Gardening – Busy November in the garden

As the signs become more obvious that food security is not guaranteed in New Zealand it is time to consider just how resilient we can become in our own backyards.

Resilience at my place means I recently harvested red cabbage, bok choi, Chinese cabbage, spinach, potatoes, beetroot, carrots and parsnips, zucchini, broccoli, salad greens and rhubarb.  Then I collected fresh eggs and had the makings of dinner.

The zucchini was a real treat – when I planted them, in August, I put plastic bins as small glasshouses over them and regardless of the cold wet September the mini “glasshouses” kept them warm enough to produce.

Now that we are experiencing warmer days and the temperature is consistently over 16 degrees during the day, you can buy those tomato, capsicum and zucchini seedlings. Plant them into your warmest microclimate, out of the wind. Tomatoes need to be well hardened off before planting outside, and provide a frame to support them. Pinch out laterals, or side shoots for best results.

Carrot and beetroot seeds can be sown straight into the soil. Cover the area with shade cloth to protect them while they germinate.

Seedlings of celeriac are now available in the garden centres. The turnip-like root has the flavour of celery and makes a versatile addition to the vegetable garden as the tops can be used like celery.

Seedlings of Chinese cabbage, spring onions, tatsoi, lettuces, rocket, spinach, and silverbeet can all be planted out now.

And don’t forget to put in some flowering plants for the beneficial insects – cleome, calendula, phacelia, marigolds, chamomile, anise hyssop, dill, fennel, lavender, rosemary and any other herbs of your choice.

Asparagus plants are also available now and I have been upgrading my asparagus beds with a few new young plants. Globe artichokes are forming heads and if you are going to eat them, they must be picked small before the beautiful purple flowers sprout out of the centre. After that happens, they are best left to the bumblebees.

Plant a first crop of corn and dwarf beans. Instead of planting all your available rows at once, plant some seeds now and more in a month’s time to space out the harvest. 

If you have water, lots of compost and mulch material you will be able to succession plant right through until February, unless of course we experience the horror summer weather that Europe had.

Remember to keep building the soil – if the minerals are not in the soil, they will not be in your vegetables.