March and April mark the beginning of the winter garden, and an opportunity to venture into a whole new world of vegetable gardening – growing seedlings.

Why?

Heritage seed, i.e. varieties bred over hundreds of years, is at risk of being lost if we rely only on the seedlings we can buy.  Furthermore, raising seedlings is more successful after the extremes of summer, and it's easy, so it makes good sense to start now. The basic requirements are shade, water, pots, and potting media.

Organic seed you buy are called open pollinated seeds which are suitable for seed saving, as apposed to hybrid seeds which will become sterile.  This is how we can save our precious heritage seed lines.

How?

Ensure there is adequate sunlight and not too much shade so the seedlings grow strong (rather than spindly and weak).
Suitable pots need plenty of room for root depth; approximately 10 centimetres deep is adequate. Prevent the pots from drying out between watering by placing them in a tray where about one centimeter of water can accumulate.
Use sterile potting media; any of the propriety mixes will suffice. Peat moss works well but it is expensive and a non-renewable resource; substitute coco peat. Vermicultite and perlite are also good ingredients, but a more cost-efficient option is to combine 50-50 worm castings and sharp (river) sand. After the seedlings are past the two-leaf stage, water with a weak worm juice tea or some natrakelp once a week.

Try it! Grow your own seedlings this season and help save our heritage seed.

Plant Now:

- all brassicas such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower
- all cucurbits such as cucumbers, squashes (including pumpkins), luffas, except melons and watermelons
- all herbs
- potatoes, onions, garlic, lettuce, beetroot, tomato, peas, parsnips, leeks, celery, carrots
- Keep chopping and dropping the mulch plants around your garden to keep up the organic matter content in the soil and to suppress the weeds.

In frost-free areas keep planting these until September. Note that the brassica family can be prone to insect attack while the summer heat lingers. Plant them in small batches until cooler weather arrives, thus a reduced chance of grasshopper attack. Early-autumn can be free of these pests so get an early start to the broccolis and cabbages for the season. Sprinkle wood ash on the brassicas to deter the grubs.

Growing broccoli in the garden is a good indicator of your soil health.

Broccoli is a very heavy feeder and if you can achieve a good size head then this indicates soil with a good pH and healthy, living soil. You will learn to tell at a glance that when you spot a broccoli plant with a less than optimum size head that the state of the garden soil is less than ideal.

If you happen to grow a decent head of broccoli don’t waste the opportunity to show it off to your friends! There is nothing like the feeling of being able to impress people with what you can grow in your garden. Gloat for what it’s worth.

Sow Now:

- All of the above except onions can be sown from seed now.

Harvest Now:

- eggplant, capsicum, beans, pumpkins, corn, cucurbits such as cucumber and squash, tomato, beans, choko and sweet potato.
- tropical greens such as aibika, Lebanese cress, Peruvian spinach.