Garden journal: preparing for winter

Summer is gradually winding down in my hemisphere although I have many plants that are dormant during the hottest summer months and they wake up and get growing now. Most of these are succulent plants coming from western areas of the country and they will grow and flower during the next few months.

Finger and Thumb plant dries out completely over summer and is re-emerging now

Tylecodon Paniculatus also sprouted new leaves after having a bare stem since about October_

Various crassulas start flowering

Winter Red Hot Poker is a bulb that flowers in winter. I only got this one a few months ago so it may not flower because they generally take a few seasons to settle in after moving but I live in hope

unlike most Northern gardeners, everything grows outside all year round. We do occasionally get frost and growth definitely slows down during those months but March is a good time to plant cool weather crops such as spinach, lettuce, the cabbage family, peas and radishes. I decided to try my hand at peas this year, I haven't grown them before. It rained heavily for three days after I sowed them and the seedlings are already out.

It will be good to have another legume crop in there as the soil is poor and still in the process of being turned into good gardening soil. I also sowed spinach seeds and kale as the current kale is now very long and prone to aphid attack.

Finally, a hybrid haworthia that looked really ugly when I first set eyes on it that is now developing its true adult shape, the flat pointy leaves are shortening and filling out. I'll be keen to see where its at in a few months from now

My entry into @simplymike's Garden Journal challenge. See more about it here:https://peakd.com/gardenjournal/@simplymike/hive-community-garden-journal-challenge-february