21 Mar 2024

On this lovely rainy Melbourne day I picked up some broccoli seedlings from Bunnings and a couple of bags of potting mix.

This winter I’ll try to grow some seedlings in large pots and see how they go. Earlier this week I also planted some peas which had to be covered with bird netting right away, because they are continuously being dug up by the birds. It’s a never-ending battle 😦

I had quite a sore back today, but with some help from my lovely gardening assistant Sandra 🙂 , we got these into the ground ready for winter.

Sandra also thought it was important that I describe to everyone how I tease the seedlings out of the punnets.
First you squash all four sides of the punnet gently, then place your fingers above the dirt in between the seedlings and turn it upside down. While holding the plants in your fingers, give it a slight squeeze and they will all pop out easily – soil and all. Then you can gently pull apart and subdivide the individual plants and plant them in your prepared holes in the pots. The gentle pulling apart of the seedlings ensures that the roots do not get damaged.

Happy planting everyone and good luck with your winter gardens!