Autumn vegetable updates please. :)

[timjeffries]

Hey everyone, I'm keen to know how the Autumn/Winter veggies are going. I haven't got as much in as I'd like but I have a couple of things that are humming along.

Check out this pic of my garlic from a week ago.

If you look closly you'll see I've got some snow peas coming up at the end where I left the trellis up from my tomatoes over summer.

The far bed still has capsicums that continue to produce. I've had these plants in for almost 18 months now. They survived last winter and had a bumper crop this year. I'm wondering/hoping that I'll be able to do the same again. Does anyone know how long they last?

Out the back my strawberries are still firing which is amazing because they're costing about $5 for 15 in the shops now.

I've also planted carrots which seems slow to come up, sugar snap peas and have seed trays full of lettuce, onions, spring onion, kale, silverbeet and coriander. I'll post more photos of them once they're worth looking at.

What have you got it and how's it looking after this warm autumn we've had?

[Jason]

Hi @Gemini,

Thanks for joining in the discussion and a big welcome to Workshop. I'm sure you will find plenty of great ideas and advice here. I hope you follow @QuailFlock's advice and get started on your vegie garden before the really cold weather sets in. You might also find these discussions useful and interesting:

• Recommendations for good vegies for planting in autumn

• Autumn gardening tips

• What will you be planting in autumn?

Please post again soon.

Jason

[timjeffries]

Where are you based @Gemini ? It's never quite as fun in the colder months as things take longer to grow. It's certainly worth getting going though. Even just to try a few things out and be prepared for next spring/summer.

[Dale]

@Gemini, does this help to influence your decision to start growing?

Picked about half an hour ago.

[greygardener]

Wow! That's a big one!

[Jason]

How are your vegies going @timjeffries? 

[Elly]

I think growing vegetables is one of the best things ever! This year I have had, for the first time, fabulous success with lettuces. In fact, I won best in show recently with a butter lettuce that looked so fresh and green and frilly that the judges were unanimous! All other times my lettuce plants have bolted to seed. It is now clear to me that I can grow lettuce best in winter despite the fact that I'd rather eat them in the summer. Still, it's nice to pick a few leaves regularly and leave the plants to continue. I'm happy to leave one cos lettuce to go to seed, to supply me next season.
My beetroot are doing well as is my spinach. I have done successive plantings of both.
Peas and snow peas didn't do anything. Eventually, I put pea seeds on the kitchen windowsill with a wet tissue over them until they sprouted. Now they are in the veggie patch and so far, so good.
I use old voile curtains to keep cabbage white butterflies away from my brassicas. Hope it works. Also, I planted a white pansy in their midst. Someone told me that Cabbage Whites are territorial and will register 'white' in the veggie patch as someone else's territory and keep clear. Again, I'm not sure if this is true, but it is worth a trial.
I planted carrots and leeks a while ago, but the chooks got in and scratched around so only a few have germinated.
Silver beet keeps on keeping on. Just pick a few leaves at a time and the plants last for ever!
Sorry for rabbiting on, but it's easy to get carried away on the topic of gardening.

[Jason]

Many thanks for sharing @Elly. It's great to see the passion that you have for growing your own food. It sounds like you are having fantastic results. Well done!

Feel free to share photos of your harvests whenever you get a chance. It would be great to see what you are growing.

Thanks again,

Jason