Winter Vege Gardening

There is so much power gained from having your own garden and growing your own food. Most things seem tricky until you start ...then you find out it isn't that difficult afterall. There are four main things you need for a vege garden to start... soil /sun/water/seed.To buy your own food is complicated, expensive and involves driving to the shop , using petrol and maybe having to do your hair and put on makeup. Gardening is such an easier way to obtain your food - you just walk outside , plant a seed, water it and it grows....or if you want to be a bit quicker, just pop some seedlings in the ground....annnd you don't need to do your hair and put on makeup..or spend a great deal of money.
The next time you are shopping , add up how much you are spending on vegetables. Keep a record over a week of this. Then add up how much it costs to buy a punnet of seedlings that keep on giving , like silver beet,broccolli, caulis and lettuce.There is another pay back you get apart from growing your own food, you get exercise, your family is not consuming pesticides on their vegetables and you get to be out in the sunshine instead of under fluorescent lights.
Something to think about anyway!

Hand Made On The Farm At Sacred Tree Market Branxton- Vegetable Seedlings

Have you ever come to our garden stall and said the following,’Yeah, I like Summer for gardening….it is too hard in Autumn and Winter.’

Yeah we know you…. You look wistfully at the broccoli and caulis , tearing your eyes away from the Kale you are dying to buy  as the memories of many plants killed fill your gardening consciousness. Off you walk dreaming of the winter garden you can never have…. While visions of cabbage moth holes in leaves, maybe the day you forgot to water on a windy day ,the day the chickens escaped from their coop and scratched up your seedlings , and the day you were weeding and forgot your plants weren’t weeds

. Helen and Kim aren’t  just market people…we are garden counsellors… we have been where you have been and we have clawed our way back to having vegetables right through Winter in our garden and you can do it too. We are here for you as you wistfully remember that half grown broccoli plant that didn’t survive last season .

The first thing to remember is that Winter vegetables like cauli and broccoli take a while to grow. But if you are just starting out, Asian greens like bok choy, mizuna, tatsoi and many lettuces actually love the cooler weather. Salads in Winter you ask? Yes ..that’s right …salads in Winter. We call them ‘green salads’ – all of those Winter greens tossed around with a little local olive oil from Aroyln Grove)at the market) , some lovely cheese from ,….. ( at the market!) and some gorgeous sourdough from Morpeth Sourdough at Branxton IGA or Black Bird Artisan bakery at the market. The best thing about Asian greens is that in about 3 -4 weeks time you will be eating something you have planted. For impatient people, Asian greens and cos lettuces are the way to go in Winter gardening-they also self seed really easily.

Okay , once you have mastered Winter Greens, the next thing is the brassicas! Sounds like the name of a brass band, but in fact covers the family of kale, broccoli and cauliflower to name a few. These steamed winter veg sitting on a plate, maybe covered in a cheese sauce or adding colour to a Winter Casserole are really, really , really good for you. We are talking SUPER FOOD!!  When you eat these you feel like you can take on the world . Imagine how much more world you could take on if you were eating these organic straight from your own garden.All great for juicing too, so you can never plant too many.

 We can hear the whinging already…no it is not too hard. Number one rule with brassicas- plant them somewhere you walk past each day…. Because each day a little white cabbage moth will be passing by to lay her little yellow or white eggs on the back of the leaves ….which in turn will turn into caterpillars. This is soooooooo easy, every day or so , just wipe off the eggs on the back of the leaves and your caterpillars will never happen.

Number two method- for people who get distracted easily and can’ t check every couple of days- buy some mosquito netting or fruit fly netting. Just drape over your plants and the moths will never get in.

Number 3 method- Dipel – for people who don’t really do something until it happens… sometimes coming into Summer the cabbage moths really arc up …. Dipel is a natural organic method ( just google it ) …it uses a bacteria that just gets the caterpillars but not you. You just spray it on and the caterpillars eat it.

Number 4 method- Companion Planting.

Moths get really distracted by the following …. Strong smells and erratic all over  the place planting through a patch. This means that if you have a really strong smelling herb near  your brassicas the moths have trouble finding them  . The other thing moths look for is lovely straight lines, so throw out  this way of thinking by planting in amongst other leafy greens and don’t plant in straight lines.The moths will be standing there scratching their heads going , 'What the...where did all the brassicas go?'

We suggest you try the brassicas (ie caulis, broccolli) one more time . It is just a matter of knowing what to do and you won’t have any problems. We also suggest using a well manured bed that is high in nutrients. Of course each year rotate your plantings so that diseases do not build up in your garden.

The average organic broccoli plant can cost nearly $8.00 per kg. The average standard planted broccoli head will cost $4.00 per kg and will have had unknown things done to it with regards to pesticide use . The average broccoli plant planted by you costs a bit of tender loving care ,the cost of the seedling or seed  and the added benefit that no nutrients are  lost because you pick it just before you cook it.

Oh and the best thing of all about self sprouting broccoli? Once you have picked the main head, ifyou keep looking after the plant you can keep picking and picking the side shoots.In one family we know, 8 plants covered them for the whole Winter because of the side shoots.

We have oodles of cauliflower on sale this Sunday for just $2.00 per seedling. This is a special not to be missed and we will set you up with gardening advice to make sure in a few months time you are eating your very own organic cauliflower.

Salad burnett- a great addition to salads and winter soups on sale this Sunday.

Herbs- Herbs are really beneficial to plants that are susceptible to insects. The smell just confuses them.
They are also a great Winter plant to grow for soups ,casseroles and salads.

As far as Winter herbs go some herbs to plant in cooler months are: 

Rosemary, Sage, Parsley, Dill, Coriander, Thyme, Salad Burnett.  All of which can be used in soups, stir-fries, casseroles, and salads.  Helen from Cindale Herb Farm has some beautiful Italian flat leaf parsley, curly parsley, sage, salad burnett and lemon Thyme ready for a new home.  Remember , basil is a Summer herb and we do not sell it over Winter because it just won't grow...  why not use thyme spread over your pizza,salad or casserole instead of basil.  
Herbs are great place to start for beginning gardeners.

In the comments section, let us know what worries you have about Winter Veges and we will endeavour to reply to as many as we can. In the meantime seriously think about planting Winter veges  and let us know how you go next time you are at the Sacred Tree Market.We will have some cauli flower seedlings and other winter veges at the market on May 18th. Even ,if not ready to buy seedlings, come and have a talk to us about how to start a garden...you might be pleasantly surprised just how easy it is!

If you want to learn more about gardening itself, Little Black Cow Farm occasionally runs vege garden open days at just $10 per person. If you would like to be on the mailing list for this , just email Kim at littleblackcowbeef@gmail.com.