Tips for a thriving Med Garden throughout Autumn and Winter!
Just when you thought it may be time to hang up your garden tools for the season… enter a new growing season in the Med!
I’ve been learning that September is a secret gem for the Mediterranean Garden.
Here’s the secret: Autumn, September and October in the Med, is the start of the best growing season of the year - that lasts through winter.
This is a very exciting discovery for a nouveau Med Garden enthusiast!
In this blog I share what I have been learning about preparing for the NEW growing season in September. From preparing the garden for Autumn and Winter crops, What to Plant, and essential Autumn Med Garden Care Tips.
What to Plant in September
Med Autumn & Winter Growing Season Secrets
Unlike places with cold winters, autumn is the perfect time to plant and grow in Mediterranean climate regions. Like a second coming of Spring, the Med has two major growing seasons!
The garden is like a huge radiator and it will retain the heat of the summer into Autumn. In September and October in the Med the ground is still warm even as the air starts to get cooler. Combine this with early morning dews, perhaps a little rain, and we have perfect planting conditions. A great time for planting most trees, shrubs, ground covers, and grasses.
Autumn and Winter in the Med are also better for growing many Food Forest crops, because winters are the time when we have the most natural rainfall. Most of the leafy vegetables, which go to seed in too-hot summers, grow much better in mild winter climate areas.
The European Mediterranean zone, was prominent in the history of agriculture. It is the origin of many vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, kale, collard greens, celery, peas, artichokes, asparagus, lettuce, arugula, beets, chard, turnips and more - all winter crops!
We can also enjoy glorious colour throughout our Med Gardens through December. Long bloomers such as Bougainvillea, Oleander, Blu Plumbago, Roses, and Tecoma Stans (Yellow Bells) will bloom throughout autumn with the right care.
I’ve also had great success with my various varieties of ornamental sages - blooming a magnificent purple until December! In December and January, winter blooming aloe varieties come alive like: Aloe Ascerbens.
You can also refresh your pots with autumn and winter bloomers.
What to Plant in September
Ornamentals: September is an ideal time to plant semi-tropicals: Bougainvillea, Yuccas, Bananas and Palms of all types. They need some warmth to get root growth going and will benefit from winter rains to get established. It’s a good planting time for Citrus too.
Veg: While we enjoyed our heat loving veg like tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini and cucumber all summer, Autumn is a good time to plant leafy veg and root veg.
Leafy veg like spinach, kale, chard and lettuce thrive in fall and winter Med Garden conditions. Most of these struggle and go to seed rapidly during the summer. They are much happier in our mild winters.
Brassicas like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage also love the cooler conditions.
Root crops like carrots, beetroot, and potatoes can also be started towards the end of September.
If the winter is mild, I am told that pepper and chilli plants can stay perennial in a sheltered position. The trick is to trim them back and look forward to bigger crops next year.
Herbs: Coriander (or cilantro), is a must-have herb for many of my Med Diet Recipes (Tacos!), which struggles in the hot and dry heat of summer. Plant in September and harvest through autumn. Dill and fennel are the same. You can also plant more Basil now and you’ll get bunches to cut and store before the colder weather.
Nitrogen fixers play a huge role in Food Forests development. They prepare the soil for others to establish. They also grow vigorously, provide shade and supply other plants with nitrogen. Legumes such as lentils, and many varieties of beans are great nitrogen fixers. Plant them amongst new winter veg crops and citrus!
Tip: Stagger veg seedling planting so that they don’t all mature at once. Try starting some each week this September.
Essential Med Garden Care Tips for Autumn
Feeding: Building and enriching the soil is an ongoing process in dry climate areas like the Med. The plants we grow each season remove nutrients from the soil. We need to ensure that those nutrients are replenished for future crops.
Composting in Autumn is essential for Med Garden care. Tip: Keep your compost well-watered, as temperatures can still be very high in September and into October. To promote optimal growth and ensure your plants are getting the nutrients they need, consider giving them a boost with a balanced organic fertiliser. September is the perfect time to feed your plants as they prepare for the cooler months ahead.
Watering: As summer slowly transitions to fall, it's crucial to adjust your watering schedule accordingly. The Mediterranean climate in September can still bring warm days, so ensure your plants are receiving adequate water. A deep watering session a couple of times a week is usually ideal to allow the roots to absorb moisture effectively. Tip: It's better to water deeply and less frequently to encourage root growth and drought resilience. Remember to keep an eye on those seedlings though, as young plants ofter require more frequent watering.
A thick layer of organic mulch will help to retain moisture, moderate soil temperatures, and suppress weeds.
Prune and Tidy: Many plants can look a little sad after long hot summers which deplete their energy. Prune fading flowers, tidy and incorporate compost and organic fertiliser into the soil to give them a boost and encourage another burst of autumn flowering.
Tidy climbers that are getting out of hand, like Bougainvillea and Jasmine,
Pots: Try lifting pots up onto feet. Heavy rains can leave your plants waterlogged for days and many won't like that.
If your annual pots are looking a little tired after the hot summer, trim the plants down low, give them a feed and watch with glee as they fill out again in the cooler conditions.
Super excited to see what my Autumn ornamental garden and winter Food Forest will bring this season!
For Autumn colour I planted several young Tecoma Stans (yellow bells) and Blu Plumbago shrubs and trubs earlier in the summer, hoping for a vibrant autumn garden of yellow and purple hues. They have struggled a bit with the higher than usual coastal winds this summer. I am hoping we will get some wind relief this autumn, and that a fresh blanket of compost and organic fertiliser will help them to establish better in the more moderate temperatures ahead.
I will also plant a “wall” of ornamentals for more wind protection. My Jacaranda trees and Oleander shrubs seem to resist the wind well in other parts of my garden. So, I plan to add more Jacaranda and oleander to the parts of my garden that are particularly wind exposed.
Almond trees bloom a beautiful white in late January and February - the first bloomer of early spring - I plan to plant more Almond trees around my garden as well.
Winter Food Forest gardening is completely new to me. Really excited about autumn and winter veg for my Med Garden recipes! I am planning broccoli, cauliflower, kale, pumpkin, carrots and leeks anticipating winter soup season….
Share in the comments below what you are planting this September in your Med Garden!
Heading out to shop for my organic compost, new plants and veg seedlings to welcome the abundant Autumn and Winter growing season in the Med….
Jade
Lewon
Med
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