What should I be sowing now?

[mandyballantyne]

Hi All,

Can some one tell me what I should be sowing now so that I have no bare ground in winter please. Also first year with a greenhouse and don't want it empry in winter.

All ideas welcomed.

Thanks, Mandy

[rustylady]

You can still sow things like salad crops, french beans, carrots. Can't guarantee full occupancy of the ground right through winter, but winter cabbage, sprouts and leeks can be planted now. If you haven't sown any you may be able to buy plants locally. If your greenhouse is anything like mine it will be full of overwintering pot plants (fuchsias, pelargoniums etc. + salad crops in pots and new sowings).

[shirlthegirl43]

I am about to start sowing kohl rabi, rainbow chard and kale. Hoping that they will see us through - going to try not to buy much veg this winter (that is the plan anyway). Sure there are other things you can plant and the more experienced grapes will be along to advise soon.

As to the greenhouse, I am going to try cut and come again salad, radish, spring onions and spuds and carrots in buckets - nothing ventured nothing gained and my first winter with a greenhouse too. I bought an oil-filled radiator thingy for a tenner and plan to use that to keep the 'house frost free.

[Two_Sheds]

Hi All,

Can some one tell me what I should be sowing now ?

errr....rice?

[sewer rat]

Hi Mandy
Given that you are north of the border, most things could still be sown - though leeks would need to be bought.
I still have sowings of carrots, Swiss Chard, Beetroot, Spring Onions, Kale, Calabrese, PSB, radish, herbs and late peas to make up here.
I also have winter brassicas to plant out that I have started in my polytunnel. I also sow trays of lettuce each week to plant out, so really there is loads.
In addition, you could still sow runner and French Beans.
Really, although we haven't had the deluges and floods our friends in the South have had, June has been very cold and I know my average daily daytime temp this month has only been 12 centigrade.
So if summer does put in an appearance this year (real soon I hope) most things should perform satisfactorily.

[goddess]

Hi Mandy
i have learnt about what to sow now from your posting so thanks.As for greenhouse,i started some mizuna and wild rocket late in the season(begining of Oct) in pots and put them in unheated greenhouse by Nov.they did really well all winter .will definitly repeat the same this year but will start earlier and with more pots(will have to get rid of OH pots of cacti and reclaim space first)

[Snadger]

Winter kales and spring cabbage can still be sown outdoors
over the coming months. Jap onions and garlic, Autumn sown broad beans and peas also!
All the winter brassica's will be planted out shortly along with leeks

Eventually (not this year) I plan to bring Christmas flowering Chrysanths into the greenhouse once all the tomatoes and peppers have finished. This year i'll just have to console myself with Christmas potatoes planted in pots outdoors in July and brought into the greenhouse when other stuff is finished to give them some frost protection!

[moggssue]

Very useful thread, thanks Mandy! So are we still okay to sow a second lot of french beans and peas to get a crop later this year? I was thinking they make take too long to mature out in the open? I've just sowed (sown?) carrots and lettuce and they came up really quickly, much quicker than the earlier lot!

[mandyballantyne]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the great ideas, I think I will try some of all your suggestions and see what works best here for next year.

Two sheds, I do like your idea I eat a lot of rice. Can you grow it from shop bought or can you recomend a good supplier

Thanks, Mandy

[Birdie Wife]

Or if you're really stuck and don't want to have bare ground, try a green manure to condition the ground, it's maybe a bit early to be thinking of this just yet, but well worth the effort unless you've found loads of horse poop FTGH.