Check out the spectacular sunflower paddocks on the edge of Kingaroy in the South Burnett. These vibrant yellow flowers are seriously impressive! These sunflowers usually bloom from February through to end of March with the flowers only lasting a couple of weeks. Locals know autumn is not far away once the sunflowers finish.

With autumn comes with lots of possibilities for enjoyment in the garden. We all feel the cool nights and frosty mornings in the South Burnett and enjoy warm and pleasant days.

March and April are perfect for growing autumn and winter vegetables and herbs. This time of year is the perfect time to try planting tomatoes, capsicums and eggplants; lettuce; radish; beetroot and silverbeet; beans; cucumber and zucchini; cabbage, broccoli, onion, garlic.

Silverbeet and spinach and other quick growing Asian greens, kale, and spicy rocket are great if you want to get the kids involved and eating some greens!

A great place to start is with your soil, which involves breaking up large clumps of soil, and remove weeds. Next you can add some compost or well-rotted manure, this sets your vegetables up to thrive. Mulching is also important to reduce soil erosion during heavy downpours and help with retaining moisture during dry periods.

There’s nothing like the taste of home grown and this is especially true of tomatoes, I love planting the cherry tomatoes in all different varieties. They are quick to grow and full of goodness.

Warm up this winter by spending as much time in the garden as you can. Not only are we breathing and making the most of our fresh country air but importantly getting our muscles moving.

Many of you are growing produce now whether on a large scale or small, the very fact of growing certainly gives us pride and satisfaction.

If the Vegetables can be shared or swapped with others it makes it even more worthwhile. Happy planting!

Kingaroy Blog