There is nothing more delicious than home-grown vegetables. Gillian Vine suggests some that do especially well in the South.
We are lucky in the South with the range of vegetables we can grow. Brussels sprouts, white turnips and kale do better here than anywhere else in New Zealand, every potato variety produces well and few gardeners cannot grow green peas successfully.
In October 1863, the Otago Daily Times' garden correspondent told readers: "To have a constant supply of green peas, sow a crop as soon as you observe the last sown come up above the ground."
That sensible statement remains true today, as does much advice in early gardening articles. The exception is some recommended sprays, which are now known to be highly toxic to people, as well as killing beneficial insects.
Peas grow brilliantly in Otago and Southland, as long as they have well-drained, rich soil and face the sun. Sow them 5cm-6cm apart where they are to grow and wait seven to 14 days for them to germinate, then - as the unnamed man wrote almost 150 years ago - sow some more. As tall varieties can grow up to 2m, they need some support, and make sure the ground does not dry out or the peas will be small and hard.
The long-ago writer also advocated sowing turnips at intervals of 10-12 days and radishes every 8-10 days; again advice that has stood the test of time.
Turnips and swedes belong to the same family (Brassicaceae) as cabbages, Oriental greens, cauliflowers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kohl rabi, kale and mustard.
Radishes are slotted into another branch, as are rocket and watercress.
The reason for tucking this bit of gardening info into the mental filing cabinet is because of clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae). These nasty little organisms attack brassicas' roots, which distort into club-like lumps unable to take nourishment from the soil. Once ground is infected, it may take 20 years to eradicate clubroot.
However, ensuring the area is well-limed before planting cabbages and other brassicas does help prevent it.
Also important is not growing brassicas in the same part of the garden year after year - ideally, aim for a four-year rotation - and to prevent clubroot overwintering by removing stalks of cauliflowers, cabbages, Brussels sprouts and broccoli as the crops are harvested.
All brassicas like rich soil, so be generous with compost and well-rotted manure, as well as lime. If you haven't grown this group before, start with kale - the hardiest and easiest to grow - and red or green cabbages. Both are good for breaking in new ground, so if you have just turned the lawn into a vege patch, try these.
Brussels sprouts take simply ages to mature, so seed should be sown in trays within the next month and planted into the garden before Christmas. Green sprouts are the most familiar but there are a couple of red types (Red Ribs and Falstaff Red) available as seed. They do tend to be prone to attacks by grey aphids - derris dust or a spray made from dishwashing liquid and water helps. Like cabbages, kale and cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts are a good choice for a new garden.
Also good for a new garden are potatoes, which will help break up the soil, making it easier to work in future.
Unlike brassicas, they prefer a somewhat acid soil, so use a light hand when applying lime. Planted now, early potatoes (Swift or Jersey Benne) should just about be ready for Christmas, so don't delay.
Another vegetable to get going now is the onion. They are best sown in seed trays to avoid fiddly weeding when those in the garden are easily mistaken for grass. Of brown onions, Pukekohe Long Keeper is still one of the best.
Getting started may take some effort but the rewards justify the labour.
If you hate the taste of cabbage, the culprit may be phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), a strange thing called an organosulphur thiourea. PTC tastes very bitter to some people, while others can barely taste it - it all depends on the genetic makeup of the taster.
Anyone for cabbage?
Recent research suggests that the foods people like are influenced by their ability to taste PTC and brassicas may not appeal to those sensitive to PTC.
