There are officially just two weeks until spring.
Although, if you garden in the Southern Highlands, you’ll know spring doesn’t always get the memo.
We can still expect frosts. Sometimes even surprise late frosts that catch you off guard just when you think winter is behind you.
But something is changing.
The days are getting longer.
By around 11 am, the sun has a little more warmth in it.
The magpies are singing more.
The garden is waking up.
So am I.
I’m not planting much outside… yet
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know I’ve been playing detective in one of my raised beds.
Last winter I caught a rabbit happily helping itself to breakfast.
This year, I suspect we’ve got a second culprit.
Something much smaller has been digging neat little holes and helping itself to freshly planted pea seeds.
The hunting camera is on its way and I’m hoping it finally solves the mystery before spring planting really begins.
Until then…
I’m letting the greenhouse do the hard work.
The greenhouse is my spring insurance policy
It’s still cold in there first thing in the morning.
Very cold.
But there’s no frost.
That makes all the difference.
Rather than direct sowing everything into the garden and hoping for the best, I’m starting as much as I can under cover.
The seedlings grow steadily, protected from frost, hungry rabbits (hopefully!), and whatever has been digging up my peas.
By the time they move into the garden they’ll already have a head start.
What’s growing now?
This week I’ve been sowing:
- Tomatoes
- Capsicums
- Chilli
- Coriander (a few different varieties to see which performs best)
- Flat-leaf and curly parsley
- Lettuce
- More spring onions
- Asian and Easter Egg radishes
Over the next fortnight I’ll keep adding trays as space opens up.
I’m not trying to sow everything in one weekend.
Just building the season a little at a time.
Plant what your family actually eats
One of the questions I’m asked most often is:
“What should I grow?”
My answer is always the same.
Grow what you already buy.
There’s no point filling your garden with vegetables your family won’t eat.
For us that means:
🥦 Broccoli
🥒 Cucumbers
🫛 Beans
🫛 Peas
They disappear almost as quickly as I can pick them.
My husband could happily eat crunchy slaws every day, so cabbage, carrots and anything crisp are always worth growing.
As for me…
I refuse to pay supermarket prices for cauliflower, beetroot and eggplant when I know I can grow them myself.
So they’ll be getting a lot more space this year.
My spring wish list
Every season I set myself a little challenge.
This year I’d love to grow enough sweet corn to freeze for the year ahead.
Fresh corn picked straight from the garden is hard to beat.
Now I just need to keep the birds from discovering it before we do!
(If you’ve got a foolproof way of protecting corn, I’d love to hear it.)
And, of course…
No summer garden is complete without tomatoes.
They ripen much later here than they do in warmer parts of Australia, so this year I’m giving my larger varieties an earlier start in the greenhouse.
I’m hoping it buys me a few extra weeks of harvesting before autumn arrives again.
Spring doesn’t happen overnight
One thing gardening has taught me is patience.
The calendar might say spring is almost here.
The weather has other ideas.
So instead of rushing, I’m using these next two weeks to prepare.
Growing seedlings.
Watching the weather.
Waiting for the mystery garden visitor to reveal itself.
And quietly getting ready for what I hope will be my biggest and most productive summer garden yet.
Because sometimes the best thing you can do in late winter…
…is simply get ready.
🌱 Mrs E’s Greenhouse This Week
Seedlings
- 🍅 Tomatoes
- 🌶️ Capsicums
- 🌶️ Chilli
- 🌿 Coriander (3 varieties)
- 🌿 Parsley
- 🥬 Lettuce
- 🥬 Radishes
- 🌱 Spring onions
Garden Jobs
- Repairing the mystery bed
- Waiting for the trail camera
- Preparing for spring planting
🌱 What’s growing in your garden?
Are you already sowing for spring, or are you still waiting for the last frost?
I’d love to know what’s on your planting list this year.