Annabel Langbein's August Garden

Down south in Wanaka I can’t plant anything tender outdoors until well into November, but I still need to get the seed germinated early for long-lead crops like tomatoes, eggplants, chillies and peppers, or the plants don’t get enough growing time in the short southern season.

I like to plant single seeds of these long-lead crops into individual coir pellets. I soak the coir pellets in water then poke a seed into each to about the same depth as the size of the seed. Then I put them in my mini greenhouse, replace the lid and set it on top of the nightstore heater (it needs to be somewhere over 18˚C so the soil warms up enough for the seeds to germinate).

It’s important to keep the soil lightly watered as the seeds germinate. Once they have been up for about a week I give them a drink with Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic - it really seems to boost their roots. For more advice about growing from seed see my Tui Garden Project.

Microgreens are an easy quick win at this time of year, delivering a zing of freshness to the plate when there isn’t a lot around in the garden. Just fill the base of a mini greenhouse or a seed-raising tray with seed-raising mix, sprinkle the microgreens seeds thickly, pat them down and sprinkle a fine layer of seed-raising mix on top (check the packet for the ideal seed depth - bigger seeds like peas need to be planted more deeply). This is also a good way to start salad greens and other early spring veges if the soil is too cold to plant them outside. For more advice about growing microgreens see my Tui Garden Project.

Some seeds, such as legumes, prefer to be planted straight into the ground instead of indoors. In Auckland, lots of crops can be planted directly into the ground around now, as long as the soil isn’t too heavy. You can plant snow pea and broad bean seeds as well as root veges, such as carrots and beets, outside before the true spring arrives. It’s also a good time to get small seedlings of salad greens and bok choy started outdoors, but be sure to put out some pet-friendly slug bait or your planting efforts will be wasted!

I’m always on the lookout for new heirloom and heritage vegetable seeds – their harvests are often knobbly and misshapen, but what these old-fashioned beauties lack in good looks they more than make up for in flavour and good nutrition.

It’s well known that all vegetables are not created equal in the nutrition stakes, but who would have imagined that single varieties of vegetables – such as tomatoes for instance – can run to totally different nutritional profiles depending on their variety?

Sourcing heritage seeds isn’t always easy and (for many good reasons) regulations around the import of seeds now make it quite difficult to bring seeds into New Zealand. It’s worth checking out the MAF website to see which seed varieties are banned before you part with your hard-earned dollars to an overseas source.

You’re better to order from a reputable local supplier, swap seeds with another gardener or save your own from season to season. Luckily, lots of great networks of seed-savers are popping up all over the country.

Spring veges are still a few weeks off, though, so here’s one of my favourite winter recipes to see you through. If you’re one of those strange souls who doesn’t like brussels sprouts this recipe also works well with broccoli florets.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Serves: 8 -10

Ingredients

• 1kg brussels sprouts
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4 rashers streaky bacon, finely diced
• 2 shallots or 1 small red onion, finely diced
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• juice of ½ a lemon
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves

Method

• Trim and halve brussels sprouts, drop into a pot of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.
• Drain, cool under cold water and drain again.
• Heat butter in a large frypan and cook bacon over medium heat until fat starts to run (about 5 minutes).
• Add shallots or onion and cook for about 4 minutes.
• Add brussels sprouts and stir-fry over high heat until tender and starting to caramelise (about 5 minutes).
• Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with lemon juice, sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.

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