Autumn Gardening

[Seaweed]

The weather here has suddenly gone from beautifully warm to a nasty damp southwesterly so I am thinking it is heading into autumn. How has everyone's garden gone this summer? what was really awesome & what flopped? What are you planting for autumn/winter? I did nothing this summer to the garden which is pretty shocking for me but I had a few other fish to fry so to speak. I had plenty of volunteer potatoes, lots of volunteer spinach & salads. The stream down the road has nice watercress & there are plenty of really tasty seaweed species in the harbour. There's quite a bit of puha all over the place. Even if I have to fight the horse for it. I garden at the community garden & our tomatoes are finally going well. Why are tomatoes you grow always so much nicer than any tomatoes you can buy? Along with loads of salad greens. Zuchinis & pumpkins have done not much. The garlic & broad beans were pretty disappointing this season. The peas are sort of trucking along but they were planted late. I checked out the wocesterberries today & they are doing really well. So yummy! My apples did not do too bad. Plums were marginal. Gooseberries & black currants did well this year. The kids have been getting blackberries galore from out the back & cape gooseberries are just starting. I noticed ripe elderberries in town today so I will need to check my trees out the back.
This autumn I am going to concentrate on getting the broad beans in on time. Loads more salad greens. I have already planted brussel sprouts & autumn brassicas as I find they need to be in before xmas to do anything here. The rest of the vege garden, I am going to make a concerted effort to mulch with horse poo as I clear it up & build up with seaweed etc as I go along so it is all ready come spring. I am also going to actually plant my garlic when I am supposed to as well as I totally missed it last year.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

I've got seed coming up now for purple broccoli, purple brussel sprouts, purple cabbage, and green broccolli.

No, not turned nasty yet. Still hot muggy and horrible...

[Seaweed]

I was wandering around today in town & there were cicadas going for it & it was all muggy which was very strange. Then the mist came up over the hills & it started blowing this evening. It's not too bad right now. One thing you can almost always count on is it will never be too hot to get to sleep around here!

I need to get my brussel sprout growing skills under control as they are one of my more favourite veges. Globe artichokes have been quite good this year too. Purple caulis always go well. If you cut them, they regrow more heads which is always good. My only issue with them this summer has been aphids. I cut one & for some reason had to leave it for a day or two before I cooked it. Plan A had been to make cauli & spinach fritata for lunch I think. Or something similar. I fried up an onion in some butter. Pulled a leek flower to pieces to throw in. Then held the cauliflower over the pan to break into pieces & all these aphids fell out into our lunch. I do my best to look on it as added protein but I do struggle with it. I would prefer to say it is added protein without actually really knowing it is there. Give me a huhu grub any day over multiple aphids I say!

[Seaweed]

I was just reminded of leeks when I was looking for the horse & found her standing in my vege garden! Leeks year before last where phenomenal. I did not have to buy any & we had leeks for soup all winter. We were home most days back then so that was alot of leeks. I planted them at the same time last year, they sat in the garden all autumn & winter doing stuff all. Then bolted & flowered & went woody in the spring. When I am out today, I am going to look for some leek seedlings & try again this year.

[deesalie]

My garden was a big flop this year due to harsh water restrictions. I just couldn't support my vegies on a bucket of water a week. I kept my herbs alive with the water from the shower & kids bath but that's where it ended.
The 1st of March hit & the nights are freezing & the days are windy with a chill in the air. The kids are excited to see the leaves changing colour & are keen to make collages. There's nothing quite like crusty leaves hanging on your fridge! :chuckle:

[Seaweed]

The funky weather here definitely didn't help. Gotta love those crusty leaves :) If you find leaf skeletons, you can paint them & stick them between bits of waxed paper & make lantern shades with them. Nothing looking colour changed here yet tho.

[deesalie]

Hey, great idea!!

[bbrandonsmom]

Not fall here, but we've got our spring/summer garden started. Made a little green house in the sun room and pretty much all of our veggies are starting out well. It hasn't warmed up enough where I am to plant outside yet.