With the beginning of March, it’s already autumn in Australia. Without many deciduous trees, the main sign of the changing season is the smell of our neighbours’ fireplaces burning in the evenings. Summer was fleeting: I’ve been wearing what I thought would be my winter work outfit for a while now. But autumn brings some benefits. With less heat and more regular rain we will use a lot less water (alleviating the associated guilt and cost). And the number of caterpillars should naturally decline (further guilt reduction!). Plants like spinach that went to seed too fast in summer (amazingly just like the seed packet predicted) should be more successful. And we can try growing strawberries from seed and plant garlic. 

The end of summer does mean I need to accept that we might not see any tomatoes or corn this year – we knew we were taking a chance planting so late in the season. All was not lost – we now have some idea of the ways we will grow the tomatoes next season. Likewise, we will need to farewell the silverbeet and broccoli that have bolted. But the zucchini are still growing and the pattypan squash have flowers that are turning into fruit. We are harvesting small amounts of beans and there are plenty of flowers, even if the plants are mysteriously turning yellow. And our pumpkin plants have been allowed to continue sprawling down the otherwise quite tidy paths thanks to the round fruit they’re brandishing. Although I have somehow eaten a tree’s worth of plums almost single-handedly, the apple tree is laden with four types of apples that will ripen in coming weeks.

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The cooler weather is focussing our minds on diversifying what we’ll eat in winter. During the week we added beds of pak choy and tatsoi to our collection of kale, broccoli and cauliflower. Brussell sprout seedlings went into pots – a temporary because they take months to grow which takes up less space. We even planted swede seeds – a vegetable we had initially rejected – and will give turnips a chance as well. Of course preserving is another option. Through the week I added to the collection of experiments zucchini spread (the recipe calls it zucchini butter), pickled zucchini, and yet another version of pickled radish. Rocket and basil pesto went into the freezer. Stewing apples has been carried over to next week’s to-do list – again.

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We also made some enhancements to our set-up this week. Alex tested out his shelving design for the tunnel; so far the only problem is when I forget about them as I stand up. And we planted our natural windbreak: a mix of non-invasive bamboo and small native trees (Swamp Paperbarks). Wrapped in their homemade wallaby shields we hope they will grow quickly, give us some compost when we trim them, and shield the garden from the wind next season. At the very least we hope they survive!

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