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Early Autumn is my favourite time of year in New Zealand. The days are warm and long. The evenings are starting to cool, and the garden is full of delicious summer and autumn vegetables ready for harvest.
Prepared with my basket I take a morning stroll through the slightly dewy grass. I’m collecting not only my own produce but that of my Mum’s amazing garden for a while too. Between the two there’s a lot of variety this year.
Harvesting your homegrown vegetables
There’s something so satisfying in taking a handful of this or a bucket full of that into the kitchen and making delicious, nutritious food. There’s a sense of achievement, a connection to the land. And for me, a reminder of my dependance on our Creator.
Recently the tomatoes have been extremely productive which you can read more about here. Along with my favourite Salsa recipe here.
The potatoes, pumpkin and kumara (sweet potato) are ready. This means homemade fries, wedges or roast vege have been popular side dishes with our evening meals.
The peppers, zucchini, spinach, corn, and salad greens have been combined into various delicious salads for quick side dishes.
And the fruit is literally falling from the trees, which means Peach Cobbler, fresh raspberries on my granola in the morning, and juicy strawberries warmed by the sun.
Planting Autumn Vegetables for Winter
As the seasons change it’s time to start removing the finished crops and plant the next. I try to give my soil a break for a few weeks before planting again. And of course, here in the South Island of New Zealand we need to be considering early frosts and providing protection from them and birds.
What vegetables can I plant in autumn in New Zealand?
The climate varies a lot through-out the different regions but here in the upper South Island so long as we sow early so seedlings can get established, and protect from pests and frost we actually have a huge variety of crops that will do well, providing a great winter harvest.
Between our various gardens and planters so far, we have broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, and lettuce all planted as seedlings, as well as carrot, radish, onions, leek, beets, and swede that have all been sown as seed and have now sprouted. We are also hoping with really good protection to keep the tomatoes and zucchini going for as long as possible.
Easy ways to protect vegetables against frost
Some crops like lettuce can be started in planters or pots that can be moved indoors or under porches once the weather gets really frosty to keep them safe. If you have access to a glass house or tunnel house, then this opens the door to various other options also through even the coldest months.
But if you are like me with just a small outdoor garden; using purpose built or makeshift frames along with one or two layers of frost cloth, and bird netting if required, will do the trick. I have found doing smaller sections with hoops makes it easier to access the plants or soil when needed and if you don’t have any special clips a simple plastic clothes peg makes holding the cloth in place cheap and easy.
Many crops that are suitable for autumn and winter growth will be fine once they are bigger and will not need the frost cloth or bird netting over them. At this point go ahead and remove it if you want.
There are many other options and opinions for Autumn vegetable harvest and planting. I’m still learning as I go so if I can do it… you can too!
My hope for you, is you too will enjoy the same sense of achievement I have from growing my own food. Let me know in the comments if you try any of these ideas, recipes or tips.
Enjoy!
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