Bring out your gardening jumpers, scarves, gloves and beanies! It appears that the sultry end of summer has cooled its heels and into Autumn we step with crisp morning air and early sunsets becoming the order of the day. In terms of gardening, Autumn is probably the season of the year with much plant harvesting and eating to look forward to.

As we roll into Easter it is always nice to bring the family together, and when it comes to your productive garden, mother nature sees it this way too. At this time of the year the plant family known as 'Brassicas' are pretty much the stars of the show. The Brassicas include some famous faces of the vegetable world including Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Mustard (& Mustard Greens), Cauliflower, Kale, Kohlrabi, Swede, the humble Turnip as well as the extremely popular and delicious Cabbages like Choy, Tatsoi and Savoy.

In a warm temperate climate some of the Brassicas, like Cabbage and Asian Greens, can be grown all year round, bar the really hot months. However, for everyone else, the Autumn months are ideal for sowing seeds and planting out brassica seedlings.

The Brassicas have a voracious appetite and love nothing more than readily available nitrogen and potassium, so make sure your soil is rich with well composted manure and drains well. Soil health is also reliant on good crop rotation habits and typically the Brassicas will follow the Fabaceae family of plants which are made up of beans, peas and other legumes. These plants fix nitrogen via nodules on their root systems that contain symbiotic bacteria (rhizobia). If you dig in the plants* they will put back what the previous group of food plants took out, it's like the perfect hang-over cure for your soil! It's also a good idea to be aware of potential attack from the air so watch out for suspicious moths and butterflies. Lay netting over your crop and remove larvae and caterpillars before they devour the juicy leaves of your hard work.

To get your Brassica population started you can pick up a seedling tray from most nurseries and some hardware stores, but really any old tray or box will do. Just make sure it can hold approximately 50-100mm of good quality seed raising mix (if starting from seed). Punch drainage holes in the base of the tray and follow the recommendations for seed depth or plant spacing for each species or cultivar.

There are many seed suppliers to choose from and some do organic and heirloom seeds such as Diggers Club and Eden Seeds. I've found that getting an order in early and having the seeds turn up at your door helps to avoid that procrastinated trip to the hardware store; if you're short on time, it's also nice to know your seeds are coming to you while you can divide your time doing something else.

Place your tray in a bright sunny spot (though for some seedlings, depending on what they are, a semi-shaded position might be best to begin with). Experiment with the amount of direct sunlight until the plants start to show vigour and are ready to be planted out into the vegetable garden. Give your brassicas some room to move leaving roughly 400 to 500mm between your seedlings or if you are tight on space just evenly space them the best you can.

One of the most exciting things I find about food gardening is the anticipation of an impending feast. The cooler months remind me especially of my days back in London in my former life as a travelling cook. Here I was constantly amazed at the beautiful trays of produce that were delivered to the back door of the restaurant on those freezing mornings. The earthy, vibrant colours of the root vegetables, broccolis and cabbages made cooking hearty, warming comfort food very natural and satisfying. Now in my small Sydney courtyard I get just as excited at the prospect of growing my own trays of hearty, fresh, organic food…and it doesn't get anywhere near as cold!

So get the beanie and gloves on if you need them and get cracking with your Autumn crop. The sooner you do the sooner you can get your home filled with the aroma of hearty cooking and eating.

Happy gardening,
Cheers
Andy

*By 'dig in' I mean to dig in the leaves, stems and roots- so the whole plant basically. You then leave the bed for 4-6 weeks so the plant material can break down before sowing seeds or planting seedlings from the next family of plants.

Meet the family:
B. juncea var rugosa
- cabbage leaf mustard
- mustard greens
- Chinese mustard

B. oleracea var alboglabra
- Chinese kale
- Chinese broccoli

B. oleracea var botrytis
- cauliflower
- cape broccoli (purple)

B. oleracea var capitata
- cabbage (white, red, savoy)

B. oleracea var. gemmifera
- Brussels Sprouts

B. oleracea var gorgylodes
- Kohlrabi
- cabbage turnip

B. oleracea var italica
- sprouting broccoli
- calabrese broccoli

Andrew Hewitt is a Senior Landscape Designer/Horticulturist
at Green Rooms Gardens & Landscapes, Danks Street, Waterloo.