Just a short post because though I have mentioned this before, I don’t think I have ever photographed it to show.
Our lettuces, silverbeet (chard) and broccoli self seed, we haven’t bought seeds or seedlings for years. This front raised garden runs the width of the front section, this is much longer than the photo suggests. Every summer we leave our self sewn seedlings in and will plant beetroot etc in amongst them, we also leave a couple of plants of everything again go to seed mid summer. By end of summer this is what the garden looks like – this is full (actually overfull) of free food.
We managed to grow some unintended pumpkins in here this year so they are being trained to wander over the sides and down onto the lawn. Also some tomato plants popped up. The loose-leaf lettuce are being eaten now with lots of new ones still popping up, the silverbeet nearly ready and will last months, the broccoli maybe another month, some carrots in here will be another 2 months, the pumpkins and tomatoes may be another 3 months away. By end of autumn it will have vegetables again going to seed and they germinate with the warmth of the following late Spring.
Our big vegetable garden down the back grew a heap of silverbeet and carrots this way this year.
We keep alot of organic matter up to this garden, along with worm castings etc, to enbable us to grow this way – it’s fertile and loose.
quarteracrelifestyle 
Lovely! My herb garden did the same for years. Alas, the brutal winter a year ago decimated it. Now it’s back to seedlings and considerable nurturing. I’ll look to more organic matter to assist. 🙂
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Yes, quite a few of my herbs pop up everywhere too Eric 🙂 Long time no see, hope you are well 🙂
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All well here and trust the same holds for you!
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Well enough thanks 🙂
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It’s amazing isn’t it! That garden full of greens look so enticing! Even my little patch contains self seeded chicory, lettuce, silver beet, spinach and parsley. Nothing as verdant as yours, but there’s a meal or two in there 🙂 How’s the family settling in Wendy?
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Self seeded anything is great 🙂 Not everyone could be bothered with half dead stalky plants everywhere but makes no difference to us. The kids are fine for time being thanks Pauline, wee bub is holding her own 🙂
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How terrific is that!
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🙂 Frugal gardening at it’s best, clever little plants 🙂
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I haven’t had much luck with self seeding, maybe our winters are just too harsh here, but I intend to keep trying. One thing I do have luck with is volunteer plants from the compost. I don’t worry about picking out all the seeds when I bury my food scraps and I’ll find lots of plants sprouting from that patch.
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Alot of fruit trees have come from the compost heap 🙂 That could possibly be the problem, our winters aren’t that bad. I need to catch up on your blog, a bit going on this past fortnight.
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WOW! Your chaos looks so orderly Wendy when mine just looks like a jungle ;). Seriously though, this looks amazing. I guess I should just let everything go to seed. The tomatoes do this every year so why not everything else? Cheers for the excellent post 🙂
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Yes, give it a go 🙂 Our bottom garden IS a jungle, this is the one I weed and in the front yard so has to at least look tidy lol. It just does its own thing other than that and we get what we get.
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LOVE IT!!! That is amazing. I have had kale and chard live through the winter but a hit and miss system. They don’ t all live and it only happens if we have a mild winter. Yours looks beautiful and planned…I agree with Fran-looks organized.
thank you for sharing:-)
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Hi Robbie. No, definitely not planned and very random. Maybe because there are so many lettuce in there 🙂 Everything has just grown where it’s landed.
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my kinda of gardening:-) I want a more perennial food garden as I get older-LOL
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I love the idea of self seeding gardens. I never know which will do it and which won’t. Have you been away? I haven’t received a post from you in quite a while. Good to see you pop up again.
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Hi Marlene 🙂 No, just been really busy with other stuff 🙂 Green leafy vegetables will self sew, also carrots if they have good loose soil around them, beetroot (beets) lots of herbs, sunflowers.
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Thanks for the information. I’ll be building my planter beds more toward the middle of the month when I get back home and my handy-kid gets back from his trip. Then I’ll order good dirt and get started. I’m so looking forward to it. 🙂 Have a wonderfilled week.
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Yes, Spring is lovely when you start your garden 🙂 You have a wonderfilled week also 🙂
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It looks lush!! what do you have in there? I have yet to start my seedlings for this year. (Canadian weather) I have to start planning and wishing and drooling soon. 🙂 It’s going to be tons of greens this year.
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Hi Kay 🙂 We have heaps of different lettuce, broccoli, chard, pumpkins, parsley and some tomatoes. Good luck with your garden, you sound like me come Spring 🙂
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Awesome. Totally my style of gardening!
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🙂 My guess is this is how gardening used to be before seed packets and neatly sown rows!
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Love this post Wendy and can not wait to get started in the garden.. And oh so love lettuce .. I have set seeds for cabbage etc.. and Kale.. now waiting for the weather to improve..
Thank you for this little bit of Green on this very grey drab day here in the UK 🙂
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You are nearly there 🙂 We have a grey, drab day here too as we head into autumn. Not liking these colder mornings!
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Reblogged this on Auntie Dogma's Garden Spot.
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