12.9.10

Winter Vegie Garden Results


our little vegie patch is NOT in a good spot for a winter garden! it gets NO sun ever through winter, and never dries out. I really didn't know what to try in it. so after posting on EB for advice I planted:
  • kale
  • shallots
  • carrots
  • beetroots
  • parsnips
  • lettuce
  • rocket
  • onions
  • turnips
  • broccolli
  • brussells sprouts
  • spinach
  • and i still had the silverbeet from summer growing
anyway, most things grew - but very very very slowly. so slow as to not be worth it ie: the shallots (spring onions) are sitll only about 15cm high despite growing for about 3-4 months now. a lot of the stuff went straight to seed in spring time, without ever having produced anything - such as the brussells sprouts.

the things that did well and I would like to grow again next year are:
  • kale
  • lettuce
  • rocket
  • broccoli (did OK, not great)
  • silverbeet
the snails were a bit of an issue - eggshells helped but i needed more! and the dampness after our wettest winter yet didn't help - the weeds grew crazily, but it was just too squlchy for me to get out and weed for weeks or months!

i think the silverbeet is finally on its way out - it's now growing horizontally instead of vertically, anyone know if that's right? should i pull it out and start afresh?

anyway, even if we've only managed one meal every week or two out of it it's been a fun experiment and I'll know what to plant more of next year! (hopefully i might have the end of the garden - which gets more sun - ready to go for next winter instead!)

2 comments:

J said...

Try putting down your used coffee grounds around the base of the plants. I've been experimenting with this and it is having some effect. The slimy bugs won't cross the grounds to get to the plant.

Karen TW said...

thanks Jude, i forgot I had just tried that for the first time a few weeks ago (tbh the snails weren't that bad so i wasn't too worried!)

but i (mostly) quit coffee late last year so i don't have a lot of grounds now!