Winter crops need to go in!

Might not feel like it, but winter is just around the corner.

Soil is still warm-as, so when you plant seeds, they germinate quite quickly; take advantage of that helping hand, so that seedlings will grow quickly in the warm conditions, while they slow down on their way to lower temperatures.

Brussels Sprouts:

Sow now (early March); transplant the seedling in May in a pre-prepared bed in full sun with nice, friable soil with a good dollop of Lime (NOT dolomite lime!). The lime (high pH) prevents club root disease.

Plant them in a spot where they are protected from too much wind. These Brassicaceae are rather top-heavy and could easily topple over!

“Improved” and “Jade F1” are good varieties that usually do well. You can also find a purple-red heirloom variety; In early winter after the first frost!! You can harvest them

Cabbages and Broccoli are also still worth planting; they are related to the sprouts, so a similar modus operandus applies for them. Don’t forget the Lime…

I had a good run with red cabbage, this year (a favourite of one of my – 8 year old – grandson, Edouard). I think he eats it raw!

Leeks can sometimes be a bit of a bother when you sow the seeds. The tiny, thin seedlings are a bit of a pain when it comes to transplanting them; I prefer to buy seedlings that are already reasonably sturdy and easier to handle.

Use friable and deep, fertile soil; Create “furrows” in which you plant the seedlings.

As the plants grow gradually bury the stems in the soil from the higher sides of the furrow: buried leeks will have white stems as a result of lack of light. I often push this “blanching” trick to a rather maximal position, by burying the stems as far as I can. White leek stems taste a heck of a lot better than green ones!

Early march in warmer areas of Aotearoa is still a good time to sow the last crop of French beans – they could last you well into autumn. Maybe not a winter crop as such, but close, if you keep them in a warm and sunny spot.

Spring onions will go on and on and on; plant a row or two for the stir-fry or soups, Udon or Somen. I usually cram them in close proximity to each-other (5 to 6 cm apart) and mound them up as they grow, just like the leeks.

Making use of the autumn sun and temperatures, Carrots will germinate easily too; important to have very friable soil without stones of hard clay patches; It really pays to make the growth of carrot roots as effortless as possible for the plant, otherwise you’ll get those forked carrots!

Fertiliser with some extra Phosphate to develop those roots.

The best thing about carrots is that you don’t need to harvest them all at once: the best way to “store” them is by leaving them in the soil.

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