Top 5 Winter Crops

1. Beetroot - a versatile crop, where both the leaves and roots can be eaten, beetroot copes with cool soils and shorter days. Hardy, durable and not particularly fussy, beetroot is ideal for both beginner and experienced gardeners.

Cultivate the soil well and plant in full sun, in rows about 50cm apart (or 3-5 cm apart if sowing seed). In damp areas consider planting it in pots and provide a tunnel house or cloche during heavy periods of rain. Harvest 8-16 weeks.

2. Broccoli - a green Kiwi fave, broccoli isn't just a tasty green, it's packed full of nutrients and minerals making it a superfood of the garden. Give this larger crop plenty of room to grow - plant 30-50 cm apart.

Check out the different varieties available in store - purple sprouting broccoli is relatively new on the scene and tastes fabulous. Harvest 12-16 weeks.

3. Lettuce - a quintessential salad crop, lettuces come in a wide range of colours, shapes and sizes so sometimes the most challenging part is deciding which ones to plant! There are two main types of lettuce: hearting lettuces which have a dense centre, and loose-leaf lettuces which have open leaves and no heart. Red, pink and even black-leaved varieties will create interest in your garden, and these types seem to perform best in the cooler months.

Plant 20cm apart in the garden, or pack them a bit closer together in pots and pick leaf by leaf as soon as they look big enough. Harvest 6-10 weeks.

4. Silverbeet - packed with both iron and flavour, silverbeet is a popular crop as it can be harvested perpetually – you can pick a few leaves at a time and it will regrow more from the base of the plant, extending the harvest and season.

Silverbeet is quick-growing and hardy, it thrives in both warm and cooler climates. Traditionally white stemmed varieties were grown but now yellow, orange, pink and red stemmed varieties are available - yellow being the sweetest.

5. Onion - easy to grow, onions are versatile and store so well after harvest that they can be enjoyed for months on end. Choose from large, round brown ones, to flat white and red onions. Plant in full sun, in a well-cultivated soil. 

Where possible, leave the ground to settle for a week of so before sowing seed or planting out seedlings. Onions also happily grow in pots and containers providing they have a soil depth of at least 20cm. Main crop onions sown in spring will be ready for harvest in later summer to autumn, once the tops start to die back.

If you enjoy growing from seed quick-win winter crops include rocket, mizuna, and radish!

Get great results with Tui Performance Organics

• Before planting dig in Tui Performance Organics Compost to your soil, it's enhanced with sheep pellets and gypsum which add organic matter to improve soil structure, encourage earthworms, and nourish your plants. 
• Then add a layer of Tui Performance Organics Vegetable Mix. It's formulated using NatureN, a fast-acting form of nitrogen for exceptional plant growth, and added potassium encourages a plentiful harvest of veggies. If planting in pots and containers, fill with Tui Performance Vegetable Mix before planting.
• Feed your veges so they continuously produce over the season. Our Performance Organics Tomato & Vegetable Fertiliser comes in an easy to use pellet form that adds valuable organic matter back into the soil.

Discover more about Tui Performance Organics here >