Overwintering your crops

[Laura Hillier]

Hi All,

Even though we are all still enjoying the lovely, long, sunny days, here in the GYO office we have been planning ahead and looking at overwintering...

So, a question for any of you who haven't decided the mention of winter is just too much to take in June -

Do you overwinter any of your crops? Are you going to try with anything new this year? And what are your tried and tested methods?

Answers may be edited and published in the September 2014 issue of Grow Your Own.

Laura

[Fleurisa]

Do you mean things like purple sprouting broccoli, autumn sown broad beans and peas, autumn planted onion sets, winter hardy spring onions, winter hardy little gem?
If so, then yes

[Laura Hillier]

Hi Fleurisa,

Yes, anything you will be getting through winter

Personally, I tried with my chilli plants last year - with varying levels of success...

Laura

[Raybon]

Chard is a winner for me....

[Bren In Pots]

I've overwintered runner beans by digging up the roots and leaving them in my unheated GH over winter in pots.

here's the thread :-

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ans_78430.html

[Scarlet]

I overwinter chillies. I wouldn't bother with the quick growing cayennes but slower varieties, habaneros or lemon drop will fruit much better in their second year, after all, they are a short lived perennial. I don't cut back any growth unless it's really out of shape and straggly. I have windows that face all directions but the best ones seem to face east, (maybe slightly off) they catch the morning and early afternoon light.

[Scarlet]

I should also have added, garlic and giant garlic are a crop that's a must for me for overwintering. I also have fab results with kale and especially Durham early spring cabbage, which I sow in early Aug and over winter in the GH.

[Penellype]

The usual PSB, spring cabbage (I like Spring Hero) and leeks.
Previous results from overwintering spring onions have ranged from diabolical to non existent.
Carrots (Nantes Fastcrop) - in the past caterpillars have decimated the foliage resulting in very tiny crops. I'm hoping to combat this with veggiemesh this year.
Spinach (Bloomsdale) - last year 1 plant survived but bolted before it produced any edible leaves. I may try again depending on enthusiasm levels!
Tomatoes (Shirley) on my west facing sitting room windowsill were a surprising success last year, producing occasional red fruit all winter (they are still doing so).
Might try overwintering one of my pepper plants if they don't get too big to stay indoors.
I intend to be more adventurous and start earlier with the indoor salads this year.

[Bigmallly]

Having 2 kites, it would be a shame to have them empty so I'll be trying anything I can get my hands on. I have currently started planted 1 spud in a flower bucket which I will do every week till I have 15 buckets, then I will lift the 1st bucket & replant keeping a 15 week succession.............The target is to harvest for 52 weeks.........

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ies_79238.html

[Greenleaves]

I am going to try and grow runners over winter in a cold greenhouse and by using grow lights, with self fertitle varities now available insect polination should not be an issue.

I will never know unless I try

[AllInContainers]

No facilities here other then the little back garden and two shallow south facing windowsills. This is my first year of growing chillies, and whilst I'm tempted to try overwintering them, do I really want plants that look dead in my lounge window? Chinese artichokes and jerusalem artichokes might not get dug up till required, and Medlars will be a very late harvest, but other than that .... nope, my garden will shut down till spring.

[Scarlet]

AIC, my chillies looked lovely over Christmas....

[AllInContainers]

That's great! I think you just made my mind up for me Scarlet

[ButternutSquash]

I've overwintered chillis and a Rocoto is close to 10 years old now. It produced more each year until after ~7 years and then fell back. I also found the pods grew larger and rounder. With chillis you bring them indoors before the frost, then early in the new year cut the top back to ~8", and trim the root ball and place in new compost. It is stressful for them, and I lost an Orange Habenero after trimming as it was left in a cool porch ~4C. I've overwintered Capsicum baccatum, C. chinense and C. pubescens. The baccatum and pubescens are more tolerant of cold conditions than the chinense which is a real softy. Generally overwintering gives you an early harvest, in June typically, and a second harvest later in the year.

[sparrow100]

I've overwintered chillies - started out with 13 total, ended up with 3. But the lemon drop now has a crop of ripening chillies on it, the habaneros are still sulking.

Cutting them back in my experience = chilli death. I'm probably not doing it right, but I'm just going to leave them in future.