It always seems so silly to start seeds for cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and other winter crops in January - there is still so much hot weather to come. But when I think about when I used to plant out seedlings of winter crops in Sydney, I always started in February. While we have a hotter summer here (and a cooler winter) than Sydney, I think the timing is pretty right.
Here is what I have started to raise.
Asian vegetables
- Red Pak Choi, Mini Wombok
Cabbage
- Mini Cabbage, Savoy
Broccoli
- Green Sprouting, Waltham, Romanesco
Cauliflower
- Purple, Mini
Kale
- Chou Moillier - this is a really weird plant that grows incredibly tall. I will grow it for green winter Chook food. I'm hoping it will handle our winter and become a permanent fixture in the garden providing shade in summer too.
Herbs
- Continental parsley
Lettuce
- Freckles Bunte, Salad Bowl, Baby Cos
I started one punnet of each yesterday. I will put more seeds in over January and February and maybe March so that I can crop all thru the cooler months.
Are you thinking about winter yet Southerners? Are the Northern folk thinking about summer crops yet?
I haven't started 'planning' the winter veg garden yet, although we grabbed a bunch of seeds from new cultivars that came out (just in case we don't find them again...), besides I will be away from home during March. So my plan is to dig over the plots, let them rest while I am gone and then get planting once I am back in April (which is the beginning of our Autumn).
ReplyDeleteGood luck with all your winter seedlings hopefully they don't pass out before winter ;)
Sounds like a good plan!
DeleteI started thinking about winter tomatoes today, but the other crops had slipped my mind. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteWinter tomatoes sound good but would be a dream for me only unless I got a poly tunnel! Too frosty.
DeleteI'm just planning my garden for the coming year. But it's far too early for starting summer things for my garden because "summer" runs rather late in my garden. I could plant tomatoes in April but they would just grow a lot of greenery and not produce very many ripe tomatoes until August or September. I've learned to just take advantage of our protracted spring weather and leave the summer stuff until later. So my head is full of spring crops right now.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've got it all organised.
DeleteI've started off some broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts (I'll give them ONE more chance - I don't have much luck with them). Only three of the caulis came good so I'll sow some more in punnets, soon. I need to get some cabbage seed. I figured if the seedlings I've started succumb if the weather gets too hot, I'll still have time to start some more. I've still got a fair bit of Italian parsley in the garden but I've sown more seeds of that, too.
ReplyDeleteI've been a bit more disciplined than usual and have kept one of my beds free for planting out the brassicas when the time comes. The bed had the broad beans growing in it and I shredded the plants and added them as a mulch so I think it will be nice and healthy!
Ah so I'm not completely crazy ( or we both are?). I will keep putting seed in and will see what the weather does. I like having a spread of brassicas thru the cooler months and starting now and having a long tail gets me to the end I want. Good luck with yours. I don't think you can ever have too much parsley. Aside from anything else a healthy boarder of parsley makes the beds look so bountiful!
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