Growing weeds (intentionally!) through winter

[MaggotPig]

Hi,

First planty question from me...and a slightly unusual one I expect.

I am going to be attempting to grow weeds (dandelions, plantain etc.) during the winter if possible, and I'm wondering the best way to do it.

I will soon have a conservatory when I move, I'm not sure if there's a radiator in there or not, so I'm not sure how cold it gets, but I was wondering if I could use a heated propagator to good effect?

I'd be interested to hear whether or not this would work!!


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[Bill HH]

At the risk of being flippant I can tell you exactly how to grow weeds in abundance, do your very best to get rid of them, have a cup of tea and millions will pop up. Dare i ask why on earth you would want to grow weeds?

[MaggotPig]

I have 5 guinea pigs and a tortoise...trying to cut down on my food bills! The tortoise is also on a 100% weed diet. I forage a lot of weeds but with the time of year its getting more and more difficult!


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[chris]

The low light levels means not many things actually "grow" over winter. If you wanted to be actively growing things, then you'd need grow lights and heat (or at least, a frost free place to grow). Obviously then that negates the cost of growing things, for free.

[WendyC]

Rather than weeds are there any of the cooler weather salads that they could eat? I'm thinking of things like mizuna. As Chris said getting crops to grow over winter is tricky.

[MaggotPig]

Thanks for the thoughts

My main concern is the tortoise. He's preparing for his first hibernation - he didn't hibernate last year as he was unwell and he may have to be woken up mid-winter this year if he doesn't do well. He's on a strict weed diet due to health problems caused by his previous owner.

Having thought about it, if he does wake up, then there'll be plenty of heat and UV around so hopefully that should help!


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[Samurailord]

Why not try some green manures?

That way you aree suppressing the nasty weeds and supplanting them with 'nice' weeds such as Red Clover

Andy

[Two_Sheds]

I have 5 guinea pigs

I feed 4 GPs. As you know, they need Vit C every day, and in the wild they eat mostly grass. (Hay is dried grass).

For fresh greens, I keep a couple of pots of carrots in the greenhouse (unheated). The carrots produce leaves, which I use as cut-and-come-again salad for the GPs.

I also sow trays of wild bird seed (which includes oat, wheat seeds etc) on a windowsill, and they love the juicy fresh green "grass" that this provides

[MaggotPig]

I used to grow oat grass but it wouldn't grow quick enough! Hopefully now with the conservatory, I'll have more surface space to grow it in trays...weeks of lovingly tending to my grass seeds = 15 seconds of noms for the pigs!!


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[simon12]

I got 2 packs of Winter greens in the telegraph offer for 10 packs of seeds for £2.70 which sound ideal for what you want. They seem to have re branded it now to this Salad Leaves 'The Good Life Mix' - Salad Seeds - Thompson & Morgan If you want I will post you a pack.

[Two_Sheds]

I used to grow oat grass but it wouldn't grow quick enough!

Well no, nothing much does grow when the daylight hours are very short. Winter is a time of dormancy and recuperation: spring is when it all gets going again.

Grow them some treats by all means, but don't be too proud to give them supermarket veg if needs be. Mine love apples, which I don't grow, plus all kinds of weeds that I find in my various gardens.

We made this earlier, it might be of some interest to you:

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...etc_64000.html

[esbo]

Stick em in my garden I have more than enough weeds to get a horse through the winter!!