Spring Climate Garden.
What’s A Climate Garden
You can create a climate-friendly garden in your back yard, balcony or even roadside burm simply by nurturing your patch of soil in a way that is as eco-friendly as possible. This means no yucky pesticides, or fertilisers and trying to get as many nutrients in your soil as possible, naturally. Good climate gardens have a whole heap of micro-organisms living within the soil - it’s these organisms that help our plants grow, photosynthesise and pull carbon out of the atmosphere (where we have too much of it) and into the ground (where it belongs), in turn cooling our climate.
It sounds technical right? But it’s really not. All we’re talking about here is growing vegetables and perennials in a natural way, even better if we’re boosting our soil with top-quality compost. Compost breaks down food and garden waste to create a super-jacked soil-food that increases the health of our gardens and allows soil and plants to pull even more carbon from the atmosphere. There’s also the added benefit of growing food locally. Not only is it better for you when there’s no nasties involved but you save on carbon miles (walking into the garden to pull a carrot, versus driving to the supermarket… you get the gist) which is also amazing for our planet.
Start composting at home, or check out Sharewaste to find some compost near you.
Planting Into The Warmer Months
Now is the time of year to start preparing and planning your Spring and Summer garden. Check what seeds you have and what you'll need for when the soil starts to warm. If you are starting with your own seed (i.e in a greenhouse or on a windowsill) make sure your pots are clean and sterilised, or weed your soil in preparation. For many of the below vege we would recommend starting them indoors somewhere warm until you have seedlings ready to plant, you’ll avoid hungry slugs and this will give you more time for the last winter frosts to pass.
September / October Planting
Carrots & Radish - These guys like to be planted together. Carrots will grow a little slower (approx 2.5 months) though radish will protect the carrots from the birds, and when you harvest your radish you can keep track of where your carrots are.
Greens - lots of greens! (Lettuces, spinach, kale, rocket, cress, mizuna, gem lettuces, red salad, sorrel)
Brassicas - Now is a good time to start your broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage for a December harvest before the white butterfly makes a comeback. You could direct-seed into well-prepped soil however slugs may get to your veg before you do. To give these guys a flighting chance we’d recommend starting them inside until they reach seedling-status.
Spring Onions - You can start your spring onions now and we’d recommend succession planting (plant a few every 2 weeks) so you have spring onion ready to harvest all summer long.
Tomatoes - Finally! You can direct-seed these guys or start them inside or in a greenhouse. When the time comes to get them into your vege garden, plant them alongside some Basil. Not only is basil and tomato a match made in culinary heaven but basil shields the soil and stops it from drying out. We don't like bare soil, and tomatoes don't offer a lot of cover, so basil is a great ally. Hot tip: Make sure you’re not planting them until after the last frost of the season.
Chilli - Start your chilli peppers indoors somewhere nice and warm, jelapeno and habanero varieties are good ones to start with. You can either buy a chilli plant or seeds and start a seed tray indoors. You can transplant your chilli outdoors once any chance of frost has passed - early November is your best bet. Once outside they like tonnes of sun & to be protected from the wind. Don’t forget to stake them up as they grow.
Zucchini - You can start your zucchini inside in a sunny spot but when it comes time to transplant them outdoors make sure you don't plant too many! They grow very quickly so be aware of the size of the pot you're planting in, these veg can get easily root-bound. Once the soil is warm enough (above 15 degrees) you could direct seed - you'd be eating tasty zucchini approximately 12 weeks from planting, depending on the variety.
Potatoes - Now’s the time to start chitting! What’s chitting? It’s when you gather your old potatoes that are growing little knobbly bits (yep, you know the ones) and use them to grow more potatoes however you have to wait until there is absolutely no chance of frost before planting. For now, simply gather your old potatoes, sit them in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks at least or until they start sprouting and looking a bit funky. If one potato has multiple sprouts you can cut each one off and plant as one seed - cut the bits off, then let them heal and dry out. Once they’re ready you can pop them in soil, cover them and wait until leaves start to come out of the soil, then you can start to mound the soil around the potatoes - the more soil you have, the more potatoes you'll get. You can also direct-seed potatoes instead of chitting once there is no more chance of frost.
Onions - A pantry staple! These guys take a while to grow (up to 200 days) so you’re setting up for the long haul. Ideally start them in a greenhouse or indoors on a windowsill until they are ready to transplant. Once transplanted keep a close eye on them and make sure you’re managing weeding in the area.
Beans - wait until its warmer or start indoors. You can tell when beans are ready to transplant when the true leaves start to be the same diameter of the pot, this means the root development will be strong enough. Climbing beans need to be staked, or trellised, though if you’ve got bush beans then just let em’ grow.
Peas - Sweet and snow peas can be started indoors, as there are still a lot of slugs around this time they need time to develop before transplanting so they have a fighting chance.
Artichoke - These guys can get planted now, but beware you’re in it for the long haul! Depending on the variety they could take 6 months to a year to grow. Plant them somewhere they will be happy for a while as they'll last around 5 years. As they're a Mediterranean plant they like to be planted alongside Sage, Oregano and Thyme in well-drained warm soil.
Pumpkin, squash & watermelon - can be started indoors now, and then planted after frosts leave. When transplanting make sure you have enough space in your garden as they will spread as far as you let them. Hot tip: You can trim the vines and trim the ends and they are edible! The bigger you let them get the more fruit you will receive. One plant will get quite a few watermelons/ pumpkins. They like sunny, well drained, warm soil - this is why you sometimes see pumpkins growing out of compost.
Corn - If you have a bigger space in your garden for corn then now’s the time to go for it! Corn plants well with pumpkin, squash, watermelon and climbing beans (as the beans will climb up the corn) this is called the “3 sisters guild”.
These herbs can grow all year round:
Mint + Rosemary
Sage, Oregono, Thyme
Basil if you’re in a hot place - they like the heat
Hot Tips
Harvesting lettuce: Cut a triangle (or harvest outer leaves - keep getting new growth) and make sure you harvest before the plant is too big so it’s not tough. Lettuce heads the size of your palm are a good guide! Nice n’ juicy!
Soil temperatures need to be at least 18C for most warm weather crops to thrive. A soil thermometer will give an accurate reading but if the soil feels warm to your touch it's likely warm enough to plant. They will also fail if there is any frost so depending on your region waiting till later in the month may be wise.
Water your seedlings very very well before transplanting and water the soil where you'll planting really well before putting the seedlings in. Transplant shock - where the seedlings die back, wilt or become stunted - can be preventing by thorough watering. Choose a cooler time of day to transplant or an overcast day, this will help to reduce the stress on the plants.
Ideal Conditions
Most Spring crops need a bit of sun, good airflow and protection from the wind as well as a soil temperature of at least 15 degrees. Remember to cover your soil where you can! If you’re planting above-ground crops, see if you can pair these with leafy, shady veges that will shade your soil and stop it from drying out.
Green Thumb Scale
3/5. Spring crops require a moderate level of maintenance, check on them regularly and if you can, harvest throughout the season to encourage more growth - especially greens! Your carrots are low-maintenance veges - get them in early and watch them grow until they’re ready to harvest.
When To Harvest
Many of these crops grow above ground so you should be able to notice when there is enough to harvest, if you can, harvest throughout the season to encourage more fruiting. A few of these spring crops take some time before they’re ready to harvest