Sun, Snails & Soil Saturday | Winter Gardening Thoughts from the Southern Highlands
You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s far too early to start thinking about spring crops — after all, it’s still cold enough to see frost on the grass most mornings. But I’ve already begun planting seeds. And no, it’s not because I’m impatient (well… maybe a little). It’s because I’ve learnt that timing in the garden doesn’t always follow the calendar — especially in unpredictable parts of Australia like ours.
🌀 Our Weather Pattern: Cold… Freezing… Scorching?
Here in the Southern Highlands of NSW, our seasons often run like this:
- Cold, cold… freezing… cold again…
- Then suddenly: mild for a minute, followed by
- SCORCHING heat, and then
- A short return to mild before we’re back into chilly mornings again
What this means in the garden is spring doesn’t feel like a gentle transition. Some years, we skip straight from woolly socks to wide-brimmed hats in a matter of days.
🌿 When Seeds Don’t Get a Fair Go
This temperature rollercoaster can wreak havoc on delicate crops like:
- Lettuce
- Rocket
- Coriander
- Spinach
- Peas
These cool-season plants often bolt (go to flower) as soon as that first hot spell hits. If they haven’t had time to establish properly, they go into survival mode, and you end up with bitter leaves or no crop at all.
So this year, I’m doing things differently.
🔁 My New Strategy: Starting Early, Growing in Stages
Here’s how I’m giving my garden a head start:
🌱 1. Succession Planting
Rather than sowing everything at once, I’m staggering crops every couple of weeks. This way, if the first batch bolts or struggles, the second or third planting might just hit the weather sweet spot.
🪴 2. Starting Indoors
I’m using:
- A small greenhouse near the shed
- The laundry, which is surprisingly warm thanks to the dryer
- A sunny windowsill for seedlings like tomatoes and capsicum
These microclimates help me raise strong seedlings without exposing them to frosts or harsh wind too early.
🏠 3. DIY Mini Greenhouses
Outdoors, I’ve set up a few low-cost covers to protect early seedlings:
- Old plastic storage tubs turned upside down
- Milk bottles or large water bottles with the base cut off (great for individual plants)
- Simple plastic cloches or netting over wire hoops
- Even some bubble wrap over young seedlings on the frostiest nights
They may not be fancy, but they hold in warmth and keep out pests.
🌤 Why It’s Worth Doing Now
Planting early means:
- You’re not relying on a perfect spring to get good results
- You have flexibility if something fails (and let’s be honest — something always does)
- You make the most of every growing window
- You reduce overwhelm by spreading the work over weeks rather than all at once
And most importantly, you increase your chances of harvesting when you want to, not after the season’s already passed you by.
🛠 It’s Still Trial and Error
I don’t pretend to have it all figured out. I’ll probably still lose a few trays to surprise frosts, hungry snails, or forgotten watering.
But each season I learn. And each time I sow early, I gain a little more understanding of how to grow in this climate, with its quirks and all.
🌸 Final Thoughts
So if you’ve got a warm laundry, a sunny window, or a stash of plastic bottles and seed trays — you can get started too. You don’t need a greenhouse empire to make it work.
By planting now, you’re not just getting a head start.
You’re building resilience into your garden — and your plate.