Article by: Sought After Seedlings
Designer of the Bryanston Organic Food Garden
Supplier of Franchi Sementi Heirloom Seeds & Victory Ticket Organic Seedlings

There is still time for planting on-going crops for your organic vegetable garden to see you through the ‘between season’ period. Work off the overindulgence of the festive season while you continue to plant your own organic food. In any case, you’ll need to start preparing your garden from the end of January for winter planting, so there’s lots to do.

While your lovely herbs are still flourishing in your summer garden, why not collect them to use through the winter months, when they won’t be available fresh. Dry them after rinsing them, on paper kitchen towel, (I place them under a net to avoid flies), or you could sott’olio (place them under oil), the Italian way.

Basil works wonderfully. You can pick rosemary, even though it does grow through winter, dry it, and put it in a bottle placed conveniently with your bought dried herbs, so that they are on hand.

Once you have cleared your bed area for your on-going planting, and fertilised it generously, plant your seeds or seedlings according to the crop rotation requirements of your garden. If you still have lots of harvest in your garden, start your seeds off in seedling trays, getting ready for planting in a few weeks.

Your carrot seeds should be planted in situ, which means in the place where they are going to grow. Carrots do not like being transplanted. (Contact us for news on the next courses to let you know when to come and learn all about this).

All the wonderful Franchi Sementi seeds and Victory Ticket seedlings, organically grown, are available at your favourite GardenShop so carry on with carrots Nantes, beetroot Egitto, mixed lettuce, coloured radish, Swiss chard Costa Bianca and more.

For a change, try some of the other varieties of these vegetables, like striped beetroot, rhubarb, black radish, red lettuce and coloured carrots. Remember that the darker the vegetable the more anthocyanins are in it – so good for your health!

Get up and go…. weed your beds, feed with compost, turn your compost beds, sieve your compost now, check your irrigation, put up your trellises for your favourite beans…oh there’s lots to do – let’s GO!