Autumn and winter crops

[Alice Johnson]

When your summer veg plants have finished producing yields, what crops do you grow over the autumn and winter months?

[sparrow100]

In my experience lots of the winter crops need to be planted in mid-/late-summer, so they can establish and give you a decent crop. Having said that, planting later will still give you something - you can always style it as intentional baby veg...My leeks always go in late and I pretend I meant that to happen!

Currently in: kale, broccoli, oca, yacon, saffron (bit of a cheat there as it's perennial). Should have gone in: late beets, cabbages, carrots, turnips, swede, spinach, leeks, Going in later on this year for spring: garlic, broad beans, possibly a couple of cabbages, winter salad in the greenhouse, late sown peas for peashoots over winter.

There is lots you can grow - am sure you'll get many more suggestions. The key is to grow what you like to eat.

[Bren In Pots]

Towards the end of August I'll be sowing winter lettuce 'Arctic king' and 'All year round' in news paper pots ready to plant into my GH border once the toms have been removed.

[bario1]

About now (possibly a little bit late), I sow Spring greens, which get just big enough to survive the Winter weather when it arrives. They will grow slowly over Winter, then bulk up fast in Spring, giving you tasty greens in April and May. For the best results, grow undercover in a polytunnel or greenhouse.

[burnie]

With a possible frost this weekend, if it's not in the ground growing now up here, then it's probably too late. I have carrots, parsnips, leeks, cabbage and purple sprouting broccoli for our winter veg.

[Penellype]

When things like peas and onions come out I often replace them with 30 litre pots of veg that have been growing elsewhere, giving things more room as they get bigger. These might contain beans or late peas, tomatoes or calabrese, for a later summer or autumn crop, or they might contain PSB or leeks for overwintering. Alternatively I might plant spring cabbage, winter lettuce or chinese celery, or sow spinach, broad beans or corn salad for overwintering.

[Chestnut]

This is only my second growing season so I don’t have much experience to go on, but...

First year I planted garlic in the first bed I cleared. Last year I put in some soft fruit bare root plants in late autumn, but otherwise hadn’t really grasped the succession planting thing.

This year I am trying;
pumpkins (started in pots) after the early peas came out (largest pumpkin is now nearly 2 inches, so might not get much of a crop!),
cucumbers and autumn cabbages after the early beetroot (again, started in pots), getting lots of cucumbers
Carrots, turnips and swede sowed a couple of weeks ago after spuds came out(might be a bit late for swedes, but worth a try),
Beetroot seedlings and spring cabbage seedlings waiting to go in this weekend in rest of potato patch, along with some pak choi and mustard after onions

This is a link to another thread you might find helpful - I have so far only read one and a quarter of the books which Jay-ell recommended as the inter library loans took a while to arrive, but I am finding plenty of good ideas. I will try to finish at least one of them over the bank holiday weekend so that it will become available for you to borrow from your local library

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ter_97196.html

[Jay-ell]

Totally unprepared to grow over winter this year. I've kale, sprouts, 4 different types of perennial leeks, annual leeks, chard in. I'll be planting my overwintering potato onions, shallots and garlic later on and also some over wintering broad beans.

[Jungle Jane]

When my tomato plants in the ground have finished & it turns cold,I dig them out & sow meteor peas & broad beans in their place so I don’t put tomatoes in that spot the following year,to help me remember because I’ve got mixed beds. Then I plant garlic & onions when they’re in the garden centre around November. During January I’ll sow some balconi red tomatoes & mini peppers under lights for early harvesting again,it was good this year any miniature tomato varieties work,tall varieties outgrow my light (I’d started the seeds Jan 15th along with others on here starting early seeds).

[Jay-ell]

Totally unprepared to grow over winter this year. I've kale, sprouts, 4 different types of perennial leeks, annual leeks, chard in. I'll be planting my overwintering potato onions, shallots and garlic later on and also some over wintering broad beans.

4 different types of perennial leeks was a typo. It's supposed to be 5.

I forgot to mention the perennial kales and cabbages as well. And the scorzonera. And the Skirret. The oca and sweet potatoes will be coming up in November but I can count them as autumn crops.

Looks like I have more over winter than I thought.

[chillithyme]

I am overwintering leeks, garlic,broadbeans, shallots
Possibly spring cabbage and kale

Autumn crop of spinach,beetroot and spring onions

[annie8]

I’ve seen some mention of sowing beetroot now. Is there a particular kind that can be overwintered? According to my packet of bolthardy seeds it’s too late now.

[muck lover]

I’ve ordered a collection of 20 brassica plants from mr. Fothergills. I’ll be putting in onion sets and garlic later and broad beans too. I’ve invested in ten new everbearing strawberry plants too as well as a lot of home grown runners which will need planted. Caterpillars got my kale when I was on holiday so I might sow some more or buy baby plants. Am shortly going to be ordering flower bulbs.

[Penellype]

I’ve seen some mention of sowing beetroot now. Is there a particular kind that can be overwintered? According to my packet of bolthardy seeds it’s too late now.

I would think it is a bit late for beetroot now, especially in Scotland where daylight hours are less than they are at the same time of year in the south of England.

[Chestnut]

I’ve seen some mention of sowing beetroot now. Is there a particular kind that can be overwintered? According to my packet of bolthardy seeds it’s too late now.

Yes, the beetroot is a bit of an experiment..... seed packet said sow by end of June. However, I prefer baby beet size, so sowed in paper pots mid July and planted out today. Hoping if we get a mild autumn I should have beetroot in October