When is the best time to plant potatoes, carrots, parsnips, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc - root veges? And when will they be ready? Can they be planted throughout the year, so there are fresh veges all year round? If so what months to plant - and what month will they be ready? And then once ready, when is the next time to plant etc? Do people plant vege gardens all year round? Or is it really just a summer thing? Any info would be great, thanks
annies3,
Oct 1, 8:19pm
Hi, lots of questions ! Our vege garden has always got something ready, at the moment, beetroot, leeks, carrots, parsnips, and there is sliver beet, we could have had cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli ready now as well but never got them in the usual time in the late summer early autumn this year. Yes people do plant all year round, you need a Yates gardening book to start you off, there is far too much info to try to put on here. Good luck with your gardening.
soulpower,
Oct 1, 8:30pm
Thanks so much! Will definitely get a copy of the Yates gardening book! Your answers have helped - cheers
vickyh1,
Oct 1, 8:32pm
If you're growing from seed, the seed packet will tell you what time of the year is best to plant and how long till you can expect the yield. Growing from seed has the advantage that you can stagger your crop so you don't have everything coming up at once, of course there is a little more work this way and it takes longer.
Growing from seedlings is quicker and easier, and generally whatever the garden centre has in stock you can plant now.
Most veges take at least 6 weeks, more like 3 months, so get planting now for summer.
Do you live near a school that does community education? If so, most do quick night classes in vege growing which will jump start you. Otherwise there is loads of information to be found on the Internet, but remember to allow for NZ seasons and your local climate.
Up here in Auckland I plant year round. Radishes and peas in spring and autumn. Caulis, leeks in autumn, swede in winter. All the hot loving stuff, capsicum, beans etc in summer.
But where you are there is a very short growing season. You can't do your summer garden until at least labour weekend, and then you know you run risk of late frosts.
You can grow swedes, you'd plant mid to late summer. Harvest Winter. You can plant most cool weather stuff mid to late summer for harvest end of autumn.
scottea,
Oct 1, 11:33pm
At the moment the N.Z. Gardener has out a magazine on Vegetables A-Z that gives a lot of information on what to grow when. They also put out a Garden Diary that tells you what the plant by the moon and today and tomorrow you plant root crops and again 8th and 9th and plants that produce edible parts above the ground from the 15th to the 26th
I have two small beds that keep me well supplied with fresh produce. Good luck.
delshamic,
Oct 1, 11:56pm
I see you are in Invercargill so labour weekend is a good time to plant your vege seeds and plants from Diacks in Tweed street. an early row of seed potatoes could go in now. you can plant as late as end of November and they will all still grow before the autumn. the ground is just warming now so dig over your plot and let it warm before planting in a week or two
smallwoods,
Oct 2, 12:31am
Or build something to cover and retain heat above them,raised gardens also increase heat build up and allow a longer(earlier) season. Start your plants in plastic tunnels.
rainrain1,
Oct 2, 1:24am
Once the soil warms up and the frosts are over, or plant and sow by Labour weekend . Yes you can plant second crops, and have a garden all Winter. Carrots and parsnips stay in the ground over Winter, cabbage, silverbeet, good over Winter as well
edited to say. leeks and spring onion do well. yum
annies3,
Oct 2, 3:16am
we have brassicas going well at the moment when we got the wee seedlings several weeks ago hubby planted them straight into the garden BUT he always puts a milk bottle with the bottom cut out, over them to protect, removed a few weeks ago when the plants were trying to grow out the wide top, push a stick down through the handle and into the ground to hold the bottle in place, works a treat and extends the growing season,
I have just finished preparing the garden to plant potatoes, trying Rocket this year. Soil is lovely and warm, beetroot, celery and s/beet reaching for the sky. Yes as suggested invest in a book or a giveaway from your local garden centre for some good suggestions for future planting. Good gardening!
macandrosie,
Oct 2, 7:25am
Have a look on Trade Me for the Yates gardening book - the older versions I think are more informative. I live in Southland & plant potatoes right through till January. So long as it doesn't get too dry you should have new potatoes at Easter as well.I have an early row in now ready for Christmas. My garden is on the dry side so I have in an early row of carrots, beetroot, radishes, mesculin, lettuces & brassicas. Also red onions. I've been told that you can plant a row of potatoes every week or two to have a fresh supply of new potatoes throughout the season but this would depand on how big your vege patch is of course!
soulpower,
Oct 2, 8:01pm
Oh wow! How exciting! Some really keen gardeners here and some awesome advice. I think I have the Yates book somewhere, I am sure we were given it last year, but then we moved house and now I am not sure where it is. the facebook page looks good too, thanks all!
biggles45,
Oct 2, 8:33pm
We are in Southland and have beetroot, bok choy, cabbage, cauli, broccoli seedlings in. Have also just put peas, carrot and runner bean seeds in. We freeze surplus for winter (except carrots as they are disgusting frozen), but also have cabbage, carrots, leeks etc fresh in winter.
annies3,
Oct 3, 2:31am
Hi regards the frozen carrots, lol lots you can freeze without blanching but Not carrots they go like India rubber they need a wee while in the boiling water till almost cooked, before quickly draining then dumping into freezing cold water, dry off and free flow they are as good as new treated like this, but ours stay in the ground till they threaten to go woody.
biggles45,
Oct 3, 2:47am
Thanks, will try that if we have a surplus. Have tried just blanching and they were yuk. The ones you get in frozen vege mix (watties etc) are yuk too.
queenmaeb,
Oct 3, 4:51am
Nichols have a tomato growing workshop at 11 oclock tommorrow (Saturday).
re: vegie plants. You can also pick them up at the Sunday market , Mitre 10 and the Warehouse. The supermarkets have seeds, gardening stuff ( hose attachments, small tools, etc) , weedsprays and ferts often far cheaper than the garden shops.
bluefrog2,
Oct 3, 7:18am
In Dunedin, I plant potatoes and radishes about now. Bok choi and quick harvest brassicas can be planted now too, also sow onions if you're planting from seed. Carrots and beetroot in early summer (oct/nov). Heading cabbage and brocolli in early autumn for a spring harvest. That way I avoid cabbage butterfly caterpillar attacks.
kaddiew,
Oct 3, 10:02am
It's not exactly tropical in Kapiti, but my first crop of potatoes planted late August are now knee high. Looking forward to some decent new potatoes soon.
brightlights60,
Oct 4, 10:12am
Carrots are fine blanched. (Blanching is putting the raw veges into already boiling water and boiling for one minute, then plunging into cold). All veges that are going to be frozen need to be blanched if you want to preserve the Vit C content. You will notice that when veges are blanched they come out a bright colour. We freeze excess carrots, sliced, blanched with no problems. Even things like corn, that people say are fine unblanched, will not retain any goodness unless its done. Simply blanch, then remove the corn from the cobs with a corn husker, free flow corn all Winter, yum.
brightlights60,
Sep 11, 11:46pm
Lots of great advice on this thread, but remember you are in Invercargill. YOur growing season will be later, and shorter. Its a really good idea to get hold of a local growing group (the Facebook Vege growing one is good) as they will give you tips for your region. Lovely to see how many people up North can plant out so early, but sadly down here (we are in Christchurch) there is still the threat of a frost. I suggest that if the soil is not quite warm enough, a good scoop of some sort of compost or bio bland from the local garden supplier for the top layer of your vege garden will raise the temperature, and use frost cloths at night, even when there is no frost predicted. WE just clothes peg our frost cloth to the fence and roll out each night till November.
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