and me. I'm hoping this will keep us going until spring. I love green vegetables.

You both have a great selection!

I have my garlic in, potatoes, carrots, beetroot, black salsify, radishes, lettuces, wild rocket, bulb fennel, the onion seedlings are waiting to be planted. I plan to sow leeks, more onions, peas, more lettuce, spinach, more carrots, etc.

I am not going to grow any brassicas as I'm sick of fighting with caterpillars and aphids. Might try to copy Blossom's setup for next autumn. Fine netting over the winter veggie bed.

What else? I still have zucchini, capsicums, chillies, tomatoes, pumpkins, basil growing. I hope to overwinter the 2 chilli plants that survived last winter in the garden. They are now nearly 1.5m tall and just started fruiting.

Projects for this winter - work out proper enclosure for fruit trees. I really want to reap the fruits of my labour!!!

Ooh, speaking of Blossom's covered winter bed, what are the complete dimensions Blossom? Width, length, height of star posts, height above ground, length of polypipe, netting mesh size - don't want much, do I!!!
I want to build a covered summer bed. I found some suitable mesh for protection against fruit fly. Once I have the appropriate dimensions, I'll get a local upholsterer to stitch together the mesh lengths to make a cover to go over the frame. I do NOT want to share my tomatoes, capsicums and chillies with those blasted flying horrors anymore!!!

I'm slack as........ not a lot in my vegie patch at the moment......carrots, silverbeet, beetroot....last of the summer crops.

Ray,
Dimensions are 6 meters long x 1.5 meters wide ( bed) and we used 8 foot star pickets cut in half ( cheaper than twice as many 4 foot ones) and each pipe is 3.3 meters in length. It is just about on 1.8m high inside.
The polypipe is high density polyetheline ( HDPE). We use "Rural 2 inch" on advice by the guy at the irrigation wholesaler. Each run is 3.3 meters. .3 went over the star pickets, quite snugly giving 3m for the arch. The structure allows just enough headroom for me as I'm 1.75 tall. Not sure of the maths for the netting. I guess you are looking at a span of about 9 meters width to whatever length the bed is. WE threaded bamboo through the bottom of the netting so we can lift it up to weed from each side, but also have stepping stones down the centre. We've taken the netting off now, so we can wrestle with the slugs that are marauding now we've had some rain. Scarecrow uses similar tunnels and has some good pictures on her blog.

Thanks Blossom.

Lucky1 wrote:I'm slack as........ not a lot in my vegie patch at the moment......carrots, silverbeet, beetroot....last of the summer crops.

Hey Lucky I'm with you there! After that horrid heat wave in March I'm soooo behind in planting. Fortunately I did plant a load of Brassicas in Jan and have been keeping them alive under shade. I'm just getting those in the garden now.

I'm about to redesign the main veg patch so haven't got anything in there except for a few left over Capsicums that will shrivel up with the first decent frost (already had a little one).
I did manage to get some Kale plants in for the chooks and also some lucerne.

Just this week I've planted out silverbeet, broccoli, shallots, tree onions, welsh onions, parcel (parsley/celery cross) and some herbs in an edge-picking-bed out the back.
My wicking boxes and the wicking beds I've re-built have kale, brocolli, mini cauliflowers and brussels sprouts in them too.

I should point out that although it sounds like a lot there are only a few of each of these things in right now!

this is what i am planning to do i raise all my own seedlings will only have to buy 2 seedlings this year

Autumn/ Winter

Bed 1:
Carrots
Beetroot
Radish

Bed 2:
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Kale

Bed 3:
Peas

Bed 4:
Onions (4 types)

Bed 5:
Green manure

Bed 6:
Silver beet
Spinach
Lettuce

What types of onions are you sowing?

I have just planted a bed with Gladalan White. And have resown Red Brunswick as the first packet was a dud.

gladalan white, hunter river some other white ones and forget the other ones

Didn't know you could grow chick peas down there - in flower here at the moment and I know they grow year round in the Ord.

I want to grow everything I can't grow in summer - spinach and Chinese vegetables amongst others. Peas for sure but the rest depends on if I can get some punnets because BJ will have to plant them and it will be easier that way. I'm out of action as you probably already know.

Can somebody tell me about kale please - never grown it.

Hey Lucky I'm with you there! After that horrid heat wave in March I'm soooo behind in planting.

Yep Scarecrow....... I am just so in love with my vegie patch...but feel like I'm having an affair with my crafts at the moment.... Water minister can't tell me what to do in that area.

I must make myself go out and sow some spring onion seeds and get some brassicas seedling in.......That summer heat wave has really hit me for a "6" here.

I've been a busy beaver in the garden these last few days. Cleaned out and forked open the old tomato patch, added lime, chicken manure pellets (don't have chooks) and some rock minerals and remulched. Into this bed I've sown elephant garlic (I want to experimant eating it like the leek that it is), garlic, seed garlic (little bulbils from a flower scape), various peas (Blue Podded Capucyner, Oregon Giant, Purple Podded Dutch, Onward and San Felipe del Agua) and sweet peas to divide the peas. When the time comes, I'll also put in some spinach and radishes. In a seed tray I sowed the caulies Cheddar F1, Graffiti F1, Phenomenal Early, Verde di Macerata & Violetto di Sicilia having been inspired by the beautiful cauli pics in the Romanesco thread. If either of the first two are good, I'll save seed and try to develpop an open-pollinated version. I also sowed some more chickpeas. I want to test these out to see if they will overwinter here. Some varieties will overwinter in Oregon and it gets pretty damn cold there, so maybe they'd work here too.

I've never seen chickpeas growing - are they in pods - sorry to be an ignoramus!

Yes, pods with two, sometimes three seeds. I have two varietes in. One is the large cream seeds you see everywhere and the other is a smaller dark brown seed from an Indian grocery store. The former has white flowers and the latter has purple ones, though the flowers are small and not at all showy. Fresh shelled, at the full-sized but still green stage, like a pea, they are supposed to have a lemon flavour. I want to try this out. The plants exude some sort of sticky substance which in India they collect to make a drink. Not at all sure how they do that though!

That's fascinating, Ray! I love chickpeas and I'll pop some in the ground just for an experiment. Thanks for bringing this up. This should be interesting. Have you taken any pictures of the plant yet?

I have been busy on the weekend. Preparing beds (feeding, mulching) and sowing all kinds of winter/spring veggies. Still tons more beds to prepare and I haven't finished the fruit trees yet. The weather has been very pleasant, albeit a bit dry for autumn. But it'll rain on Anzac Day - it normally does.

Picked up some parsley for the garden..... they will be planted out tomorrow.......

Hi all long time no see.
in my garden so far I have planted out about 180 brown onions, about 160 white, forget name and red onions. some caulies, cabbages, broccoli and sprouts but the maruading wild ducks, choughs (black magpies) and some wily blackbirds have taken more than their fair share. Have also planted out self-sown silverbeet, self-sown cos lettuce. Sown some very late carrot seeds, will also sow some turnips, swedes, kohl rabi , radishes, and parsley etc.
Have started harvesting my rhubarb again, am still picking tomatoes, chiilies but the next frost will probably be the end of them.
am still making sauces, relishes etc
have more beds to tidy and manure etc, chooks are madly moulting so when they are finished willl be cleaning out their pens and putting on the compost heap.
Cheers

Here's what I picked today. 3 nice heads of Broccoli - 2 Romanesco cauliflowers, some Chicory, Radiccio and Carrots. I suppose I won't get fish and chips with all this around! The Romanesco's could have been left a bit longer to cone up but then they are too big for 2.

Yummo, I still wish I lived next door, could trade fresh roses for fresh veggies

Have sown some chickpeas into a styrofoam box filled with lovely soil. That'll be my experiment this season.

Garlic is growing really well. So are the onions. Peas are starting now. I have lost a few, though, to birds as I forgot to put some gutter guard over the beds. Lettuces, rocket, radishes, beetroot, etc. are doing well. I have lost most of my carrot seedlings to slugs and snails. Will start again with that next week. Broad beans are looking good, too. Must sow more.

How are your gardens doing? Hope you are all munching your way through your gardens!

Got some onions in. I sowed seeds of a number of varieties but most were too old as they've been a no-show. I bought sets and planted Creamgold and an unnamed red onion. Was given some celery seedlings so the'yre in, along with leeks. The beetroot was planted way too late for here and now looks pathetic. I think it will simply bolt in spring. Must sow earlier next year! The final pea count is dismal. Probably 6 plants maximum out of 5 varieties. Slugs! I was hoping to not have to use the Multiguard. It's the safest of all the slug killers and does work but I still don't like using it. Just had a thought. I could stagger sow and use my small collection of old softdrink bottles as protectors until the plants get big enough to be unattractive! Yes, happy with that. Oh, and I sowed some Green Wave mustard greens to try as a soup green over winter. It looks like lettuce but you'd regret eating it raw I think. A wee bit spicy!

The first lot of chickpeas all died after a particularly hard frost. Hoping the second batch hardens off better.

Cabbage, broc, kale transplanted. Onions are starting to germinate as is coriander and spinach. Self sown parsley everywhere as are the lettuce. Must pull out the capsicums and get some organic matter into the soil. Sowed some celeriac but might not be the right time?

Hi Lomatia, happy to see you here. If you have any ideas or suggestion for the site please feel free to suggest them. We are just growing and happy to accommodate anything that will make it a place for sharing. I think you are a bit late for celeriac in your climate. October/ November is the best time. However, if you can sow them indoors and transplant them out in October after the risk of frosts is over, you would do OK. They take forever to grow to any size but I love it - much prefer it to celery and you can use the odd stalk as it's growing. The bulb is a real necessity in a genuine Irish Stew!