the winter garden

I’m a little late in preparing the winter garden this year as I was ill in February and March, which are the the critical months for getting autumn and winter seedlings started and for starting to put in plants so they have a strong start while the weather is still warm.  Nevertheless, I have decided to make the best of a bad situation and plant a small vegetable garden this winter with the help of the wwoofers who have been staying with us and helping out around the garden.

The first and a mammoth task was to clear the remnants of the summer garden and all of the weeds that had grown over the past six months.  Then I had some planning to do.  I had to work out where I wanted to plant the new roses I had ordered which will be arriving in the winter.  I also worked out where I wanted to plant next summer’s strawberry patch and put in the plants for the next season.  I was left with a square at the end of the strawberry patch and row of roses in one garden bed and an entire garden bed outside our lounge and dining room window.  I decided that this would be where I would plant a late winter garden for this season.
To prepare the ground, we worked in plenty of compost, sheep pellets and general garden fertiliser.  We then raked the soil so it was nice and level. Once the ground was prepared, I then turned my mind to what I wanted to plant in the area.


What kinds of things can you plant in a winter garden in the Auckland region?  Once I started thinking about it, I realised that there was actually quite a broad range of veggies and herbs that I could plant in the garden.


o   Fennel
o   Beetroot
o   radish
o   Silverbeet
o   Spinach
o   Carrots
o   Red cabbage
o   Green cabbage
o   Wombok (Chinese cabbage)
o   Bok Choi
o   Pak Choi
o   Cauliflower (white, purple and orange)
o   Broccoli
o   Broccoflower
o   Romanesco broccoli (cross between a cauliflower and a broccoli)
o   Lettuce
o   Rocket
o   Mesclun
o   Leeks
o   Onions (red, white and brown)
o   Spring onions
o   Chives
o   Parsley
o   Mint
o   Sage
o   Garlic


What have I planted in my winter garden?  From the selection above, I decided on the following bare essentials to get us through winter:


o   Silverbeet
o   Spinach
o   Kale
o   Pak Choi
o   Parsley


There is still a bit more space left, so I will post an update if I decide to utilise this space.