Your Autumn Veggie Patch

We have had quite a bit of success growing veggies in our garden over the past few months and it’s been really awesome to include fresh herbs and veggies from the garden into our meals straight from the backyard.

The best producers in our garden have been cucumbers, zucchinis, lettuce, green beans, carrots, spring onions, basil, parsley and even a few chilies. The tomatoes were a bit hit and miss, but we have just harvested a modest crop this week which made for some lovely mid-week Bruschetta.

Even though it’s a bit sad that the warmer weather will soon be behind us, we are excited to see what we can grow in Autumn in our little veggie patch and thought we’d share some ideas to help get your autumn veggie growing juices flowing.

Some cool-season crops that you might consider giving a go are:

1. Broccoli: Broccoli is a cool-season crop that thrives in the cooler temperatures of autumn.
2. Carrots: Carrots are a root vegetable that can be planted in autumn and harvested in winter.
3. Cauliflower: Cauliflower is another cool-season crop that can be planted in autumn.
4. Kale: Kale is a leafy green vegetable that is hardy and can be grown throughout the year, including in autumn.
5. Lettuce: Lettuce is a salad crop that grows well in cooler temperatures, making it an excellent choice for autumn.
6. Peas: Peas are a cool-season crop that can be planted in autumn and harvested in winter.
7. Spinach: Spinach is a leafy green vegetable that is a great choice for autumn planting.
8. Turnips: Turnips are a root vegetable that can be planted in autumn and harvested in winter.
9. Radishes: Radishes are a fast-growing crop that can be planted in autumn and harvested in just a few weeks.
10. Cabbage: Cabbage is a cool-season crop that can be planted in autumn and harvested in winter.

These can withstand frost and grow well in winter, but it helps if you have a greenhouse or a more protected area where you can get seedling started. Make sure your planting area soil is well-draining and moist.

Personally I’m looking forward to having a go at growing some Garlic. Pretty much all my favourite foods have garlic in them and I think it would be great to be getting all of that flavour straight from our very own veggie patch.

Garlic is typically planted in autumn, so it has time to develop roots before winter sets in. I hear that the best time to to plant garlic is between March and May, depending on the local climate and weather conditions, but if there are any local experts want to give us some tips we’d love to hear from you.

We hope this helps get your inner gardener stirring and motivates you to get out there and start your Autumn veggie garden so you can reap some of those delicious winter and spring crops and get that satisfaction of cooking fresh produce straight from your garden. Maybe some of you will share some photos of your harvest… we’d love to see that!