i wake about 6am each day and can tell youse the mornings are getting darker.
winter is returning.
time to plant winter seed into punnets and save on costs.

my seedling plantings for this winter-
spinach, radicchio and silver beet
broc, cab, cauli, kale, bok choy
celery
onions
lettuce
dill and parsley

seed to be planted direct into soil sometime in march
peas, carrots, broad beans, garlic, spuds (no frosts)
green manure – barley, mustard, chickpeas, peas

in frosty areas i would add
brussel sprouts and parsnip

what have i forgotten? more asparagus and strawbs.

pepe said:

i wake about 6am each day and can tell youse the mornings are getting darker.
winter is returning.
time to plant winter seed into punnets and save on costs.

my seedling plantings for this winter-
spinach, radicchio and silver beet
broc, cab, cauli, kale, bok choy
celery
onions
lettuce
dill and parsley

seed to be planted direct into soil sometime in march
peas, carrots, broad beans, garlic, spuds (no frosts)
green manure – barley, mustard, chickpeas, peas

in frosty areas i would add
brussel sprouts and parsnip

what have i forgotten? more asparagus and strawbs.

On the subject of green manure, in a six bed rotation would you do one bed a year with green manure, or every bed not being sown with winter vegies?

AnneS said:

pepe said:

i wake about 6am each day and can tell youse the mornings are getting darker.
winter is returning.
time to plant winter seed into punnets and save on costs.

my seedling plantings for this winter-
spinach, radicchio and silver beet
broc, cab, cauli, kale, bok choy
celery
onions
lettuce
dill and parsley

seed to be planted direct into soil sometime in march
peas, carrots, broad beans, garlic, spuds (no frosts)
green manure – barley, mustard, chickpeas, peas

in frosty areas i would add
brussel sprouts and parsnip

what have i forgotten? more asparagus and strawbs.

On the subject of green manure, in a six bed rotation would you do one bed a year with green manure, or every bed not being sown with winter vegies?

I’d do each bed not being used with green manure. If the seeds are sown thick enough it’ll keep the weeds down too:)

On the subject of green manure, in a six bed rotation would you do one bed a year with green manure, or every bed not being sown with winter vegies?
————————
probably every bed not sown to winter veg.
a couple of reasons
- peas are edible and a green manure crop – so no lost. green feast peas are available cheap by the kilo at the fodder store.
- you get weeds if you don’t grow something and crops like barley can be mown like grass but have a better look.

your big elevated beds are quite different to my chook rotation pens. i will grow green manure between my new orchard because the soil needs all the help it can get. on your elevated beds you might try mustard and fork it in when 100mm high.

pepe said:

On the subject of green manure, in a six bed rotation would you do one bed a year with green manure, or every bed not being sown with winter vegies?
————————
probably every bed not sown to winter veg.
a couple of reasons
- peas are edible and a green manure crop – so no lost. green feast peas are available cheap by the kilo at the fodder store.
- you get weeds if you don’t grow something and crops like barley can be mown like grass but have a better look.

your big elevated beds are quite different to my chook rotation pens. i will grow green manure between my new orchard because the soil needs all the help it can get. on your elevated beds you might try mustard and fork it in when 100mm high.

Yep used mustard last year in a couple of the beds. I had green manure in 3 or 4 of my beds last year and plan to do it again this year, but considering the number of beds I have that equates to about 1 green manure bed in a normal 6 year rotation. In Pete’s patch there only seems to be one bed at a time with green manure (unless I’ve misread things), hence my question.

My inclination is to green manure all the beds not given over to winter vegies if for no other reason than to stop erosion and limit weed growth.

My winter vegies sown so far:

In punnets:
Kohl Rabi
Broccoli
Tuscan Kale
Cauliflower
(obviously won’t be saving seed this year)
Hunter River Brown Onions
Spring Onions (as a trial…I normally sow them direct)

Direct:
Red Globe beetroot
Pak Choi
Lettuce (free seed from Feb “Gardening Australia” mag

Still to sow when soil drains a bit:
Carrots

I have also sown some hakea salicifolia; acacia longifolia and unknow casuarina (indigenous species) to use as part of my eventual windbreak

I think you will find that in Pete’s Patch there is always something growing. So if there is only one bed with green manure, that is because there are veges in the others. But his rotation system means that each bed gets green manure at least once every 6 years.

bluegreen said:

I think you will find that in Pete’s Patch there is always something growing. So if there is only one bed with green manure, that is because there are veges in the others. But his rotation system means that each bed gets green manure at least once every 6 years.

I guess that is the basis of my question…should I green manure each bed every year, or only once every 6 years?….and then there is the rotation cycle…season by season or year by year…but we won’t get started on that one.

looks good anne.
we both forgot leeks – thanks BG.

it all depends if you’ve got time. rotation and green manure are wild cards really but leaving beds fallow has lost favour.

bluegreen said:

I think you will find that in Pete’s Patch there is always something growing. So if there is only one bed with green manure, that is because there are veges in the others. But his rotation system means that each bed gets green manure at least once every 6 years.

I’ve been following Pete’s Patch and whatever he’s got growing in the beds, and I follow with what he puts in those beds the season after. Saves me having to think lol.

i wake about 6am each day and can tell youse the mornings are getting darker.
winter is returning
++++++++++++++
Good observation Pepe.
I have some globe artichoke sideshoots.
Should i poke ‘em in a new spot (already prepared)?

Longy said:

i wake about 6am each day and can tell youse the mornings are getting darker.
winter is returning
++++++++++++++
Good observation Pepe.
I have some globe artichoke sideshoots.
Should i poke ‘em in a new spot (already prepared)?

pass – handballed to a greater brain.
we do prune all those side shoots but we don’t plant them – lots of seed from even one flower head – if we needed more we would plant more seed. they grow like a weed here.

pepe said:

Longy said:

i wake about 6am each day and can tell youse the mornings are getting darker.
winter is returning
++++++++++++++
Good observation Pepe.
I have some globe artichoke sideshoots.
Should i poke ‘em in a new spot (already prepared)?

pass – handballed to a greater brain.
we do prune all those side shoots but we don’t plant them – lots of seed from even one flower head – if we needed more we would plant more seed. they grow like a weed here.

OK. So i have a swag of seed heads.
Gimme the drum on the seed collection, drying and planting.
Go on.

OK. So i have a swag of seed heads.
Gimme the drum on the seed collection, drying and planting.
Go on.
——
a big grey seed at the base of all that fluff.
probably best to quarter the hard base with secateurs or a knife. then scrape the seed off the base or just pull the fluff off. takes a bit of time if you want lots.

been a while since we’ve done it – maybe pick them now and store in a bin – i guess they loosen and take flight in the wild..

drying and planting are normal for seed like sunflowers.

pepe said:

i wake about 6am each day and can tell youse the mornings are getting darker.
winter is returning.
time to plant winter seed into punnets and save on costs.

my seedling plantings for this winter-
spinach, radicchio and silver beet
broc, cab, cauli, kale, bok choy
celery
onions
lettuce
dill and parsley

seed to be planted direct into soil sometime in march
peas, carrots, broad beans, garlic, spuds (no frosts)
green manure – barley, mustard, chickpeas, peas

in frosty areas i would add
brussel sprouts and parsnip

what have i forgotten? more asparagus and strawbs.

Hi Pepe. I am in WA. You may or may not be from WA but what planting suggestions can you help me with. Most of the plantings I would do will be from seeds. Cheers.

Hi Pepe. I am in WA. You may or may not be from WA but what planting suggestions can you help me with. Most of the plantings I would do will be from seeds. Cheers.
——————
same as me – add leek.
you’ve got until mid march to do it.
check out pete’s patch on the GA forum and also BG’s addy under this thread.
generally speaking winter veg need to do a lot of growing before the real cold of winter sets in – so the end of feb is the normal planting time for temperate climes ( i think).

pepe said:

Hi Pepe. I am in WA. You may or may not be from WA but what planting suggestions can you help me with. Most of the plantings I would do will be from seeds. Cheers.
——————
same as me – add leek.
you’ve got until mid march to do it.
check out pete’s patch on the GA forum and also BG’s addy under this thread.
generally speaking winter veg need to do a lot of growing before the real cold of winter sets in – so the end of feb is the normal planting time for temperate climes ( i think).

Thanks will do.

Well Mangolia has a shadehouse, with some small potting benches and trays and shelves, and GF spent some time in there yesterdy planting a whole bunch of seeds… There was a mixture of herbs and spices and toms and caps and other vegies.

Well my compost bay is overflowing with mulched up mango leaves and grass clippings, so working out exactly where the new beds will be will have to be decided pretty darn soon.

pain master said:

Well Mangolia has a shadehouse, with some small potting benches and trays and shelves, and GF spent some time in there yesterdy planting a whole bunch of seeds… There was a mixture of herbs and spices and toms and caps and other vegies.

Well my compost bay is overflowing with mulched up mango leaves and grass clippings, so working out exactly where the new beds will be will have to be decided pretty darn soon.

So enjoying reading about your plans PM:)