Winter Vegetables

Winter vegetables are a real treat.  There are so many wonderful leaves to grow now, root vegetables to plant and it’s the perfect time for peas and broad beans. 

If you’re wanting to add colour to a salad, plant some of the beautiful radicchios, with their speckled red leaves and bright burgundy tones, which really shine on a grey day.  You can also plant chard, which has bright gold, crimson red or pale lemon coloured stems.  It’s like a rainbow version of silverbeet and delicious finely shredded raw in salads, steamed or quickly stir-fried.

Cauliflowers, cabbage and Brussel sprouts are also in season now, and should be planted with some extra lime dug through the soil.  Red cabbages and purple Broccoli and sprouts are another terrific way of adding a splash of colour and interest to you vegie patch, and they are also really good for you!

If you eager for a root crop, sow seeds of beetroots, plant some Florence fennel or put in some carrots or radishes, both of which can be planted really easily using seed tapes.  You can also still plant garlic, onions, spring onions and shallots.

And finally, one of the easiest crops to grow, and certainly a delight to eat, are peas and broad beans.  Sow seeds into limed soil and pick them regularly…they crop more the more you eat, and their flowers and new growth is also edible so don’t be shy.  And best of all, when they have finished for the season, dig the whole plant back into the ground and they make a great green manure, adding nitrogen and organic matter to your soil.

 

By: Meredith Kirton