It has felt lovely and summery here for the last few days and the forecast suggests that the nice weather will continue for a couple more days at least. Its great weather to be out in the garden but not necessarily the right weather to being doing anything too strenuous. That combination of; a desire to be outside, but not heavy lifting, sees me drawn to seed sowing.
Melbourne’s climate means that we can grow productive crops all year round so seed sowing in summer is about a combination of; replenishing crops that bolted in Spring, sowing quick growing crops to eat in late summer and early Autumn as well as getting started on winter crops.
1. Brassicas – I generally sow pretty much all my brassica crops in January. In theory I should succession sow but in truth that January sowing is pretty much it. This means sowing Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Kale, and this year – Brussel Sprouts. A January sowing means you should get crops in winter, but you will need to protect the seedlings from rampant green caterpillars.
2. Lettuce – To ensure a year round supply of lettuce I tend to sow in all seasons and particularly in late Spring and early summer as the lettuces tend to bolt a bit quicker as the weather warms up.
3. Spring bolting crops – For me this means Silver beet and parsley in particular if I haven’t already sown enough in Spring.
4. Celery – I’m rapidly reaching the conclusion that mid to late summer is the best time to sow celery as the weather is cool when it is at its growing peak.
5. Summer crops to extend their season – Beans, Cucumbers and possibly even tomatoes can be sown in early (and sometimes mid to late summer) to extend their season. Seed sown now should be ready to crop in late summer and during Autumn/early winter.
That’s what I will be sowing over the next couple of months. What about you?
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