The Winter Garden

Hi there,
I was reading a blog today from some one who lives in the sub tropics. And they were saying that they can grow stuff all year round, not like those who live further South where they can only grow veggies in the Summer.

Well I live in the mountains in Victoria and over Winter we have been enjoying the sweetest parsnips,

OH Parsnip chips are delicious!

they love the cold, it makes them sweeter. Carrots ditto.

Interesting specimen on the left. See how the others keep away from the different one. Mimicking human behaviour!

Celeriac which is so velvety in soup, sweet and nutty roasted.

The broccoli is just coming on, and yes again so sweet and nutty.

Rocket with large peppery leaves, not the stringy stuff in restaurants.

A wall of rocket.

Silverbeet, when we beat the chooks to it.

Rainbow chard. Not very big as we keep picking from them.

Most of our girls. That's Julia on the right, she is a french wheaten marans hen. Very rare I found out. Google them!

The cauliflower was a disappointment, not sure why.

They headed but were small and flat, they looked like they were old, but they're not.

Parsley so profuse it is almost too beautiful to pick.

So much parsley, this is my hybrid. A partly curly leaf. We like it a lot.

I am watching the globe artichokes putting out their lovey lacy leaves and I am dreaming of their produce in a few months.

I sowed the seed for these last year so we should see some fruit this year.

Broad beans emerging

Sowed the seed in June but it has been so cold they have taken a while to get to this size. I am not worried though. I planted the seed in between the old corn stalks for support.

and garlic reaching for the sky.

All the fruit trees are flowering or just about to with bulging buds of the darkest pink on the peach trees and white for the apricots.

My tomato seedlings are up and being potted on along with lots of different chilli's and many other things.

I sowed all my tomato seeds, some as old as 1998, a couple have germinated from those. The little pots are just potted on from punnets.

This week, in the week leading up to the full moon I will be sowing my pumpkins and squashes for Summer. So a wonderful productive Winter and hopefully Summer to come. All year round gardening here in Healesville.
Dayla
ps I ate my first asparagus spear today!