Autumn Garden :: Saving Seeds and Prepping for Winter

Sweet basil seed pods

The last of my cucumber and beans

A wet summer has left its mark on my straw bale veggie garden: The basil has grown tall and has flowered; a stray pumpkin vine that shot up from the compost is now fruiting while the Lebanese cucumber vines have withered in the heat and, I think, may have done their good deeds for the season. Same for the bush beans, I think they’re finished and that picture above is the last of them

My veggie garden is in a state of flux: some things are dying off and others are just hitting their stride. I like this about food growing – it’s always changing. Over the Easter break I have spent some time in my little patch assessing what needs to be cut back, or removed, and what needs to stay and be nurtured. I also am going to try my hand at saving some seeds – starting with the sweet basil. I’ve been reading up on seed saving in Rhonda’s Down to Earth book (how I love this book!). I'll also save some of the cucumber seeds.

My first-ever pumpkin! Just a baby...

I’ve also decided a new straw bale garden is needed to get me set up for winter crops. I don’t claim to be an expert on this method of gardening (or any method, for that matter) having only tried it for one season now, but in that time I’ve learned a few things that might be worth sharing, so I’ll have a rummage through my photos to put together a straw bale how-to from what I’ve learned.

It was glorious weather over Easter here in Byron Bay, but today the winds have turned chilly. Definitely a change of season is upon us. Are you getting a winter garden prepped? What are you planting?

x

Megan