Sowing early, sowing late

[Noosner]

I read recently the nugget of wisdom 'things that can be sown early can also often be sown late'. I tried it this year (by default due to disasters earlier on) with mangetout and with peas, and have been eating both for the last fortnight, yum. The mangetout have been prolific, the peas more lacklustre.

This may be a silly question but are there disadvantage to sowing late like this? Do other folk do it much or do you tend to sow things in their 'proper' season?

[Penellype]

Having limited space, most of what I do is at the recommended time, but I have experimented with early and late sowings. In general I find yields are lower, but sometimes you do get some sort of a crop. This year has been very mild through September and I've been eating a few late peas - previously I have found the later sowings have been decimated by slugs and/or caterpillars before any pods have appeared. I've also sown some late kohlrabi which is starting to swell, but whether it will cope with the colder stuff that is coming from tomorrow I have no idea.

I've tried sowing carrots in February and March, but I tend to find that the same variety overtakes them when sown in April, so I probably won't be trying that again.

[Guest]

I intend to sow in the proper season however that always varies to a certain degree depending on source. Then if I have sown at the supposedly right time (I start everything of in trays) I then struggle with the planting out when I should and quite often I will hold some plants back. So everything is now a case of as and when and what suits. I am now enjoying runners when most people I know are sick of them.

I don't think there are any disadvantages as such. At the end of the day you will always have successes and failures and not all of them will be in your control. Not sure if that really helps

[arpoet]

I sowed some carrots in large tubs that I grew tatties in... they seem to be doing well.
I am ordering some cabbage seeds for next year that can be spring sowed for summer use and autumn for spring use... watch the space.

[sparrow100]

I'm trying it with some dwarf borlottis, which were sown in early Sept - probably a wee bit too late and won't come to anything. But the chioggia beets I sowed at the end of July and left for ages in a cramped pot are brilliant. Lovely sweet roots and loads of them.

[solway cropper]

I'm not sure what the proper season is for a lot of things. You can never know what the weather is going to bring so if you sow early/late and it comes to nothing all you've lost is a few seeds. I've still got peas producing pods and, by growing stuff in containers then bringing them into the greenhouse when it gets cold, I can add months to the 'normal' season.

[veggiechicken]

I bend the seasons all the time. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't - but you never know until you try.
I sowed some courgettes a few weeks ago, the seedlings are up and I'll grow them on in the GH.
Some tomatoes sown in August are already carrying fruit - hope to keep them cropping after the spring sown ones have finished.
Also sowed some tall peas, that should be sown in spring, a month or so ago. They're galloping up the supports. They may overwinter, may not. Nothing ventured etc.

[Noosner]

That's a really interesting bunch of replies, folks - thanks.

Yes, it's my impression too that yields are a bit lower when sowing late. But there's a great delight in harvesting things at the 'wrong' time which at the moment is sort of balancing it out for me.

I'm encouraged to see I'm not the only one who forgets/is unable to sow things at the 'proper' times, too.