Gardening challenge

[Crinia]

For those who are about to plant their spring garden (or Autumn). You are welcome to join a group encouraging new non gardeners to give a vegie garden a go for the first time. If you are interested you can find out more http://5x5challenge.com/ . They are also after gardening mentors from all regions of the world to support new gardeners. This is a grass roots project started by people who are interested in getting every household to try and grow at least a bit of their own food.
Crinia

[Mountainheart]

For those who are about to plant their spring garden (or Autumn). You are welcome to join a group encouraging new non gardeners to give a vegie garden a go for the first time. If you are interested you can find out more http://5x5challenge.com/ . They are also after gardening mentors from all regions of the world to support new gardeners. This is a grass roots project started by people who are interested in getting every household to try and grow at least a bit of their own food.
Crinia

Sounds cool: will check it out. I'm still waiting for my soil to warm up enough to plant seeds: at least 5 weeks behind where things were up to last year.

[Hagar]

For that reason I have not dug over or planted any veg this year. My crop of spuds last year was absolutely pathetic, I could not even fill one carrier bag of spuds and the ones that I dug up were poor and puny, due mainly to the rain. The year before I had a massive crop of big spuds. I don't intend to stay here, so I have decided to do a portable herb garden. I will use stones and plant pots in a circle, I have the seeds and compost I want a stone sun dial as a centre piece and I have already got my wild bird feeder in place.

[Crinia]

Hi Mountainheart

The US and UK from people already taking part in the challenge they are saying similar to you , that temperatures are staying cold. It sounds like most are propagating indoors with artificial heat and light. Those with polytunnels are managing a bit of spinach.

Hagar,
My winter garden (I'm in Aus) is portable at the moment. It will only go into the garden when (if) we get more rain.

Crinia

[Aphritha]

Started digging up some land and planting roots and greens...not sure if its too early, but last year I was too late...I guess I'll see what happens.

[Mountainheart]

Got my potatoes in today. Things are looking up

I've missed having dirt under my finger nails!

[Crinia]

Good to see the north is starting to warm up enough for some gardening.
I brought all the delicate plants in yesterday in preparation for the first winter frosts (avocado plants definitely don't like frost). The seed raising and cutting trays are now safely behind a sunny north facing window.
Crinia

[treegod]

For the past few years I've been doing a veg patch with Mika, but I recently read The One-Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka and was inspired by the chapter on a semi-wild veg patch. So, whilst my girlfriend was busy digging up her patch, I just spread a few seeds on some grass. I'm liking the idea of non-till gardening, and want to see how it works!

I put rocket, lettuce, radish, spinach and some garlic. The rocket and spinach are mixed, the rest are in different parts. Hardly had to put mulch down since the seeds tend to get well hid among the grass (this patch has been dug before, so it's not lawn, thought that might work too... lol).

The only thing to do is to keep the weeds down a bit to let the others establish themselves, and once they're established they'll tend to dominate the patch they're in (in theory).

I'll update about how the experiment goes.