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At the moment in the garden, it is all about harvesting and storing the last of the summer produce and enjoying the change of season with the new flavours that accompany this.
It has been so mild that my chilies and capsicums are still producing magnificently while the early brassicas have bolted into production especially broccoli and savoy cabbage.
The forecast is a drop in nighttime temperatures by the end of the week. Soil temps will drop quickly with low overnight temperatures and germination will slow accordingly. If you are late with your winter plantings start your seedlings under glass or in some sort of greenhouse structure to avoid seed rotting in the damp cold soil.
Up the river we usually get our first frost around Mothers’ Day – keep an eye on the forecast and harvest your last basil, tomatoes, capsicums etc, before they freeze. Pumpkin vines will die back but the fruit are generally happy to have a couple of frost exposures before you put them away to store. Remember, rodents love pumpkins too!!!
Alliums like leeks and spring onions can go in the ground now. Plant in clumps to make use of your space and make weeding easier. Onion seed can be sown from late May - through to the winter solstice but I keep them in trays till mid-August at least to minimise weeding.
Coriander is flying along, as is parsley and all the salads. Again, germination and growth will slow as the soil gets cold and the day length reduces.
Take advantage of the slower growth and give beds a good clean out, cut back perennials which have sprawled, divide clumping plants and share with your friends.
Turmeric can be harvested as soon as the tops die back.
Asparagus ferns can be cut to the ground and the crowns mulched with at least 100mm of good compost plus a straw or woodchip as a blanket. Strawberries can be cut back to crowns and runners removed. Replace strawberry plants with runners each three years.
Fruit trees should be pruned when they are a few sunny days ahead so the cuts dry and heal well.
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Alison will be facilitating the popular Backyard Veggie Gardening Workshop - a series of four workshops. This year we will be holding the workshops on Saturdays through the season. Save the dates and we'll let you know when you can book online.
1. Planning - Saturday, 6 September at SAGE Garden
2. Preparing - Saturday, 27 September at Alison's place
3. Garden Tour - Saturday, 22 November (three backyard gardens in the Eurobodalla area)
4. Problem Solving - A Saturday in February 2026 at SAGE garden
We are definitely experiencing an Indian summer which means the Autumn flush of growth is spectacular and many summer crops are continuing to crop prolifically.
Backyard grower Alison Walsh shares what's she's doing in her backyard in March.
SAGE member Lindsay Gates - coordinator of the SAGE food shares, pens her thoughts and journey to food shares with a beautiful open letter to the community, and an invitation to get to excited about food by attending, Read Lindsay's letter.
It’s been a fabulous growing season!
After a very dry spring, January started with rain, and it has continued to be a pretty perfect summer for veggies.
