Winter seed sowing tips for hardy vegetables and annuals.
Words by Elly Keen
By July, we’ve passed the shortest day of the year and already the daylight hours are increasing day by day. My autumn sowed plants in the garden seem to be soaking up the extra time (even if it is just minutes at this stage) and while it’s still too early to be sowing frost tender crops, I will be starting another round of hardy vegetable and flower seeds this month.
I adore leafy greens and like to grow an abundance in my garden. I think if you are short on space, focusing on cut and come again varieties of veggie is essential. This month I am sowing a succession crop of spinach, silverbeet and lettuce. My favourite variety of lettuce is ‘Little Gem’, which is a mix between a Cos and Butter. It performs well in winter where I grow in my raised beds without a cloche. You may find some lettuce can taste bitter when subjected to frosts so growing under the protection of a frost cloth can help.
I am also starting on a succession sowing of my hardy annual flowers:
- Poppies
- Scabiosa
- Phlox
- Buplureum
- Strawflower
- Sweet Peas
- Orach
- Stock
- Daucus Carota ‘Dara’
- Ammi Majus
- Snapdragon
It’s getting really cold here (Hutt Valley) and so all of my seeds are started indoors, typically I use a Sistema tub placed on top of a heat mat. This really speeds up sporadic germination as it allows the soil temperature to remain at a consistent warmth. If you don’t have a heat mat, you can bring your seed trays inside and place on a sunny windowsill, above the fireplace or even use an electric blanket (just make sure to supervise this very carefully as can be a fire risk if exposed to water). Another top tip is to always bottom water your trays with warm water as cold water will cause fluctuations in temperature and slow down germination.
