Preparing for 2020 Grow. First Grow Ever.

[veggiechicken]

Its not the best time of year for growing - too cold, not enough light - but you could plant some garlic cloves, broad beans and peas like Meteor or Douce Provence. Don't expect them to be ready before spring though!

[MichaelD]

Is it not possibly to grow year round in the UK without the help of a green house/artificial light?

[bikermike]

I think you can grow some things all year, but there isn't much in the "hungry gap" January - May

https://www.farmdrop.com/blog/hungry...itish-produce/ gives some detail and some ideas.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli is a good one, but like all Brassicas, it's susceptible to pests. It also has a long growing time, so you'll need to put it in in spring and it will take up space.

[Mark_Riga]

Is it not possibly to grow year round in the UK without the help of a green house/artificial light?

It depends on how organised you are to some extent.
You could have carrots, leeks, beetroot and various brassicas growing now and over winter.

and in store: onions, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, beans and dried herbs. with apples and some frozen soft fruit. We have quite a few margarine tubs with any amount of veggy curries and soups as well.

[greenishfing]

Is it not possibly to grow year round in the UK without the help of a green house/artificial light?

You won't grow much that you can plant now. Most things growing in my allotment were planted months ago with the exception of Winter onions and garlic.

[muck lover]

Like those above I would suggest you plant garlic broad beans and maybe some onion sets now. It will be ages before they really seem to be growing but they should come up nicely by springtime and they’re all quite reliable things to grow.

[chillithyme]

Yes to all of the above. If you really want to harvest something, you could do micro greens, cress or mung bean sprout indoors, even pea sprouts would be ok. It won't be a huge harvest, but just something fun and small to harvest whilst waiting for the spring crops to get going.I'm going to do some now too. You can use normal dry mung beans/lentils from asian shops or the asian section of the supermarkets.

[MichaelD]

Can I grow Chilis, (ie Jalepeno - I love those), indoors on a windowsill?

[chillithyme]

You can, but they are normally started off early winter jan- feb, or even earlier by seed if light levels can be given to them. Jalapeño would normally start slowing down now. I have two apaches compact windowsill varieties which are flowering and producing chillis, but they have been growing since spring. You could start some chillies off by seed, once you've started you will be hooked
Check out this thread on chilli growing and overwintering if you haven't already.

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ghlight=chilli

[MichaelD]

You can, but they are normally started off early winter jan- feb, or even earlier by seed if light levels can be given to them. Jalapeño would normally start slowing down now. I have two apaches compact windowsill varieties which are flowering and producing chillis, but they have been growing since spring. You could start some chillies off by seed, once you've started you will be hooked
Check out this thread on chilli growing and overwintering if you haven't already.

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ghlight=chilli

Do you mean that an already established plant would?

Apaches are to hot for my tastebuds these days. I used to eat Habenaro and Scotchy B's

[chillithyme]

Yes an established plant as with all chillies slow down now as it gets colder and light levels decrease.
If you want no heat all the Trinidad perfume is a good one. If you want some heat, then Hungarian hot wax is productive, just as long as you pick the fruits when they are still green early on. The longer that you leave them on, the hotter that they can get. A pretty mild chilli seeing as you used to eat hot chillies is cayanette, a bush version of cayenne. It is not as hot as Apache

[MichaelD]

I will certainly investigate some chilis.

Also I have had that Daves Ghost Pepper sauce.

Naga Jolokia

[chillithyme]

I haven't dared try ghost pepper sauce, your are braver than me I grew naga chillies a few years back, they were very hot, it was fun to grow, but they are painful to eat, it was an experience!
In some places where they are served, customers are asked to sign a disclaimer stating that if they have a heart attack from the naga, then the the restaurant isn't responsible!

[MichaelD]

I haven't dared try ghost pepper sauce, your are braver than me I grew naga chillies a few years back, they were very hot, it was fun to grow, but they are painful to eat, it was an experience!
In some places where they are served, customers are asked to sign a disclaimer stating that if they have a heart attack from the naga, then the the restaurant isn't responsible!

That Ghost Pepper sauce says Caution: Do not eat if you have a history of respiratory problems, on the bottle. It also states that it can be used as an industrial cleaner, I think that's a gimmicks, but I wouldn't be surprised none the less as it's a vinegar based chili sauce.

For me, it wasn't pleasant. I found it to be taste similar to scotch bonnet, but on steroids.

My friend who is Jamaican says that they often prick the SB's, leave them whole and remove so that the just get the flavour minus the heat.

[chillithyme]

haha, yep scotch bonnets on steroids