At last winter has arrived! Rain, hail, snow and cold winds
have streamed across us but will it last? The BOM forecast is for a drier and
warmer than average winter, with plenty of frost (because of clear skies). This
frost bodes well for next season’s apples, pears, cherries and berries, all of
which revel in plenty of cold temperatures while they are dormant. But the
warmer day time temperatures may interfere with that! Frost is also excellent
for developing carrot and parsnip flavour and for enhancing the amazing colours
in vegetables such as rainbow chard and red chicories.
Pumpkins
One vegetable that does not like the cold is pumpkins. If
frost lands on them and freezes even a tiny spot then that spot will go soft
and eventually rot. So, for best storage, pick them when the stems have
completely dried and browned off. This has not happened with mine this year. With
all the warm autumn weather the leaves have stayed green. Nevertheless, the
time has come to collect them up and bring them inside to dry and harden,
upside-down, in a warm place like on the mantlepiece above the firebox. Cut
stems at least 15cms long as cutting them closer to the pumpkin before they are
dried off may let fungus creep into the pumpkin and it will rot from the
inside. Once the stems are fully brown and crisp, you can cut them short. Store
them on their side for best results.
Beetroot
Beetroot is related to spinach and red chard, but did you
know it's also related to quinoa?I am growing quite a bit of beetroot this
winter and, with staggered sowing way back in Jan/Feb/early March, it will keep
me going for months. You can also sow it in spring as it is very carefree and
loves the cold, cool and warm weather but I prefer to eat it in winter. Beetroot
goes well with apples, walnuts, rocket, lentils (all autumn and winter crops),
basil, balsamic vinegar, goats cheese, and gin herbals (juniper, cardamon,
coriander, cinnamon, citrus and also the Tasmanian pepperberry). It also makes
a wonderful probiotic drink called kvass which, like all fermented foods, is
packed with enzymes and microbes for gut health and immune boosting.
I peel beetroot for kvass because it has little bumps and
hairs that may house microbes that can affect the fermentation. Once peeled,
chop 2 large organic beets coarsely and place in a 1.5 litre jar. Add 1
tablespoon of salt and 1 litre of water. Put the lid on and shake. Label with
the day, leave on the bench for 5 days then refrigerate. Drink daily. You can
refill once with water when it is all gone but then you need to start again.
Delicious!
Winter greens and mulch experiment
Why are my winter greens (kale, chards, bok choy, wasabi
greens, chicory, spinach, mizuna) especially strong and healthy this year?
Because I added inoculated biochar, compost, blood and bone, lime and hay.
Before planting I had intended to add more hay but I added a thick mulch of old
sheep manure instead because I watched a video by Charles Dowding in which he
mentioned using old sheep manure as a mulch in very frosty areas.
Seaweed in winter
As winter storms in the roaring 40’s send high seas crashing
onto the shores of Tasmania, kelp and other sea plants are strewn on the
beaches. I heard on the radio that we are allowed to collect seaweed from most
beaches at the rate of 100kg / day in Tasmania. Seaweed is heavy, so that is
not as much as it sounds. I have some great ideas for using it! Seaweed
contains trace elements which we often neglect to think about in our food
gardens (and our stomachs).
1.
Wash it and eat it; either raw (if tender
enough) or cooked or just put a piece in when you make soup then discard if its
too tough. I have eaten many local seaweeds, especially from south eastern
Bruny Island where the water is pristine.
- Place tubs or large buckets here and there in your garden.
Half fill them with seaweed and fill to the top with water. Cover if you
like. Keep a ladle nearby. Whenever you see some plants looking a bit weak
or off-colour give them a tonic of 1 part seaweed water to 9 parts water,
in a watering can. Pour over the leaves.
- Completely cover your asparagus patch with a thick layer
of seaweed during winter. Leave the rain and the worms to do the work.
- Seaweed is a wonderful addition to mulch under fruit
trees.
- Add it to your compost heap.
Winter herbs for health and flavour
Do you love pesto and lament
the end of fresh basil from your garden? Well I make a wonderful pesto with
chervil and almonds / rocket and pistachios / parsley or nettles and walnuts.
There are so many lovely herbs
that either grow and thrive only in winter or continue to hold their colour and
flavour even in winter. The former includes the slightly aniseed chervil, with
its pretty, soft ferny leaves which I grow as a block and clip by the handful,
with scissors. Also in this category is coriander with its robust flavour and
growth habit. Rocket is a favourite everywhere. Parsley is a fabulous winter
herb, readily self-sows and is useful all through winter in meals and as a
wonderful source of vitamin C, in our climate where oranges are rare in our
gardens. The latter includes rosemary, Tas. Pepperberry leaves, bay leaves as
well as fennel fronds and flowers.
|
Seeds
to sow in June Sow in the garden: Broad beans Salad and spring onions Shallots Chives English spinach Radishes Sow in trays to plant out later: Brassicas Globe Artichokes Coriander Chervil Lettuce Rocket Asian greens |
Plant
out Garlic Asparagus crowns Divide rhubarb Winter herbs Winter flowering annuals Globe artichokes Sunchokes Bulbs Asian greens Lettuce Spinach Fireside Reading “The
Veg Doctor’s Illustrated Field and Fork Guide to Potent Plants” by
(Tasmanian) Hazel MacTavish-West |
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