by: Gordon Hall
Gardening does not need to stop after your autumn harvest. Even in winter, you can plant herbs and where weather permits winter crops, such as lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, silver beet and spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, broad beans and finally onions and beetroot.
Winter can also be a good time to be planting herbs such as sage and thyme, dill, mint, parsley and chives.
Some gardeners plant lettuce direct into the ground in rows. however you can sprinkle some lettuce seeds in a small area close together and prick out the largest of the lettuce seedlings to sow, this way you can spread your crop over a longer period.
If your ground is not going to be covered three foot deep in snow you could try sowing Arugula, sow direct in rows 10 centimetres apart (3.9in). Arugula is sometimes called Rocket, Roquette or Italian Cress. It has a peppery nut flavour.
You can start harvesting when the leaves are 7 or 8cm long (2.76in to 3.15in), taking just a few leaves at a time. Grow virtually the same as cabbage. Arugula is a cool weather crop, it runs to seed early in hot weather. Harvest in 30 to 60 days.
Broad Beans can be grown in rows, 50CM apart (19.69in), directly, sow seed 20cm apart (7.87in), sow 5 centimeter deep (1.97in),These beans are good for cool climates. Sow while the temperature remains between 5 degrees Celsius to 18 degrees Celsius (41f to 64.4f). You find the short pod type tends to mature later and gives a fatter bean.
harvest in 120 days Plant all of your fruit trees during the winter too. Spray existing fruit trees with a copper-based fungacide as the buds begin to swell.
Winter is also a good time to prune existing fruit and ornamental trees while they are bare. You can also prune grape and berry bushes and vines during Winter.
If you want to plant bare rooted roses, do that in Winter too.
But most of all...have fun and remember a garden can be very forgiving.
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