Cool season vegetable guide
Many vegetable gardeners believe that the date to start planting cool season crops is on the first day of winter. Big mistake. The time to start winter crops is early autumn.
While it can seem brutal to pull out summer crops that are still yielding dinners, you need to act now to catch the last of the warm weather. This will help kickstart winter crops.
Quick-growing vegetables like bok choy will be ready to pick by May, others can be harvested throughout winter and into spring. Follow our tips to keep a family of four fed with delicious home-grown produce.
Asian greens
By: seedling, successive
How many: 6 seedlings per 1m row, 15cm apart. Every 4 weeks.
Time to harvest: 3-6 weeks
Yield: 1kg per plant
Tips: very quick crop. Harvest progressively by removing the outer leaves.
The quickest crop around. Ready in weeks. Bok choy. Photo - Linda Ross
Beetroot
By: seed, successive
How many: 1 x 1m square, with a seed every 10 cm, to make 100 in the square. Every 6 weeks
Time to harvest: 12 weeks
Yield: 7kg per square metre
Tips: plant different colours, such as Golden, Chioggia (red and white stripe) and Bulls Blood individually, or purchase mixed heirloom seed packets.
Pulling our golden beetroot to roast during winter. Photo - Linda Ross
Broccoli, Cabbage and Cauliflower
By: seedling, successive
How many: 6 plants of each. Every 6 weeks
Time to harvest: 14-16 weeks for cabbage and broccoli; 24 weeks for cauliflower
Yield: 1kg per plant
Tips: sprouting broccoli offers a larger, longer harvest than heading broccoli. Peg large leaves over developing cauliflower to avoid yellowing. Mix up red and white cabbage for interesting coleslaws.
Picking cauliflower is fun for the whole family. Photo - Linda Ross
Broad beans
By: seed, once only
How many: 4 x 1m squares, with 5 seeds in each of 5 rows
Time to harvest: 15 weeks
Yield: 350gms per plant
Tips: plant in blocks and ‘wall’ each square with bamboo stakes to keep plants upright during windy weather. Try dwarf varieties like ‘Coles Dwarf Prolific’ in windy locations. Ensure plenty of bee-attracting flowers in the garden for best yield.
The bounty. Photo - Linda Ross
Carrots
By: seed, successive
How many: 1 x 1m square, with 15 seeds in each of 15 rows. Every 4 weeks
Time to harvest: 12-16 weeks
Yield: 40kg per square metre
Tips: sow different colours, such as Purple Haze, Chanteray, and white individually, or purchase mixed heirloom seed packets.
Just picked carrots. Photo - Linda Ross
Chervil and coriander
By: seed or seedling, once only
How many: 4 plants
Time to harvest: 4 weeks
Yield: pick leaves throughout autumn, winter and spring then save seed for next year.
Tips: these herbs love growing through the cool weather. They taste best when thrown into a meal at the last minute.
Chervil is often called the gardeners herb, its our favourite winter herb! Photo - Linda Ross
Fennel
By: seedling, successive
How many: 1 x 1m square, with 5 seeds in each of 5 rows. Every 6 weeks
Time to harvest: 12-14 weeks
Yield: 15kg per square metre
Tips: plant high as bulbs will collect soil if planted too deep.
Sliced thinly or slow roasted, fennel is versatile and delicious. Photo - Linda Ross
Garlic
By: clove, once only
How many: 50, planted in blocks, cloves 10cm apart
Time to harvest: 35 weeks
Yield: 50 bulbs
Tips: keep weed-free. Pull out in November and dry bulbs in the sun for two weeks before stringing up, ready for use. Keep the biggest cloves for replanting next April.
Purple garlic. Grow a yearly supply. Photo - Linda Ross
Lettuce
By: seedling, successive
How many: 9 plants every 6 weeks
Time to harvest: 3 weeks for non-hearting, 8 weeks for hearting
Yield: 500g per plant
Tips: try Cos, Butterhead and Mini Cos. A sprinkle of rocket seeds in the lettuce patch will keep you supplied through winter.
We love a quick green salad every night. Leafy greens grow quickly in winter. Photo - Linda Ross
Red onions
By: seedling, once only
How many: 40 seedlings in a 4m row, 10cm apart
Time to harvest: 32 weeks
Yield: 3kg
Tips: keep weed-free
Red onions. Photo - Linda Ross
Spring onions and leeks
By: seedling, successive
How many: 20 seedlings, 5cm apart in a 1m row. Every 4-6 weeks.
Time to harvest: 8-12 weeks
Yield: 1-2 kg per m
Tips: leeks and spring onions can be used throughout the cool weather when onions are unavailable and unlike onions can be planted successively.
A row of little leeks. We like to successionally plant leeks every month for continued supply. Photo - Linda Ross
Peas: snow, snap and podded
By: seedling, once only
How many: 1m row of each, or 1 tripod of 6 bamboo stakes, with two seeds per stake.
Time to harvest: 8 weeks
Yield: 3 kg per metre
Tips: can be grown in pots using a tepee. Watch out for fungal diseases such as powdery mildew. Spray with Eco-fungicide if necessary.
Podding peas waiting to be popped! Photo - Linda Ross
Rainbow Chard
By: seedling, once only
How many: 12 plants, 25cm apart
Time to harvest: 10 weeks
Yield: 2-3kg per metre
Tips: Quick-growing leafy green which performs well throughout the year. Harvest outer leaves. Liquid feed with seaweed.
Rainbow Chard grows easily during the winter. Pick outer leaves. Photo - Linda Ross
Kohlrabi
By: seedling, successive
Number: 6 plants, 20cm apart. Every 6 weeks.
Time to harvest: 10 weeks
Yield: a 300g bulb plant
Tips: purple varieties grow best through winter. Harvest when the stem is between golf ball and tennis ball size. Do not leave too long as bulbs get woody and tasteless.
Purple kohlrabi are really moorish, slice thinly and drizzle with lime juice, salt and pepper.Photo - Linda Ross
Where to buy
By seed: we use Yates, Greenpatch Organic Seeds, Green Harvest and Diggers seed companies.
By seedling: we look for Oasis seedlings at nurseries, and when we make it to our local farmers market, we load with organic seedlings from Patio Plants.
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