Winter salads in polyhouse

[JimmerG]

Shoot me down in flames if this is a stupid idea..... but I'm pretty sure I've seen radishes that can be planted in January.

So I'm wondering - could I sow a load of salady sort of stuff, radishes, lettuces, beetroot maybe - get them going on a window sill inside, then stick them in a polyhouse in 3 - 4 weeks time?

Is there a hardy range of salads that could be grown through the winter? The polyhouse is sited against a warm (when the sun's out) SW wall of my house. I've got a couple of trays of Feltham First peas successfully growing in there at the moment.

What do we think?

J

[Bigmallly]

I don't grow salad Jimmer but this is a link from this time last year that may help.


http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...rt-sowing.html

[Sanjo]

JimmerG, around this time last year, admittedly in a frost free greenhouse, I sowed a few lettuce seeds (both little gem and salad bowl), radish and beets in old deepish washing up bowls.
It was mainly to interest my little grandaughter but we did get some leafy veg out of it.
The tops of beets are edible and the whole of a new radish is too. Lettuce we had enough to stick a bit of green in a sandwich.
At the same time we also sowed small pots of Lisbon spring onions. What we didn't nibble on were then transferred into the prepared bed outside in March and covered with a fleece cloche. It meant that by the time spring really came we were all ready with a bit of salad stuff. In fact it's the first time I have ever had spring onions early enough in the season to have with the rest of the salad. I have already sown the lisbon in pots again for this year, as well as lettuce and radish.
Hope that helps.

[OllieMartin]

I've had some Pak Choi in the garden under a cloche over the winter, they're still as green and content as ever.

[Bren In Pots]

I set Arctic king and 'All the year round' lettuce October time in a unheated greenhouse, its worked out well and kept us in lettuce all winter. Did some Pak choi the same time but thats way behind so maybe that will grow more once it gets warmer.

[Alison]

I have some pak choi in pots in the cold greenhouse, sown late autumn, still a bit small but very healthy looking, especially considering it's been ignored. Am planning on growing a load of different types of winter lettuce in the new polytunnel next winter but intend like Bren to sow in the autumn so they get a good start before it gets too cold.

[Bren In Pots]

Alison its my first attempt at growing overwinter so wasn't too sure what to expect. I set 14 lettuce and have used half of them as cut and come again leaving the others to grow to full size.

[Alison]

It works pretty well though, have done it before in the greenhouse but wasn't very organised this year so didn't sow at the right time so am having to buy most of my lettuce at the moment

[FionaH]

I have some pak choi in a trough in the greenhouse, how big do they get?

[solway cropper]

A couple of years ago the only fresh produce I got during winter was sprouting seeds and a few leeks!

Anyway, this winter I made real effort and sowed quite a lot of stuff in autumn to overwinter and most of it has survived -15 degree frosts. Chard, pak choi, spring onions and chinese celery are all looking good and ready to eat in the unheated greenhouse now that things are a bit warmer. The lettuce didn't make it but I'm now certain that it's quite possible to grow a lot of stuff through the winter if you are able to give a little protection. And you've still got the hardy stuff outside such as swedes, parsnips, sprouts, cabbage....

[Two_Sheds]

I'm pretty sure I've seen radishes that can be planted in January.

My best radishes are sown in October. It's too cold for the slugs, which normally eat them all come the warmer weather.

These are on my plot right now