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How Do I... Grow Vegies to Cook Winter Soul Food?
A horticulturist shares her top five easy-grow vegies that you can use to make mouthwatering winter dishes
In this practical series, we ask experts to answer your burning home and garden questions. Here, horticulturist and Yates horticultural consultant Angie Thomas reveals how to sow in autumn for delicious winter vegies.
My five favourite cool-season vegies to grow are:
- Broccoli: Super healthy, delicious in casseroles or cheesy pasta bakes.
- Carrots: No winter casserole is complete without them.
- Baby-leaf spinach: A quick and convenient addition to winter salads, stir-fries, curries and pasta dishes.
- Snow peas: Perfect for adding colour and crunch to stir-fries. Also a great addition to kids’ lunch boxes.
- Cauliflower: This versatile veg can be baked, added to soup, turned into cauliflower rice or a healthy pizza base.
1. Broccoli
You can pick up broccoli seedlings (a seed that has just sprouted) from garden centres in autumn.
Where to plant: Broccoli is best planted in a vegie patch or a large planter box.
Light requirements: Full sun. It also likes cold weather, but protect young seedlings from frost.
Watering requirements: Depending on the weather conditions, broccoli plants may need watering every other day once they’re established, and every day if they’re in pots.
When to harvest: When the heads are medium- or large-sized and tightly packed (as you would buy them in the supermarket). This is usually around 12 weeks after you’ve transplanted seedlings.
Good to know:
You can pick up broccoli seedlings (a seed that has just sprouted) from garden centres in autumn.
Where to plant: Broccoli is best planted in a vegie patch or a large planter box.
Light requirements: Full sun. It also likes cold weather, but protect young seedlings from frost.
Watering requirements: Depending on the weather conditions, broccoli plants may need watering every other day once they’re established, and every day if they’re in pots.
When to harvest: When the heads are medium- or large-sized and tightly packed (as you would buy them in the supermarket). This is usually around 12 weeks after you’ve transplanted seedlings.
Good to know:
- The biggest challenges with broccoli are cabbage white butterfly caterpillars (green caterpillars that devour leaves) and aphids. Both can be controlled with regular sprays of a broad-spectrum insect spray such as Yates Nature’s Way Citrus & Ornamental Spray.
- Give broccoli a good start by mixing a rich source of organic matter into the soil before planting.
- Feed regularly with a liquid complete plant food to promote healthy broccoli plants and a great harvest.
- Rotate where you grow broccoli and other brassica vegies. Give garden beds a two-year rest between broccoli and other brassicas.
2. Carrots
Carrots are best started from seed, which encourages them to grow long straight roots. Transplanted carrot seedlings are more prone to growing crooked – they don’t really like being moved.
Starting carrots from seed during mild autumn weather is easiest as the soil doesn’t dry out as fast, giving them the best chance to grow.
Where to plant: Larger carrot varieties are best grown in a sunny vegie patch. Smaller varieties can be grown in pots and planter boxes.
Light requirements: Full sun.
Watering requirements: Once established, carrots will need watering a few times a week (depending on the weather). Potted carrots will need watering more often.
When to harvest: Carrots take around 16-20 weeks to mature, but excited and impatient gardeners can harvest small baby carrots after around 12 weeks.
Good to know: Keep the soil moist while carrot seeds germinate and the little seedlings establish. Also, feed carrots regularly with a liquid fertiliser.
Tip: Carrots need around 5 centimetres of space to grow. If too many carrot seedlings have popped up, you’ll need to thin them out or the carrots will grow crooked.
Carrots are best started from seed, which encourages them to grow long straight roots. Transplanted carrot seedlings are more prone to growing crooked – they don’t really like being moved.
Starting carrots from seed during mild autumn weather is easiest as the soil doesn’t dry out as fast, giving them the best chance to grow.
Where to plant: Larger carrot varieties are best grown in a sunny vegie patch. Smaller varieties can be grown in pots and planter boxes.
Light requirements: Full sun.
Watering requirements: Once established, carrots will need watering a few times a week (depending on the weather). Potted carrots will need watering more often.
When to harvest: Carrots take around 16-20 weeks to mature, but excited and impatient gardeners can harvest small baby carrots after around 12 weeks.
Good to know: Keep the soil moist while carrot seeds germinate and the little seedlings establish. Also, feed carrots regularly with a liquid fertiliser.
Tip: Carrots need around 5 centimetres of space to grow. If too many carrot seedlings have popped up, you’ll need to thin them out or the carrots will grow crooked.
3. Baby-leaf spinach
This leafy green is best started from seed, sown directly where it will grow.
Where to plant: In a sunny or partly shaded vegie patch, or in pots on the deck or balcony (baby spinach doesn’t take up much space – a 30-centimetre diameter pot will do).
Light requirements: Partial shade.
Watering requirements: Regular watering and feeding with a high-nitrogen liquid plant food will promote lots of tender, green leaves.
When to harvest: From 6 to 8 weeks after sowing. Pick leaves regularly when they reach around 5 centimetres in length in order to promote new growth.
Good to know: Common pests for spinach are snails and slugs (particularly when the seedlings are young), and later on, caterpillars. Caterpillars can be controlled with an insect spray.
Tip: If you have too much spinach, saute and freeze it in ice cube trays so it’s ready to add to pasta dishes, soups, and cheese and spinach muffins whenever you need it.
This leafy green is best started from seed, sown directly where it will grow.
Where to plant: In a sunny or partly shaded vegie patch, or in pots on the deck or balcony (baby spinach doesn’t take up much space – a 30-centimetre diameter pot will do).
Light requirements: Partial shade.
Watering requirements: Regular watering and feeding with a high-nitrogen liquid plant food will promote lots of tender, green leaves.
When to harvest: From 6 to 8 weeks after sowing. Pick leaves regularly when they reach around 5 centimetres in length in order to promote new growth.
Good to know: Common pests for spinach are snails and slugs (particularly when the seedlings are young), and later on, caterpillars. Caterpillars can be controlled with an insect spray.
Tip: If you have too much spinach, saute and freeze it in ice cube trays so it’s ready to add to pasta dishes, soups, and cheese and spinach muffins whenever you need it.
4. Snow peas
You can buy snow peas as seedlings, but they’re also easy to sow from seed, and this will mean there’s no ‘transplant shock’. Snow peas need a trellis or support as they grow.
Where to plant: In a vegie patch or in a medium-size pot on the balcony, with a wire cone or frame for support.
Light requirements: Full sun.
Watering requirements: Water every other day, depending on location (potted plants dry out faster than those in the garden).
When to harvest: Pick snow pea pods when they’re around 10 centimetres long. Regular picking of the pods will encourage more flowers and a longer harvest.
Good to know: If you’re growing in a pot, start off with a good-quality potting mix. Snow peas should be fed with a high-potassium plant food.
Tip: Snow peas are fine with cold weather, but it’s best to protect tender young seedlings from frost as well as snails and slugs.
You can buy snow peas as seedlings, but they’re also easy to sow from seed, and this will mean there’s no ‘transplant shock’. Snow peas need a trellis or support as they grow.
Where to plant: In a vegie patch or in a medium-size pot on the balcony, with a wire cone or frame for support.
Light requirements: Full sun.
Watering requirements: Water every other day, depending on location (potted plants dry out faster than those in the garden).
When to harvest: Pick snow pea pods when they’re around 10 centimetres long. Regular picking of the pods will encourage more flowers and a longer harvest.
Good to know: If you’re growing in a pot, start off with a good-quality potting mix. Snow peas should be fed with a high-potassium plant food.
Tip: Snow peas are fine with cold weather, but it’s best to protect tender young seedlings from frost as well as snails and slugs.
5. Cauliflower
Some cauliflower varieties can be started as seed year round, or you can purchase seedlings from garden centres in autumn. Be sure to protect young seedlings from frost.
Where to plant: Most cauliflowers grow best in a vegie patch, but some smaller varieties can be grown in medium-size pots or planter boxes.
Light requirements: Full sun.
Watering requirements: Cauliflowers need regular watering to be productive. Depending on the weather conditions, this may be every other day once the plants are established (or more if in pots).
When to harvest: Cauliflowers are best picked when the heads are still tightly packed and each measures around 15-25 centimetres in diameter. Once you’ve picked the cauliflower head, pull the plant out too.
Good to know:
Some cauliflower varieties can be started as seed year round, or you can purchase seedlings from garden centres in autumn. Be sure to protect young seedlings from frost.
Where to plant: Most cauliflowers grow best in a vegie patch, but some smaller varieties can be grown in medium-size pots or planter boxes.
Light requirements: Full sun.
Watering requirements: Cauliflowers need regular watering to be productive. Depending on the weather conditions, this may be every other day once the plants are established (or more if in pots).
When to harvest: Cauliflowers are best picked when the heads are still tightly packed and each measures around 15-25 centimetres in diameter. Once you’ve picked the cauliflower head, pull the plant out too.
Good to know:
- The biggest challenge with cauliflowers is cabbage white butterfly caterpillars. As with broccoli, control them with regular sprays of an organic caterpillar spray.
- Feed regularly with a liquid complete plant food to promote healthy cauliflower plants and a good harvest.
- Rotate where you grow cauliflowers and other brassica vegies. Give garden beds a two-year rest between cauliflowers and other brassica vegies.
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Growing an autumn or winter vegie patch in the garden or on the balcony can keep your kitchen fully stocked with delicious produce in the cooler months. This makes it easier to pull together a satisfying weeknight meal on a cold night. Other good reasons to grow your own food include: