April in the Vegie Patch
BY
Out with the old and in with the new – now! Today! Or you’ll run out of grow time. Whip out any crops that are past their best and recycle them into compost or mulch. Use the space for new sowings or plantings.
Sow
Direct sow
- Direct sow greencrops in any gaps – phacelia, oats, lupin, broadbeans, wheat, mustard.
- Corn salad, miners lettuce, mizuna, coriander, rocket
- Calendula and poppy
Tray Sow
- Globe Artichokes, Spring onions, red or brown onions
- A mix of brassica – broccoli, cabbage, cauli
- Peas into plug trays or toliet rolls
Direct or Tray Sow
- Broadbeans
- Spinach, coriander and beetroot can be direct sown in the greenhouse as the soil cools off. They’ll all handle cooler soils outside but will grow faster and sweeter in the warmth.
- Sweetpeas
Transplant
- Broadbeans, peas, beetroot
- Salad greens. Choose varieties with a preference for cool like Little Gem, Drunken Women Fringed Head or Rouge d’Hiver. Cos, buttercrunch and sald bowl types do well. All my saladings will be planted in the greenhouse from now in.
- Endive
- Loads of leafy greens like kale, silverbeet, perpetual beet or chard
- Brassicas for winter eating
- Garlic, spring onions, red onions or brown onions
- Celery – either outside or in the greenhouse
- Companion flowers like stock, larkspur, cornflower and primula to keep your spirits up and beneficial insects fed.
Harvest + Create Space
- Chop corn and sunflowers off at the roots. Leaving the root, strengthens soil. Roughly chop the stalks and pile them up on the edge of the vegie patch. In a years time they’ll be a useful stash of organic matter. Another good use for them is as mulch beneath the avocados or citrus.
- If zucchini and cucumbers are still providing, reorganise the vines onto the paths or out of the way so you can use the space. Snapping off old ratty, mildewy leaves further increases your room.
- Crunch up bean vines and use them to mulch the following crop.
Click here to read the full article from the Edible Backyard
