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Friday, August 3, 2012

Mid-Winter 2012 Harvest Summary

The garden has been very generous in mid-winter even without care. We even did not give any watering since June so the plants depended much on rainwater. I tried to record what we harvest each month because this give me an idea for new vegetables sowing time and how early or how much I can extend the sowing of seeds for certain vegetables. It seems that I can sow broccoli seeds a month earlier than I used too. The problem with early sowing is infested by aphids, although producing head earlier to enjoy. Washing the aphids away for cooking does take a large amount of time, of course the chef complain all the time but that the reality of home-grown ones. The broccoli harvest might look like there are no aphids, don't be fool by it cos the bottom or between the stems has tons of aphids.
Tried growing green dragon broccoli for the first time and had success. Italian sprouting broccoli never seems to stop producing new shoots to harvest. We did not plant any new plants of Italian sprouting broccoli this year. The produce that we have each month from last summer till now were solely from one very generous plant. The shoots are much bigger in mid-winter.
Tatsoi also have plenty to offer in mid-winter, usually the chef pick em' fresh because the gardener often neglect her harvesting duty. Therefore, the Asian greens has had not much chance to join photo sessions. Although, many Asian greens were harvested just to take note.
The last cauliflower and the gardener regrets that she did not plant many cauliflower this year. Well we thought I could complete my studies on time earlier this year but too many things happened so we still stuck here (over-confidant and high expectation :p ). We usually grow more than 30 plants of cauliflower each year, sigh should just planted more. Savouring last year planted leeks cause we don't grow them this year. Chinese celery volunteer abundant in the patch for cuttings. Daikon and watermelon radish is also available in the garden for picking.
We harvested our last purple skin sweet potato grown in one container.
More variety of root vegetables available in winter~ carrots, beetroot and white sweet potatoes.
Strange but true, our peak pepper harvest this year is in mid-winter compare to other season. The fruit took a long time to ripen from the flowers blooming from autumn. Actually this is a good thing, because peppers are so expensive in winter. We also give-away to friends. Picking half-ripe pepper and leave them on the counter-top for just a few days will make the fruit become ripe. We just pick how many we need and just leave the rest on the plant rather than keeping them in fridge. We left many pepper plants over-winter this year, so we hope some early harvest of capsicum next warm season. Pink radish is also filling the basket harvest in mid-winter.
Kailan (Chinese Broccoli) also one of the main dish in mid-winter. Start to harvest peas, but not many and no chance for photo shoot because it is only enough for Rayyan to pick and eat fresh in the garden or the mother will not have some peace.
Could not keep up with the red choi harvest, growing so fast. I am guilty in leaving one container full of red choi showing sign of flowering at the moment.
38th weeks now.....still waiting for the biggest harvest for this year.

18 comments:

  1. That is a really big harvest. Things look great.

    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  2. Wah banyak hasil walaupun cuaca sejuk. Your pepper plant must look very cheerful, with red fruits all around. Kailan Diana sedap - minggu lepas mak saya tanya dah try ke belum, so I potong sehelai, makan mentah. Manis dan tak ada rasa pahit mcm commercial baby kailan. Tak percaya, so makan sehelai lagi dan lagi... By the time I am satisfied that the leaves have a cabbage sweetness, tengok tengok most of the seedlings dah botak! So gotta leave them awhile.

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  3. I'm always envious of your winter harvests - you seen to have just as prolific harvest as it spring and summer.

    Good luck with the big one!

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  4. Such a beautiful cauliflower. You have such a wide variety of things growing and producing, lovely.

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  5. Beautiful harvests. I especially love the sweet potatoes. I keep looking at my vines that threaten to take over the backyard. I hope they are growing sweet potatoes under there.

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  6. Its hard to believe its winter, just by looking at the abundance of your harvests. Dare I hope that the red choi will produce seeds?.... What carrots are those, by the way?

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  7. All that fresh produce looks wonderful...cant see my back yard this morning from all the fog here in Adelaide today! Hope you are resting and preparing for the harvest in the coming weeks...x

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  8. If you lived close by you'd be a sure winner for most produce harvested especially since you keep good records. Your produce is always so pretty.

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  9. wow! it's really a big harvest to me, if it is mine. Hope I can have the similar situation once my preparation done

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  10. Your harvest look so abundant that it gives me an appetite to cook some vegetables at home now.

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  11. Very colorful collection... am impressed...

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  12. Another great harvest, in a winter?

    I never feel it, back in Malaysia.

    Weather is so hot.

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  13. wow, that's really so much, a BIG harvest! i think it's gonna take some time to finish eating them all!!

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  14. I know what you mean about aphids in the broccoli. I quit growing it in the Spring because of them. God bless your upcoming harvest!

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  15. Beautiful veg - your harvests are so impressive! It's so nice to see. The cauliflowers looks to white and fresh too.

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  16. I always like to see what you had from your own harvest, they all look very very fresh.

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  17. Cher, Norma Chang, Tina, Baguznet, James Missier, Lrong, Rainfield61, Lena, Holly, Kelli, Sonia~ Thank you. We are lucky this winter that our garden keeps on producing even being neglected by us.

    Sean~Saya pun tak pernak rasa makan kailan mentah sendiri. By the time I reply this your kailan must be the size in the market.

    Sue~Actually summer is the season we have so little to harvest compared with other season. The plants can't produce well in summer, the plants just spend all their energy just to survive our scorching summer.

    Daphne~Hope you have many sweet potato harvest.

    Mama Pongkey~The red choi is hybrid I think. So I won't be collecting seeds from them. Moreover, I have other Asian greens flowering at the moment. Sorry tak ingat carrot jenis apa, lupa label.

    Enchanted Moments~Yeah its already spring here in Adelaide but still cold with the fast changing weather.

    Kate~ I was thinking of growing cabbage this spring but the aphids are making me think twice.

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