Every plants grow very slowly at our front yard in winter because our plants did not received much sunlight at this corner of our garden in winter. All of them are mostly growing in shade. If it is a sunny day, there are lucky to receive sunlight about 2 hours or so. So we usually plant herbs, leaf vegetables or brassicas in winter at this area and avoid growing allium family as they won't do well with lack of sunlight. Although leek can be forgiving sometime. We already have 2 seasons of nice harvest of cauliflowers and broccoli grown at our frontyard. Hopefully, this season will be a nice repeat performance. However, compared with previous years as main were usually cauliflower and broccoli, this year the variety that we grow are more than double the number of varieties last season. Thank you blogger friends who has inspired me to try new things and generous gardeners from Adelaide Hills and Plains Seedsavers group. At least this part still received some sunlight in sunny days. But wait until the next spot.
This patch in front of the kitchen window do not received any direct sunlight at all in winter but blazing hot in summer. The perennial polyanthus does very well here. Our polyanthus plants are starting to bloom one by one. It is actually blooming very much earlier than previous year. Something wrong with the weather, it makes the polyanthus clock goes wrong. We grow celery here every cool season because this is the most suitable spot to grow them. I think it is because the soil here fit their requirement to grow well even with lack of direct sunlight. Moreover, less evaporation in this area and celery needs a lot of water to grow well,This are self-sowed Crisp and Tender Celery that I transplanted last fall. Must thin them, I thought some will not grow well so I planted really close since we had so much seedlings.
No direct sunlight either at this corner in winter, totally in shade.
Growing under our 2 dahlia trees.
All are newcomers in our garden this cool season~Rainbow chards, Witloof chicory, silverbeet, chervil and purple vienna kohlrabi. You might noticed some ragged plants which is summer plants.
Another veggie bed in shade. More than 10 different type of plants growing here.
Sunny day we had helped those cherrytime capsicum to start turning red.
A miracle in this winter season.
I used to whine about most of the space that we can grow plants are in shade in winter.
But the plants can grow in shade is just patience.
They grow very slow compared with plants that received a lot of direct sunlight.
When spring come and the sun direction change they pick up growth.
They still reward the gardener if she or he is willing to wait.
You're an amazing gardener! How do you find the time to get 10 different kinds of plants to grow in just one small corner like that? Very impressive!
ReplyDeleteI love your optimism that these plants are patient. I'll have to keep telling myself that. I love how you use ever space in your garden-even the front. Love the varieties you planted. I hope your chard does well. I usually find it to be productive. I may try planting kohlrabi this fall. I've never had it before.
ReplyDeleteMKG dear,
ReplyDeleteMama has restarted gardening! yay! She's bought one kaffir lime tree, Thai basil and daun kesom. Meagre but it's a start. When is she growing catgrass again I wonder.... har har har *evil laughs*
I'm amazed at how productive your garden is. Do you do anything to your soil in between planting?
ReplyDeleteDiana, I admire you for your patience, something that is a great asset of a true gardener! I have much to learn about being patience! You really understand your plants and good in planning. Cheers to you, Diana!
ReplyDeleteYou can even grow wonderful vegetables in the middle of winter and in places in the garden with little sun...your gardening skills amaze me every time I read your blog! Thanks for the Winter Wednesday link.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see that veg can grow in shade. I have broccoli and cabbage in a slightly shaded area and they seem to be doing well. Kelli
ReplyDeleteWhen you can grow so many vegetables all year round you don't need the same amount of space do you? We need to produce enough in summer to store for use in winter
ReplyDeleteYour mathematics must be very good for you to maximize the usage of your garden.
ReplyDeleteYou are not just a gardener, you are a true gardener!
ReplyDeleteJody~ I don't follow the rules of neat rows. I usually inter-plant fast crop like lettuce and Asian green between other plants that need long season to grow. We don't have dedicated herb spot as well. They all squeeze in available space in the garden :).
ReplyDeleteHolly~The plants are patient! Its like what you experience, went away for a holiday and you come back what a surprise:).
Cat-from-Sydney~That is a very good start.
Charmcitybalconygarden~Sometime if it possible I dig in raw compost and mix with horse manure. You can actually see horse manure on top of the soil on photo No.3. I hope that when they break down it helps warm the soil in winter. But just be careful that it is not fresh manure.
Joyce~It takes time to understand their needs.
Hazel~Some work some don't. It takes many trial to see which plants goes well in which patch for every season.
Kelli~Brassicas usually very tolerant about light.
Sue~I know it is hard for you to grow things in winter. For us mid-summer is very hard because of heat waves, nothings grows well during this time and many plants die. We lucky to escape frost due to microclimate. Just a half an hour drive to hill will be much colder and frost.
Rainfield61~Hahaha...can I use the excuse of having photographic memory instead of Math. Because Math was never my strong subject.
Rose~Thank you.
I am so, so impressed with your kebun! Even in shade your plants look so good. I have trouble getting enough sunlight so my veges grow very slowly, bu thanks for your inspiring post, it gives me hope :)
ReplyDeleteYes, managing to produce good veggies even in some unpromising places is an admirable skill. I often wish my garden faced the other way - its is on the NE side of my house, and I would prefer SW!
ReplyDeleteShaz~ They grow slow but like human they learn to adapt those leaf vegetables. They won't look pretty like the store but they are fresh and home grown.
ReplyDeleteMark~But we are very determined gardeners:).
My garden gets mostly shade in the winter too. The sun is so low that the house next door shades it. I'm hoping it is enough sun though to get my fall veggies grown. It might be. And it might not before the freezes come.
ReplyDelete