How to Grow an Autumn Small Space Garden

Daylight is shortening and the days are already feeling a little nippy. Autumn has arrived and Gardeners' thoughts are turning to planning the Autumn Winter garden.

Many would-be gardeners don't realise that living in a certain place actually determines the type of garden and the plants that you will grow. If you grow your own vegetables and fruit, then where you live determines how you eat or should eat.

There is so much information on the internet about what seeds to sow and what plants are suitable for Autumn and Winter. Here I will highlight and distil some of the important considerations in the planning process that work for me on the Balcony!

Check Your Garden Growing Zone

Before rushing out and planting whatever you see, it’s best to familiarise yourself with your climate zone. Too often, you will see posts or magazines talking about the seasonal plants available. However, the decision about which plants and when to sow seeds is best made when you know what grows well in your area.

I have made every mistake in the book over my years gardening in backyards and now my Balcony and possibly the most have been made here because the conditions are quite different from my ground-dwelling garden days! Plants not in their optimum environment are likely to be stressed and more susceptible to pests and diseases. In Australia, the zones are mainly divided into warm temperate, cool temperate, tropical, subtropical and arid (the first 4 being the most populated areas of Australia, and I’ll focus on these).

You will find much commentary at the start of seasons about what “seeds to sow now”, “what plants to plant now”.

What To Plant And When - Are You Sowing Seeds Or Buying Seedlings?

That’s the big question!

Reasons for Sowing Seeds: Know where your food comes from. You can grow more varieties than what is available to buy at the grocer, cost savings (each packet contains lots of seeds compared to the price of the vegetable/flowers themselves), it's easy!

Reasons for buying starter seedlings: Seeds take time to grow, so starters give you a head start. If you're new to gardening, growing from seed can be daunting. The trays for your seeds can take up room in an optimum position, which you might not have on a Balcony or small space.

General seed guides will recommend generic plantings, but knowing exactly when to sow or plant is important.

For example, in Cool zones, it is important to plant cool-season crops so they have time to mature in cool weather. If they are planted too late, they will bolt to seed as soon as the weather warms up in spring; too early, and the soil may not be warm enough for the crop.

Here on the Balcony, I rely on references that provide seed sowing and planting guides by zone for the reasons I stated above in the zone information.There are many free resources online that will tell you exactly what to plant and when in your region. 

Some popular vegetables they suggest to plant in Autumn are:-
Temperate zone: peas, carrots and broccoli.
Cool zone: peas, carrots and cauliflower.
Sub-tropical zone: beans, cucumber, pak choy.
Arid zone: tomato, zucchini and capsicum.
Tropical zone: sweet corn, lettuce, strawberries.

Specialty purveyors of organic seeds will also provide specific information about this too. I use a combination of seeds and seedlings.

Check The Sunlight And Your Physical Location

Understanding your climate zone is just the beginning, every garden location, even on a Balcony or patio, has local 'microclimate' variations.

Autumn and winter sunshine comes in at a different angle, and the sunny spots on your balcony or patio and small spaces may disappear. A wise gardener will be familiar with the location of the sunny patches at each time of year and parts of the day! Good news for shady Balconies and small, spaced gardens is that many of the leafy greens of the colder months don’t need a lot of sun, unlike the fruiting Summer varieties of favourite plants!

Where You Live Matters!

If you live on a hill, each aspect - north, south, east and west - will have slightly different climatic variations. The eastern side will get morning sun, which is not as hot as the afternoon sun but is more likely to cause frost damage. The southern side will be much cooler than the northern. The western side will be hotter and drier.

The wind exposure will also be different: the eastern side may receive cooling breezes; the southern side, destructive strong winds. Lower areas will usually receive more frost than higher areas, as the cold air drains downhill at night and settles in the low-lying areas. Apartment living can expose you to all these considerations.

Growing in containers means shifting your plants into areas of your space where more optimum conditions exist. Root Pouch Grow Bags have two handles 

👉Action Plan for Autumn

1. Tidy up spent Summer plants – if you have veggies and herbs that are going to seed with flower heads on them, consider leaving these for the pollinators to feast on and pull them out when the flowers are spent.
2. Choose your crops wisely according to the planting guides relevant to your area (see zones). Select the types of crops that you enjoy eating and that provide repeat flowering, fruiting, or cut-and-come-again leaves. You will get the most out of your selection.
3. Remember flowering plants. To keep pollinators and insects fed through the Winter, pot up winter-flowering annuals, evergreens, local natives, succulents, and perennials.
4. Decide whether you will sow seeds or take the faster route of purchasing seedlings.
5. Remember that soil is everything The change of season is the time to refresh your soil in your containers in preparation for new and possibly heavy feeders. If you have a large pot full of spent mix you can try to add as much compost as it will take, some slow release fertiliser pellets and drench it with liquid, organic fertiliser. Alternatively, do what I do…where you can empty out the container of soil, refresh the entire contents using the same technique, or make up new potting mix using  the spent mix. There are recipes for doing so online or use our Soil Recipe card to make up new potting mix for the new season.