Big changeover of summer to winter crops this month. I always make a crop rotation plan which is never perfect, but helps with planning which crops are going where and how long you hold on to summer plants.
Our first lot of brassicas are in. For us, key is making up lovely rich friable beds for these vegetables that can take 2-3 months to mature. So after clearing out spent crops and weeds, give your bed a gentle fork through – not turning over, but gently lifting the soil to aerate it. It doesn’t matter which order you do the next layers, but in this bed I’ve trenched vermicast from our worm farm down the middle of the bed.
An alternative to this is spreading a layer of your own compost or a bag of bought compost. Then a generous application of chicken manure which could be sheep pellets if you don’t have access to that.
We then use a fork and wigwag action to work it all in evenly.
Finally the little seedlings go in. Put the taller ones on the south side and the shorter (if you’re planting pak choi or rocket) on the north. We put a few Neem granules in each hole at this time of the year to help prevent white butterfly damage. It’s taken up by the plant systemically and caterpillars are repelled by it.
We apply half a handful of Morganics fertiliser (a multi-mineral fertiliser) round each plant for nutrient density.
A gentle water and net the bed just so the birds leave the plants alone – otherwise they’re in there looking for worms. Netting will also keep a few white butterfly out as well.
Here’s how Rob makes the hoops to drape your netting over.
Then it’s, a little bit belatedly, time to get the onions and leeks in. I make the bed up the same as for the brassicas. But I add the Morganics at the time of the nitrogen fertiliser as the plants are closer.
Leeks should be planted in troughs and hilled up during the growing period, to ensure nice long white stems. A couple of rows is enough for our now small household.
With both leeks and onions we wash potting mix off the plants, then trim both the roots and tips which signals to the plants to focus on root growth rather than vertical growth and prevents legginess. .
Use a dibber or similar to make a hole to pop your little seedlings into and firm in.
In the past I’ve created mounds for our onions but for the last couple of years I haven’t. We do recommend mounds and that’s because onions can’t handle sitting in the wet. The reasons I haven’t done it lately are that our bed is nicely mounded anyway and secondly, I can get more in this way. In their book Niva and Yotam Kay of Pākaraka Permaculture say they plant 365 onions each year which I thought was brilliant, but most of us don’t have that much space! Use a dibber for planting.
Water gently and net. Apologies that the seedlings are hard to make out with all the straw remains from the solanums.
Then I’m putting a packet of carrot seeds in and I’ll continue to do this in May and June, ideally in the Full Moon phase. Less preparation required here. Just a nice fork through and an application of Morganics (it has a good amount of phosphorus in it for strong root growth) worked through before I make four little troughs with the end of the rake.
Evenly distribute your seeds, then with the rake, knock back the sides of the troughs and importantly, firmly it all down with the head of the rake.
For best germination, have fresh seed that’s had a week or so in the fridge beforehand, and keep the bed damp at all times.
Now, just a couple of things that I will do in the next month or so, but you may be ready to do it now. They are sowing a nitrogen crop which when worked back into the soil adds nitrogen as well as organic matter to improve soil structure. And secondly tucking a bed up for winter. If you’re in a climate where you can’t grow that much in winter, or you’re off on holiday, you can make up a bed like we did for the brassicas – clear it, fork it through, add compost and a nitrogen fertiliser, then cover with cardboard or weed matting, weigh it down, and when you lift it up in spring, the soil is simply stunning.
And lastly, I know this is boring for people in cooler climates, but this year’s kumara is a bonza crop. And from just nine plants. I think it’s down to growing the slips or tipu on in pots before planting out which Rob kindly did for me this year.
Happy gardening from Jan and Rob!
13 Responses
Great advice thanks!
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This is all extremely helpful. Thanks.
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Thankyou . All the information is really helpful, particularly the detail about how to plant seedlings.
Important to get the soil right 😊
Nice tip about the neem granules, white butterfly is a huge problem for me in Hamilton
Netting useful too 😊
Love anything about gardening, still learning, Thanks for sharing. would love a calendar by the moon please
We’re always learning. Calendar can be found here… https://organicediblegarden.co.nz/product/the-2026-organic-gardeners-year-calendar/ 😊
Excellent kumara and post, thank you. I’d like to try growing kumara again when I can find a good place for them. I’ve sowed carrots again and used Quash slug pellets this time as slug patrols aren’t enough. I’ve tried quite a few times in different parts of the garden but no good.
Yes carrots can be tricky. Fresh seed, this time of the year when it’s cooler, and keep moist 😊
Loved the tips for leeks and use of neem granules which I’ve resorted to and it’s spray for my Luisa plum later in year as have horrendous problems with guava moth and if the fruit survive I have to beat the birds but being 4’9 and shrinking I can’t climb far up ladder well. Also your netting idea looks great. Do u think any netting colour is helpful?