09/04/2026
I absolutely love the variety and flavour of winter veg, and because I want to grow all of the vegetables we eat year round (and we eat a lot of them!), planning for my winter crops is very important! I just seeded my broad beans and garlic, which is the last planting I’ll do in the garden until spring. Timing is everything when it comes to winter veg - you need to plant early enough to give the seeds and seedlings time to mature before growth virtually stops (by the end of April in cold areas of Tassie), but not so early that they mature too early and need to be harvested in autumn rather than winter! It is important to note down when you sow and plant each crop, so that you can tweak your timings to suit your area.
Planting for my winter crops started in late November when I seeded my parsnips. In December I seeded my winter carrot bed, in January I planted large seedlings of cauliflowers (for autumn cropping), savoy cabbages and kale (for winter cropping) and purple sprouting broccoli (for spring cropping). I also planted swede seedlings between the PSB which are delicious mashed with potatoes, in veggie pasties and winter stews. Finally, a couple of weeks ago I cleared space in the greenhouse to fill with seedlings of celery, perpetual spinach, parsley, coriander, dill and loads of lettuce to keep us in fresh salads all winter and early spring. With the planting all done, I’ll start tidying the garden and mulching it with compost ready for spring… and then I’ll sit back, and only go into the garden each day to harvest!
