2016 Overwintered Crops Harvested in Spring

The spring crops of dill, coriander, lettuce, sorrel and cabbages are coming to an end. I planted tomato seeds indoors last September but planted out the seedlings surrounded by basil only two weeks ago; we have had a wet, cool spring this year.
I am disappointed to discover that the garlic which takes six months to mature is being harvested from my plot by an unknown garlic thief  before the corms are fully mature. I am so discouraged that I may not bother to plant garlic next year.

Crop rotation

Carrots and garlic growing companionably

As space becomes available in the plot I plan to practice crop rotation as best I can in such a small garden. This is what I plan to do over the next month:

Take the climbing beans out and plant winter spinach, silver beet, beetroot, dill, lettuce and chard in their place.

Take out the chili and marigold plants. The tomatoes are already compost. Dig in the marigolds. Lime the soil.

Replace with garlic, carrots,  spring onions and lettuce.

Take out the cosmos. Plant peas on the wire frame,        surrounded by coriander, lettuce, small brassicas & carrots. Peas are likely to be pilfered. Over late summer I enjoyed picking beans so much I would like to give peas a try and hope for the best.

Growing food in containers

Celery

Most vegetables require 8 hours of sunlight per day and at my home the area that meets this requirement is limited to two square meters of paving around the back door. There I have placed two large black plastic pots in which I can grow climbing vegetables: cucumbers in summer and snow peas in winter. Grown on teepees,climbing plants reach up to take advantage of more available sunlight. The autumn Equinox is the ideal time to transition from summer to winter crops so this week I have taken out the cucumber plants in preparation for snow peas. I remove the top 1/2 of the old potting medium and replace it with a new, enriched medium made up of  2/3 new potting mix and 1/3 sheep manure* plus 2 handfuls of dolomite lime. In the glazed blue pot I grow decorative crops: basil in summer and celery, kohl-Rabi, carrots or lettuce in winter. I have a box of strawberries growing here too but they have been unproductive and I will not persist- the area is getting shadier as our lemon tree grows bigger. I surround the big black pots with smaller pots of herbs like thyme, mint, oregano, rosemary. Parsley requires less sunlight and self-seeds in damp spots all around the garden. 
* I buy sheep manure from Robert from Broadford: 0409 794 417  $6 per bag, minimum five bags, who delivers free of charge. There are several other suppliers listed on the Internet and I am told, one at least, is cheaper. Worm castings, compost or any processed commercial manure product can be used instead of sheep manure.