Let me take you through the process I go through, that you can use to decide what to grow and start your bed this season, or any time of the year.
I know it's a cliche at this point, but I cannot stress how important it is that you first and foremost write a list of edibles that you either already eat or would really like to try.
You are going to be invested and are more likely to keep trying when there are challenges, if you grow foods that you are actually interested in.
Then it's time to find out which of these edibles can be grown in your zone/area in general and which season they be grown. Don't worry, I used to have to look it up all the time!
Fortunately, after a while you will get the hang of knowing what can be grown and when in your climate. Until then I recommend visiting gardenate.com. It is a gardener favourite because it is incredibly easy to use, just select your climate zone and the month - and away you go. You can also print the guide out if you prefer and even subscribe to free email reminders of what to plant each month. An app has even been released that tracks plantings and harvests. Each plant listed has a handy little seed sowing guide if you want to check spacing and so forth.
My list for Winter so far includes:
Garlic, Red onion, Red clover, Green Feast Pea, Red Mizuna, Fordhook Giant Silverbeet, Mammoth Snow Pea, Red Globe Beetroot, All Year Cauliflower, Purple King Climbing Bean, Sweet Basil, Blue Lake Climbing Bean, Green Curled Dwarf Kale, Forono Beetroot, Iceberg Lettuce, Russian Tarragon, Strawberry Spinach, Watermelon Radish, Rocket, Mixed Italian Lettuce, Broad Beans, Sparkler Radish, Kuroda Carrot, Pak Choi, Freckle Lettuce, Medania Spinach, Matador Spinach, Loose Leaf Cos Lettuce, Oakleaf Lettuce, Iceberg Lettuce, Green Celery, Purple Dragon Carrots, Early Nantes Carrots, Broccoli, Dwarf Bean, Clary Sage, and a few which I have yet to order; Celtuce, Common Chives, Halbhoher Grüner Krauser Kale, Yukina Savoy Tatsoi, Crisp Mint Lettuce, Phacelia Tanacetifolia.
Now you have decided what to grow, one of the most important steps is finding a reputable seedling or seed supplier.
Personally I like to grow it myself from seed, then save my own seed, heavily reducing my seed costs - basically down to $0. This allows for more of my limited budget to go on making a good quality seedling mix - which I also produce at a very low cost. Growing from seed also means that I know what soil is being used, there are no herbicides, fungicides or seed treatments used, my plants are properly sun hardened and that I get a hell of a lot more bang for my buck.
As an example, a good packet of Pak Choi seeds can cost anything from $1- $4 depending where you source it. When most of the seed germinates you can end up with around 340 healthy, strong, organic plants (see below where I have sowed 100 Pak Choi seeds) from the whole packet. However, if you were to walk into a nursery, you will more than likely end up paying around $4 - $6 for a punnet containing 8 seedlings, that are not guaranteed to be organic, sun hardened or as healthy.
I currently use a seed supplier (Diggers) - and I also trade with other gardeners online through seed exchange groups. There are a few other suggestions for those based in Western and greater Australia which I have yet to try, but have had recommended to me via the 'gardener grapevine'. Next time I order it will be from more local companies.
Next on the list is planning the layout of your bed/(s) based on spacing, soil types and companion planting.
While every plant has spacing recommendations according to obtaining full sized harvests which you can find on the packet or on a site like gardenate , if, like me, you wish to harvest small amounts or young produce often the spacing can be reduced. For example, if you are growing plants like Broccoli for their leaves only, or want baby salad leaves from your Kale, the recommended spacing can often be halved.
When it comes to the feeding requirements of your edibles, it is best to divide them up into feed types (heavy, medium, low). This simply means that those plants that require more nitrogen like leafy greens, be planted in the beds that have the most nitrogen; while root vegetables like carrots or beetroot are planted into areas where manure has not been added during the current or last season. Planting similar families next to each other also helps, especially if you need to introduce powdered or liquid additives like lime or potassium, according to your plant's family needs.
By the time companion planting comes into play, everything else needs to be considered as well as the interrelationships between the plants. Companion planting is the practice of the inter-planting or close planting of different plants so that they can support, enhance or protect each other. If you are new to companion planting I suggest taking a good look around on the net, to find lists like this simple yet extensive one, or getting your hands on a detailed book like 'Bob Flowerdew's Complete Book of Companion Planting'. I have various herbs and flowers inter-planted with my other edibles. I will go into more detail in another blog post, keep an eye out for it!
All that's left after your careful planning, is to plant away. So get out there and grow!