Planting for a Winter crop

So it's now early Autumn here in Oz. What do you plant in early Autumn so you have plenty of vegetables through Winter?

We are sowing on the weekend - zucchini and leek is on the list

Kale is a big one for me. It's a leafy green and loves frosts (frost makes it sweeter). It is also very versatile (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Onions, leeks and carrots are going in. Unfortunately because of the damage last years frosts did I'm pretty hesitant to plant any vine type plants, although I am experimenting with having some in the bush under trees. I know I can cover them every night and then uncover in the morning, but with everything else I need to do its likely to get forgotten.

Also broccoli, cauliflower not sure what else yet. I'm trying to make the most of the autumn flush at the moment

A friend of ours made kale chips (oven baked) and they were really nice

I love silverbeet too. It's really good combined with bacon, canned tomatoes, garlic, onion and chick peas to make a Winter side dish.

Would you be able to grow more with one of those shade/green house tunnels? I spose it would keep out the wildlife too. Unless they all snuck in there and had a yummy food party

You have inspired me to grow broccoli again. I am not going to bother with carrots as our ground is quite rocky and clay and I never get a decent carrot. Woolworths sell organic carrots at a good price so although it's not very off - grid of me, it's easier in the long run, considering we go through a kilo bag every few days.

Zucchini, leek, potato, silverbeet, broccoli, pumpkin.

I have been spending time getting my vegetable patch composted and mixed through so that I have lots of vegetables over the chilly mountain months ahead.

I have Zucchini, leek, potato, silverbeet, broccoli, pumpkin on my list too, but my most favourites in winter are also ginger, garlic, broad beans, peas and asparagus. yummm.

I overpack once they are large seedlings. Lots of mulch. Mulch mulch mulch.

I might start a "How to protect from frost" topic.

So, we did some planting this weekend and I thought I'd update it in here.

We planted snow pea, broccoli, lettuce and carrot seedlings. Also, garlic bulbs (I've planted 30 so far and have about another 10 to go in - we love garlic), leek, onion and beetroot seed. Still have lots of other stuff to plant though, hopefully this week......

Go you! Do you have to keep planting stuff every couple of weeks to keep the produce coming?

My zucchini, leek, potato, silverbeet, broccoli and pumpkin are all growing very slowly and the rain waterlogged a lot of it so I am sowing another lot next weekend as well and will actually sow into seedling trays this time. Sowing directly into the vegetable garden wasn't a good idea with all the rain (and a rogue puppy dog!)

We are planting carrot seeds, broccoli, onion, garlic, beetroot and leeks every 3 to 4 weeks now. I bought a big green house from ebay, back in Summer for my xmas present and it's rocking the seed sowing. When my partner or our boys try to help and move things around in there I must admit that I get a bit annoyed, but at least they are interested.

I have also erected some planter boxes. BIG planter boxes. I hate mowing so the whole top level of our yard has been turned into a vegetable patch that I only have to whipper snip around.

In them we have a new planter box ready for potato, when I sort out PH levels. In the other 4 I have beans and zucchini and the cucumbers still going. ANother one has the beetroot, leeks, carrots and the other two have an assortment of vegetables. All the herds are in beds closer to the house for ease of access at night when cooking.

Awesome stuff green_dude I love hearing what everyone else is doing in their garden.

I planted, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, leeks, beetroot, kale and brussel sprouts this week.

I'm trying to do successive plantings Tallulah, but I get caught up doing other stuff and it falls by the wayside

Oh lots going on in here

Green Dude, your garden sounds SO SIMILAR to what we are doing now and what we are planning. Is the green house one of the 4M long tunnels on Ebay for about $180? If I can keep the rats out of one then I'd be interested in getting one too. We have an upper area of our garden that I am watching for sunlight (there's a big back fence and houses up the hill so I am seeing how low the sun goes). But if the sun stays high enough, we will put big planter boxes up there too.

Yesterday we planted:

- Cherry tomatoes and sage in the bed near the house where the herbs are
- Fennel (in a dry and hot spot). I am breastfeeding and feel I need a bit of a boost so I look forward to using it.
- Wild Rocket (the thin leafed one) in the herb patch too
- Beets and Purple Broccoli in a styrofoam box. Seeing how the styro box goes and watching for white ants as well.