globe artichokes, winter vegetables

[Sandra17]

Has anyone grown them? Or have knowledge of their health benefits? I read in the recent OrganicsNZ magazine that they like constant moisture, cold winters but not hard frosts. They are perennials. So I planted one yesterday as it sounds like us. Our climate is very wet (west coast, south island).

Also wondering what others are planning or have growing for winter food. That has been my big focus this last six months - getting the garden at least partly full of food for colder and more expensive times. I harvested lots of lovely garlic last week. I have a plot of yams with very healthy tops - I call it my yam forest. I've got some brassicas coming along. The cavolo nero (tuscan kale or lacinato kale) is coming along well and I'm keeping it in the ground until Autumn if not winter. I've got some other kales in the garden making reasonable progress - I left it too late last Autumn adn we didn't have very big plants when the cold slowed growing down almost to a halt. I haven't bothered with leeks - last year they did nothing all winter and then mostly bolted in spring.

It isn't hot enough here in summer for pumpkins but I am lucky in that my Dad often gives us some he has grown. I gave him some heritage seeds in Spring.

Next year I would like to have another go at growing onions. I've grown spring onions successfully here but not long keepinh white onions. I've also wanted (without success so far) to source a big sack of organic onions for winter. But now that it looks likely that China is going to export its onions to nz and that they will be sprayed with methyl bromide like the garlic, sourcing any nz grown onions in bulk would be worthwhile.

[Seaweed]

I grow globe artichokes & they are awesome. My kids love them too.

In terms of winter veges, last year I grew all the leeks we needed. I just got a punnet full of leek seedlings ( 40 or 50 maybe ) & planted them where my early potatoes had been. They did really well. I've not had as much sucess growing them from seed. They always do exactly what yours did. I think there is a huge problem with getting heirloom seed which is adapted to our type of growing conditions vs north island ones. I also have some of the bunching leeks but they are still small.

The cavalo nero grows all winter here. I have russian kale too which pretty much ( give or take ) self sows true to type. The kales all get sweeter with some frost. I have had good sucess with savoy cabbages as well. Dalmatian collards & ruruhau surprisingly enuf do well here. I am still working on brussel sprouts which I absolutely love ( which is MT's fault :D ) So far I have had 50/50 sucess. Even if they don't head properly, you can still chop up the greens & the middle bit & they are very tasty. Cutting celery which I originally got from MT as well is invaluable thru the winter as is dalmatian parsley. Golden ball turnips go well too. Carrots we try to get in so they grow enuf before winter to just sit. It is pretty much experimental if that works. We also do a mesclun bed in the plastic house & put in lettuces for salads.

I've tried growing onions on many occasions but they never get that big. I have a friend who runs her chooks in rotation over where she grows her veges. She also has much better soil than we do. She grows beautiful onions which makes me very jealous. I am going to try harder next year ;) re: organic onions, I would either just get a bundle from an organic vege store or ask them if they could get me a box. Or you could try Chantal but IME they are quite trying to deal with. The onion thing btw is why I grow loads of leeks & garlic so I can do without.

As for pumpkins. We are pretty marginal here too. It's been a funny season so far as only my zuchinis so far have been setting fruit. Last year, my best pumpkin was the marina di chioggia - the italian heirloom sea pumpkin - which grew incredibly well. Push comes to shove, you can just eat the flowers as pumpkin flowers are incredibly yummy. We love them too :)