Vegetable crops that can be planted & harvested all year-round | Gardening 101 | Gardening Australia

Sophie profiles her favourite four-season crops that can be planted and harvested all year-round.  Subscribe ???? http://ab.co/GA-subscribe

Many vegetables can be grown all year round in Australian vegetable gardens, depending on the region you live in. The climate in the Adelaide Hills has extremes, from harsh frost to extreme hot weather days in summer. But despite the extremes, Sophie has learnt what works for her location and which same crops will survive and thrive all year round. 

Sophie’s ‘all year rounder’ list includes lettuce, spring onion, bok choi and other Asian greens, beetroot, chard and kale. These are now regarded as staple crops in her household. Sophie has some of these crops growing at present in various locations, and at various stages of growth.  

Sophie says, “every now and again, I read that Asian Greens are cool-season crops and need to be planted in March, but that is not my experience. I plant bok choy (3 punnets so 18 plants per one-metre square wicking bed) every month of the year with great results and usually have a bed of it ready for harvest each month. I start by harvesting smaller ones and thin out the planting, so larger varieties get more space to spread out.” 

Sophie tends to plant as seedlings from punnets as this is a time saver.

She also practices crop rotation and avoids growing the same crop in the same soil all year round. This helps prevent nutrient depletion in the soil and can help with disease prevention.

Given that she staggers planting, this is easy to achieve. While one crop is maturing, say spring onions, she’ll start off another spring onion patch in another location.  

Experiment with your own all year round crops, to see what works in your garden. 
___________________________________________

Gardening Australia is an ABC TV program providing gardening know-how and inspiration. Presented by Australia's leading horticultural experts, Gardening Australia is a valuable resource to all gardeners through the television program, the magazine, books, DVDs and extensive online content.

Watch more: http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/gardening-australia
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gardeningaustralia
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/gardeningaustralia
Web: http://www.abc.net.au/gardening

___________________________________________

This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation YouTube channel. Contributions may be removed if they violate ABC's Online Conditions of Use http://www.abc.net.au/conditions.htm (Section 3).