Seasons
Each season brings something new to cook, do and plant. Slow Food Berry to Jervis Bay offers plenty to do for each season, whether it be a planting a summer vegetable garden or taking a spin on winter’s classic pumpkin soup. Take a look at our garden maintenance tips or our seasonal activities for this season!
Spring
Eating
Spring has sprung! This the perfect time to bring back some food from the warmer months, keep some of our winter favourites, or even combine some.
Planting
Spring is the perfect time for plants. Everything blooms, the skyline rejuvenates and we welcome back the warmth we missed. Bounce back into the garden as it bounces with you.
Things to Do
Be sure to get a head start for the rapid growing season coming up. Plan for this season, by organising a garden diary or a garden mood board.
Asian Greens | English Spinach | Parsley |
Asparagus Crowns | Garlic | Peas |
Broad Beans | Globe Artichoke | Potatoes (Late Winter) |
Broccoli | Herbs, Mediterranean | Radish |
Cabbage | Jerusalem Artichoke | Rocket |
Celery | Kale | Silver beet |
Celeriac | Kohlrabi | Spring Onion |
Coriander | Lettuce | Strawberry |
Dill | Mint | |
Endive | Onions |
Amaranth | Cucumber | Potatoes |
Basils | Dill | Pumpkin |
Beans, Bush and Climbing | Eggplant | Okra |
Bitter Melon | Florence Fennel | Rocket |
Burdock | Globe Artichoke | Rosella |
Capsicum | Leeks | Salsify |
Carrot | Lettuce | Snow Peas |
Celeriac | Luffa | Spring Onion |
Celery | Malabar Spinach | Squash |
Chilli | Melon | Sweet Potato Varieties |
Chives | Parsley | Tomato |
Coriander | Parsnip | Zucchini |
Corn – till January | Perpetual Spinach |
GARDENING DIARY
Spring is a great time to start a Garden Diary. It’s a great way to keep track of your plants progress.
Keeping notes of things like what you’ve planted, when and where, what pest issues and solutions you may have will be a great reference for you, and a record to help you to remember lots of things you may otherwise forget. They also make great gifts for gardening friends!
Summer
Eating
Bring out your barbecue, prepare the mocktails and mix the salad, Summer is here. Summer in an incredible time for friends, fun and food.
Planting
Summer is here, and your garden will flourish with new plants. Be sure to care for them well and watch them prosper this summer.
Things to Do
Nothing like summer for a garden party, be a host and show your guests your magnificent garden, and maybe teach a little.
Amaranth | Cucumber | Potatoes |
Basils | Dill | Pumpkin |
Beans, Bush and Climbing | Eggplant | Okra |
Bitter Melon | Florence Fennel | Rocket |
Burdock | Globe Artichoke | Rosella |
Capsicum | Leeks | Salsify |
Carrot | Lettuce | Snow Peas |
Celeriac | Luffa | Spring Onion |
Celery | Malabar Spinach | Squash |
Chilli | Melon | Sweet Potato Varieties |
Chives | Parsley | Tomato |
Coriander | Parsnip | Zucchini |
Corn – till January | Perpetual Spinach |
Amaranth | Choko / Chayote | Radish |
Asparagus Pea | Cowpeas (Black Eye peas) | Rockmelon |
Basil | Cucumber | Rosella |
Beans – Climbing | Eggplant | Rutabaga |
Beans – Dwarf | French Tarragon | Salsify |
Beetroot | Kohlrabi | Sage |
Borage | Leeks | Silverbeet |
Burdock | Lettuce | Squash |
Cape Gooseberry | Luffa (aka Loofa, plant sponge) | Sunflower |
Capsicum | Marrow | Sweet Corn |
Carrot | Mustard Greens | Sweet Marjoram |
Celeriac | Okra | Tomato |
Celery | Oregano | Turnip |
Chilli Peppers | Parsley | Watermelon |
Chives | Pumpkin | Zucchini |
SEEDS AND SEEDLINGS
Get in early when planting seeds and seedlings to avoid having them dry out to quickly as the day heats up. Don’t plant seedlings out if it’s over 30 Degrees Celsius, it puts too much stress on them.
Water your seedlings with a liquid plant food to give their roots a good foundation.
LAWN CARE
Lawns need to be as healthy as the rest of your garden, so your whole garden is as weed and pest free as possible. Keep an eye out for any weeds, and pull them out as fast as they com up to stop them spreading their seeds.
Raising the height of the mower leaves the grass longer, preventing moisture loss. Leaving grass cuttings on the lawn, rather than using a catcher, creates an insulating layer on the grass.
FEED YOUR GARDEN
All plants can benefit from a boost with a liquid fertiliser. Worm Tea or Worm Pee is a fantastic natural feed for all plants, just be sure what you use is diluted.
Locally, if you don’t have your own worm farm, you can find locals selling Worm Tea or Pee quite cheaply on Facebook.
Autumn
Eating
As the days get cooler, it’s time to dive into those warming, comfort foods. Turn on your ovens and break out your pots, it’s time to start cooking warming up with these Autumn dishes.
Planting
There’s still plenty of crops that can be planted in Autumn. The soil is still warm , so bring out your gloves and trowels and let’s plant some seeds.
Things to Do
As the days cool down, it’s a lovely time to be in the garden, collecting seeds to dry out for next years crops, digging in green crops to enrich your soil, and planting new crops.
Amaranth | Cucumber | Potatoes |
Basils | Dill | Pumpkin |
Beans, Bush and Climbing | Eggplant | Okra |
Bitter Melon | Florence Fennel | Rocket |
Burdock | Globe Artichoke | Rosella |
Capsicum | Leeks | Salsify |
Carrot | Lettuce | Snow Peas |
Celeriac | Luffa | Spring Onion |
Celery | Malabar Spinach | Squash |
Chilli | Melon | Sweet Potato Varieties |
Chives | Parsley | Tomato |
Coriander | Parsnip | Zucchini |
Corn – till January | Perpetual Spinach |
Artichoke | Coriander | Mint |
Asian Greens | Daikon/Radish | Parsley |
Asparagus Crowns | Dill | Parsnip |
Beetroot | Endive | Peas |
Broad Beans | English Spinach | Radish |
Broccoli | Garlic | Rocket |
Brussel Sprouts | Herbs, Mediterranean | Silver beet |
Cabbage | Kale | Spring Onion |
Carrots | Kohlrabi | Strawberry Plants |
Cauliflower | Leek | Swede |
Celeriac | Lettuce | Turnip |
PLANTING
As the weather cools down it is the perfect time to plant perennials and trees. The cooler weather gives them time to settle in without the summer heat drying them out, or the winter frosts damaging or even killing them. So get planting to give your new additions some time to get roots settled, before it gets cold, and they’ll be strong enough to thrive..
SAVE YOUR SEEDS
Save all the open pollinated seed from any vegetables that have gone to seed. Cut and put in a paper bag, with the name and date of the seeds on it, and store in an airy place to dry.
Winter
Eating
Now it’s colder and the days are shorter, let’s to dive into some soul warming foods. It’s time to bring out those hearty vegetables, some sweet citrus and of course the crock pot.
Planting
Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean it’s too cold for your seeds. Get out in to the garden and start planting something wonderful.
Things to Do
Now that the summer heat has gone, it’s a lovely time to be in the garden. Winter is the perfect time to collect seeds and prune our trees towards the end of the season.
Artichoke | Coriander | Mint |
Asian Greens | Daikon/Radish | Parsley |
Asparagus Crowns | Dill | Parsnip |
Beetroot | Endive | Peas |
Broad Beans | English Spinach | Radish |
Broccoli | Garlic | Rocket |
Brussel Sprouts | Herbs, Mediterranean | Silver beet |
Cabbage | Kale | Spring Onion |
Carrots | Kohlrabi | Strawberry Plants |
Cauliflower | Leek | Swede |
Celeriac | Lettuce | Turnip |
Asian Greens | English Spinach | Parsley |
Asparagus Crowns | Garlic | Peas |
Broad Beans | Globe Artichoke | Potatoes (Late Winter) |
Broccoli | Herbs, Mediterranean | Radish |
Cabbage | Jerusalem Artichoke | Rocket |
Celery | Kale | Silver beet |
Celeriac | Kohlrabi | Spring Onion |
Coriander | Lettuce | Strawberry Plants |
Dill | Mint | |
Endive | Onions |
Pruning
Winter is the time for pruning fruit trees and grape vines. Avoid pruning in Autumn or early winter, as this is when fruit tree’s branch growth is at a minimum. The tree won’t have the energy to heal any wounds caused by pruning.
Pruning in late winter is ideal, as the tree’s are about to rev up again for spring growth, so will recover more quickly than at the start of the cooler months.