[pinkpiggy]

Thanks for that Potato. Is there anything you recommend doing in readiness for Spring, given that we're complete novices?

[kanatakiwi]

keeping in mind that its a little bit warmer in hamilton and auckland than it is in wellington, you might have marginally more success with your winter veg. I planted peas three weeks ago and they are already about 4 inches high.

[Potato]

Thanks for that Potato. Is there anything you recommend doing in readiness for Spring, given that we're complete novices?

If you real feel like planning for the future, asparagus may be an option :D

Hmmmm....

There's probably a wealth of stuff you could plant. I am certainly not an expert, and my knowledge is a bit lacking in this area. This is because I would tend to plant stuff in autumn and it keeps me going through till early Spring, so I don't tend to plant at this time of the year. The next major plant I do is late August, which would be the likes of tomatoes, chillis, peppers (indoors) and various others.
I think this discrepancy is called the "hungry gap". My winter crops bolt to seed come Spring, and then I have "nothing to eat" until my late Spring/early summer crops appear. (Like potatoes, which I think you can start laying in the ground from late August/early September onwards, depending on the variety).

However, I can't think of a reason why you couldn't plant leeks, carrots or parsnips now (the latter can be hard to germinate...I think they need darkness). Also things like cabbages (all sorts), some fennel, and salad greens. I think it's hard to mess up with salad greens, they may be a bit sluggish, but I believe that many of them are OK to plant even during winter months.

When I get seeds, if I can, I tend to "splash out" a bit and go for ones from King Seeds, Koanga Gardens or Eco Seeds, as they have very interesting varieties. Apparently, King Seeds ask you to phone them up if you need general information or help with something in particular. Never tried, but it sounds nice!