It seems crazy to even be thinking about it, let alone publically announce my thoughts on the subject, but April is the time to plant...wait for it...winter veges.

Can you believe we've been officially in autumn for over a month now? It's been the summer, or should I say drought, that never seemed to end.

But daylight savings has finished for another year, and the weather will (or should!) start to get cooler soon so it's important to get your new season veges in the ground while the soil temperature is still warm enough to kick start their growth.

And two veges I just can't seem to get enough of, whatever the season, are broad beans and broccoli. Bring to the boil to blanche and add to a salad, throw them into a quiche or serve as a side with a good old roast - they're tasty and versatile veges any garden should have.

Pick up your Awapuni sprouting broccoli and broad bean seedlings from Bunnings, The Warehouse or your local supermarket when you're next out. Alternatively, order your seedlings from our online store and have them delivered direct to your door.

Once you've got your seedlings, you need to find a spot to plant. It's important you plant your brassicas (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower etc) in a different spot to where you grew them last year to prevent them getting club root.

Broad beans don't need anything to grow up against, but because they like to support each other I recommend planting a patch of bean seedlings next to your broccoli but not interspersed with them like you might with another vege such as silverbeet.

Next add some compost and lime to the soil and mix well. This will ensure your soil is in top condition for the cooler months ahead and will also help prevent club root.

And, if you want to give your broccoli and beans a really good head start, add a general fertiliser, such as nitrophoska blue, to the soil prior to planting. This will encourage growth and ensure abundant broccoli come harvest.

Right, let's start by planting your broccoli first. Simply dig a hole (approximately 3cms deep), place your seedling inside and cover the roots with soil. Space each seedling 35 to 50cms apart.

This will ensure room for the broccoli seedling to expand and grow. As broccoli can take a long time to mature, during the earlier weeks you can plant other seedlings (such as the silverbeet I mentioned earlier) that mature quickly in the spaces between each broccoli seedling. This is known as companion planting.

Also, don't forget to add slug and snail bait to the soil surrounding your seedlings.

You can buy this at any garden centre store and it's a great way to keep creepy crawlies from eating your broccoli before you do. For a more organic option, why not try sprinkling eggshells around the garden or beer bait.

Now, for the broad beans - simply plant each seedling around 15cm apart from each other in rows approximately 30cm apart.

Depending on the weather where you live and, as a result, the soil temperature, your bean seedlings will take around eight to 12 weeks to produce beans ready for harvesting.

Once the plants are around one metre high put a stake at either end of the rows and loop a big piece of string around the whole lot to keep them growing together.

While broad beans take at least a couple of months to produce any actual beans, the plants grow really quickly.

Your broccoli should be ready for harvest in two to three months. Broccoli needs to be harvested before it flowers, as once the broccoli flowers, the plant will die.

Use a knife to diagonally cut off the heads of broccoli you have selected. Harvesting your broccoli this way encourages new heads to grow and will also ensure a long cropping season. Handy hint: If I've harvested too much broccoli, I simply chuck the excess in the freezer.

Broccoli can be kept in the freezer for two-to-three months so don't worry if you harvest a tad more than you need at the time.