How does market gardening change throughout the year?

Seasonal tasks change greatly on a market farm throughout the year.

Spring is usually the start of the faming year and is filled with planting and sowing seeds. The days are lengthening and the race is on to get everything established in the ground before the heat of Summer. Spring is also the time when fresh greens and roots are much anticipated after the scarcity of Winter. 

Summer is peak harvest time, when fruiting vegetables that grow quickly must be harvested 3 or 4 times a week. Think tomatoes, zucchini and cucumber. It is a busy time, when weeds are also growing fast and must be controlled, and we are starting to think about seeding Winter crops. In Sydney, the humidity is often unbearable and days are long and tiring. 

Autumn is still a busy harvest time but the weather improves. Most Winter crops are in the ground by now and we are still weeding and planting the last quick-growing crops before the days drop below 10 hours and growth slows right down. 

Winter is a quieter time on the farm. We are still harvesting what we planted in Spring and Summer, but the fruiting crops are finished and the pace is slower. It is a good time for large infrastructure jobs like trellising, digging drainage ditches and repairing polytunnels, weed mat and irrigation. We also prepare the soil for the rush of Spring planting that is just around the corner. 

Still to come

Next time I will talk about the animals that can eat our crops on the farm. 

This week's recipe links

Eggplant Parmesan Quinoa Risotto from Coffee & Quinoa. 

Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Quinoa & Feta from Walder Wellness. 

Broccoli & Anchovy Orecchiette from Jamie Oliver. 

Potato, Leek & Cheese Pie from BBC Food. 

More info

To read more about what's happening on our local organic farm this week as we grow and care for veggies for our box delivery, check out this week's newsletter here.