WINTER VEGIE PLOTS – THE PLAN FOR SUCCESSThis handy guide sets out what to plant, when to plant and how many plants you need to grow your own delicious winter heirloom vegetables in your backyard.

Based on five1m x 1m beds/boxes, you can set it out exactly like this, or take the beds and apply the plan to the space you have (named for crop rotation purposes).

We have separated the beds into groups of plants that have the same growing and watering requirements to make it easier to manage.

We’ve also suggested our favourite vegetable varieties and where possible suggested a mix, with the idea being for you to grow and taste a mixture of different vegetables. Then, next year, you can choose the individual varieties you liked best and grow those specifically.

PREPARE YOUR SOIL Get your soil ready by weeding and digging over, preferably incorporating some well-rotted compost and a sprinkle of Vegie & Herb Fertiliser.

SOWING IN PUNNETS The best time to get your winter seeds started is February. For herbs, flowers, Broccoli, Kale, Pak Choy and Silverbeet, make your job easy by planting the seeds into Coir Pots or make your own pots using the Pot Maker. These should be ready to plant out in 4-6 weeks.

DIRECT SOWINGDirect sowing can start from March with crops like Peas, Carrots, Beetroots, Radishes, Turnips, Lettuces and Mizuna. The peas can be pushed directly into the soil at the base of the teepee trellis in bed 1.

Push them in as deep as your fingernail. Divide the garlic head into individual cloves and push these into the soil about 5cm deep and 10cm apart, with the pointy end facing up.

The other crops can be sown in neat rows. Draw a shallow trench with the handle of a rake, gently sprinkle in the seeds and then cover them with your fingers. Remember not to sow them too deeply; they should be just covered with 2-3mm of soil. Mark the end of each row with a little stick so you know where you’ve planted them. Give the bed a gentle watering and keep damp but not wet until seeds germinate. The Mizuna, Radishes, Peas and Turnips will germinate first, the others follow a little later.

HARVEST HALF, SOW HALFTo keep harvesting right throughout the season, the Lettuces, Mizuna, Radishes and Pak Choy will need to be re-sown.

The best way to do this is to harvest from one end of a row to the other. Once you’ve harvested half way along, gently dig over the area you’ve harvested, draw a shallow trench and sow into the trench, cover with soil and keep moist. Continue to harvest the rest of your row and hopefully by the time you’re at the end, your new plants will be big enough to start harvesting from the beginning again. You can continue this cycle of harvesting half and sowing half, throughout the season.

REMEMBER ...Keep weeds at bay and water regularly. Rainfall is typically higher over winter, so the beds will require less watering than in summer. You can mulch the beds too — lucerne, pea straw or sugar cane works best. Mulch seedlings straight away, but wait until direct sown seeds reach about 5cm high before mulching them.

easy Heirlooms at homeWinter

© The Diggers Club Pty Ltd

© The Diggers Club Pty Ltd

easy Heirlooms at homeWinter

TRELLIS

GARDEN BED 1 – Legumes Group

PEA GOLDEN PODDED

No of Seeds 10

DIRECT SOW MARCH

TRIPOD position 2 sides

Spacing 8cm apart

PEA SUGAR SNAP CLIMBING

No of Seeds 10

DIRECT SOW MARCH

TRIPOD position 2 sides

Spacing 8cm apart

CONTINENTAL PARSLEY

No of plants 2

SOW in Punnets February

transplant MARCH

Spacing opposite corners

CORIANDER

No of plants 2

SOW in Punnets February

transplant MARCH

Spacing opposite corners

1m x

1m

gar

den

bed

1m x

1m

gar

den

bed

GARDEN BED 2 – roots Group

carrot heirloom mix

No of Seeds 1 packet

DIRECT SOW MARCH

1 row 90cm long

Spacing scatter

beetroot heirloom mix

No of Seeds 1 packet

DIRECT SOW MARCH

1 row 90cm long

Spacing scatter

radish french breakfast

No of Seeds 1 packet

DIRECT SOW MARCH

1 row 90cm long

Spacing scatter

turnip white mini

No of Seeds 1 packet

DIRECT SOW MARCH

1 row 90cm long

Spacing scatter

Garlic dynamite

No of cloves 10

DIRECT SOW MARCH

1 row 90cm long

Spacing 8cm apart

TEEPEE

© The Diggers Club Pty Ltd

easy Heirlooms at homeWinter

chervil

No of plants 2

punnet SOW FEB

transplant MAR

position opp. sides

GARDEN BED 3 – greens Group

lettuce heirloom mix

No of Seeds 1 PACKET

DIRECT SOW MARCH

1 row 90cm long

Spacing scatter

mizuna red & lime streaks

No of Seeds 1 PACKET

DIRECT SOW MARCH

1 row 90cm long

Spacing scatter

red pak choy F1

No of plants 10

SOW in Punnets February

transplant MARCH

Spacing 8cm apart

silverbeet five colour mix

No of plants 4

SOW in Punnets February

transplant MARCH

Spacing 20cm apart

1m x

1m

gar

den

bed

1m x

1m

gar

den

bed

GARDEN BED 4 – brassicas Group

kale tuscan black

No of plants 1

punnet SOW FEB

transplant MAR

position opp. sides

br. purple sprouting

No of plants 1

punnet SOW FEB

transplant MAR

position Corner

broccoli waltham

No of plants 1

punnet SOW FEB

transplant MAR

position Corner

kale red russian

No of plants 1

punnet SOW FEB

transplant MAR

position Corner

viola HEARTSEASE

No of plants 2

punnet SOW FEB

transplant MAR

position opp. sides

© The Diggers Club Pty Ltd

easy Heirlooms at homeWinter

crimson flowered broad bean

No of seeds 24

SOW direct March

3 rows each 90cm long

Spacing 15cm apart

GARDEN BED 5 – BRASSICAs Group

cauliflower mini

No of plants 4

SOW in punnets february

transplant march

1 row, Spacing 20cm apart

cabbage mini

No of plants 4

SOW in punnets february

transplant march

1 row, Spacing 20cm apart

1m x

1m

gar

den

bed