I don’t know about you, but I love Autumn days. Not too hot, not too cold. The change in colours and the crispness in the air are so brilliant. In Melbourne, we have being enjoying some really warm weather - unusual for this time of year. Soon it will time to enjoy the last few warm days outdoors, before the colder weather hits us. It is a good time to remove your summer crops and plan those vegetables that grow in the cooler months.
Now that we have been in our house more than a year, the garden is pretty established, but it still needs tending to. Over the last few weeks I have been using up our crops of brocoli, cabbage, carrots and parsnips that were established in the shaderer part of the garden. Any stumps or leaves are allowed to mulch on top of the soil. The tomatoes, zucchinis and pumpkins in the sunny position have been a bit slow to come on. Most likely due to the heavy falls of rain we had in January and early February. These are in my sight this week to remove, while the potatoes will be last to harvest. Once they are done, I will be digging in some compost into all the garden beds and preparing for our autumn/winter crops. I will leave the garden beds at least two weeks before I start planting again, to ensure the soil is not too rich for the new plants and seeds.
Before I put a seed or plant in the vegetable garden I need to make sure what plants can grow in Autumn-Winter time here in the South-East of Melbourne. Over the years I have learned a lot. I had to, being an Irish woman dealing with a much hotter climate than the green hills of Ireland. However, each year I still do a bit of research to make sure I haven’t forgotten which vegetables can be planted this time of year. During my research I found a wonderful guide for all of Australia from the ABCs Organic Gardener. I thought you might find it useful too. https://www.organicgardener.com.au/planting-guides .
If you live elsewhere in the world, some good resources are:
U.K. - from the Royal Horticultural society http://bit.ly/1Q3NmX1
U.S.A - from Urban Farmers http://bit.ly/1MUKTja.
Also, for USA, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand have a look at Gardenate http://www.gardenate.com/zones. It caters for the different climates in the different regions.
Hope this helps you out and encourages to give gardening a go this Autumn. Love to hear what you are growing this season.
Have an earthly passionate time gardening
Attracta & the team