Autumn is planting time for veggies

Hinterland Homesteading with Racheal Pascoe

Here we are, sweltering through February, but all the gardeners are quietly getting excited about planting time. We are patiently waiting for the weather to turn, cool a little and all the veggie patches will be hives of activity.

There is work to be done to get ready for planting time. Here at home, I have been busy loading up my veggie beds with old horse and chicken poo and making sure I have a nice supply of mulch on hand. Then there are always the pesky weeds that try each year to take over during the summer months. Grrr. They too thrive on the beautiful rain and sunshine. 

Most days I am in the garden, endeavouring to do something to improve the garden. Some days it is only a few minutes at the end of the day but by the end of each week now, I notice I am winning. The veggie beds are starting to look tidy and ready to plant out. 

Start some seeds

If you are hopping with excitement about planting out… you could certainly set yourself up with a seedling tray now and get some seeds sprouting. 

Rather than buying everything as seedlings, you could save money and start some seeds growing. Remember when you are buying seeds or seedlings, try to whenever possible to buy Heritage or Heirloom stock. 

Then when you have success with the crop, you can leave a couple of plants go to seed and save the seeds for next season. Seed saving is super important for our future.

things you know you will eat. There isn’t any use growing a tonne of celery or sprouts if no one in your family eats them. Grow the food you buy at the shops if you can. This way your efforts in the garden will compliment your family household.

Plant giveaway

As promised, I have left some Guilfoyle Agapanthus root stock at the Nambour Produce Agency for you. They are a really vivid purple coloured flower, and we have loved having them here at home for years now. I hope you just love having them at your place too.

(Please note that due to stock being limited, only one plant per person.) Thanks everyone.Here at home

We have been picking rosella fruit to make jam just this week. We have also been delighted to see that papaya seedlings we grew from seed have all taken and a couple of the plants already have fruit on them. Yum.

I am really looking forward to seeing how my home garden comes along this year. I will be planting broccoli, cauliflowers, sugar loaf cabbages, carrots, beans, spinach, kale, lettuce, snow peas and no doubt lots more! What could you do today at your place to make a start on a veggie garden? It is the perfect time to think about how you could grow some veggies this year. I wish you all the success.

Garden expansion

I am installing a few new corrugated garden beds to expand the growing space in my home garden this year. (Paul from Foley’s Tanks is who we have always used for new garden beds Ph 0429 337 441).

Growing my own food during the winter months is such a fantastic thing to do. I love growing plants, especially ones my family and I can eat!

Some of my beds are netted, so I have been doing some repairs to holes in the nets and making sure I have spare clips to hold the nets down.

If this is your first year of gardening to grow veggies and you are wondering where to start? It is a good idea to focus on a couple of 

“Paul from Foley’s Tanks is who we have always used for new garden beds.”