During the 2020 lock downs we saw a consistent rise of customers interested in Raised Garden Beds as great way to keep busy, entertain yourself, your children and provide fresh produce for your family during a stressful and unprecedented time.
Although winter is officially here, don’t let the cold weather deter you from setting up some raised garden beds of your own! There is still so much you can be doing out in your garden and a variety of things that you can start growing.
Victoria is renowned for its cool winter climate but here is a list of winter vegetables that you can still start to grow:
- Cabbage
- Onions
- Turnip
- Beetroot
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Broad beans
- Carrots
- Silverbeet
- Leeks
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Winter Lettuce
- Spring Onion
- Rocket
Vegetables do need as much sun as possible regardless of the season so If you have an area in your garden that receives the full winter sun, this will be the best place for your new raised veggie garden!
Now is an excellent time to plant seed potatoes, which are small potato tubers rather than actual seeds. You can purchase them from local nurseries and hardware stores where the tubers have been specifically grown to be certified virus-free. Plant your tubers in compost-enriched soil around 15cms deep and 50cms apart with some organic fertiliser and potash and then cover with your soil.
It is also recommended to add more soil and mulch around the stems as the shoots rise to allow the potatoes to continue to develop in the dark and avoid turning green.
We can manufacture raised garden beds in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours to suit yourself and your garden. If you’re tired of bending down to your garden and getting a sore back our raised planter boxes are a great investment to bring your garden closer to you!
You can visit our page on corrugated iron garden beds here where you will be able to download our price lists for slimline garden beds, modular garden beds or round garden beds.
You can also use our handy soil calculator to determine how many cubic meters of soil you will require to fill your planter box.
When sowing seeds and planting of new crops during winter it is important not to expect them to move very fast until the soil warms up heading into spring. Sometimes when soil is cold, seeds will not germinate and roots will take up less moisture and nutrients which will see a slow start in growth but don’t lose all hope for those new plantings!
Winter is also a great time start lifting, dividing and replanting or purchasing crowns of Rhubarb, Asparagus, Horseradish and Jerusalem Artichokes. Growing from a crown gives you a good head start and they will benefit from having a heap of mulch placed over the crown to protect it from the colder weather.
Did you know: Although Asparagus does like to have its own space and takes a couple of years to hit its stride, once it has commenced, an Asparagus Garden bed will continue to produce spears for at least 20-30 years!
If you have not got anything new to plant this winter, it is also a good time for general pruning and tiding up berry vines and the perfect opportunity to commence plans for spring planting!
If you have been considering setting up a raised garden now is the perfect time to start your research and get an order in before the high spring demand sets in.
Gardening is a brilliant opportunity to get outside and into the fresh air!
Not only do you get to grow your own delicious foods and feel a sense of accomplishment from that but you are also actively taking care of your mental and physical well-being while spending time in a tranquil space where you can relax and recharge.