Another daft idea! Growing summer crops in winter.

[veggiechicken]

This is totally daft but..............I'm thinking of trying to grow summer crops in winter
What if, every month, you sowed a tomato, courgette, cuke, pepper, peas, beans - and anything else, to see how they would perform through winter.
My earliest tomatoes are on a self seeded plant in the GH. I grew mangetout over winter and pots of carrots although they were slow.
This is just in the early stages of daft planning so don't hold me to it. Just thinking aloud really

[burnie]

I'd need heat and light and a lot more space up here to make that work, I struggled just getting stuff to germinate in a heated propagator inside a double glazed conservatory.

[Small pumpkin]

I have enough trouble growing that lot in summer. So I'm afraid you're on your own with this one VC.

[Baldy]

Pfff... I think that you should only do it if you can record your efforts on video

(I'll need something to cheer me up in the bleak mid winter - I know its always sunny in Caerdydd but temperatures are often low and it rains a hell of a lot... when its not snowing.)

[veggiechicken]

Just because you both live in Scotland!! Where's your sense of adventure? You'll be bored in winter and desperate to sow something - well don't come to me for help - or to laugh

How about a bucket a week of mixed seeds? Or a spud, peas, lettuce and radish bucket.
Or beans, carrots and rocket, Or kale, turnip and spring onions.

[happyhumph]

I've done carrots before and they were ok but slow.

[rary]

I like the above post and yes most of the veg that you have mentioned can be grown in the greenhouse though I haven't tried growing turnip in the winter, although burnie and SP don't need to wait till the winter last night my greenhouse was down at 9c. By the way I note you still have the banner with you

[veggiechicken]

Because carrots and other veg are slow, I'm thinking of mixing in summat reliably fast with them.
There are some back of envelope scribbles in front of me - with a "bucket" divided into 4 quarters - each with a pinch of summat different. Like a slow root, a quick cut and come again leaf, peas for shoots or pods and an experimental courgette/tomato etc.
So each bucket should have something that will be edible, whatever happens to the rest.

[MissPea]

Ikea have a hydroponics kit that I'm experimenting with, growing strawberries indoors, aswell as the obvious salad leaves intended for. they also have another grow light bulb coming to stores that could possibly extend the life of crops. I'm gonna buy that too. Just waiting on it, seeing if tomatoes will be good all year round or just overwintered enough for next year!

Ps I don't work for Ikea I just love growing stuff haha!

[Baldy]

I need to join a 'hydroponics' forum I think.

Sounds like VC might already subscribe to one. It would explain her optimism about winter growing - and a few other things...

[veggiechicken]

When the sky is a bright canary yellow
I forget ev'ry cloud I've ever seen,
So they called me a cockeyed octopus
Immature and incurably green.

[Kirk]

So are you contemplating an allotment in Melbourn, Aus to run in parallel with whatever you have here? That would do it.

[Penellype]

Carrots will be fine, especially if you use a cold tolerant variety such as Eskimo, Nantes Frubund or Marion - I routinely overwinter mine. I experimented with turnips and kohl rabi sown in December in my friend's greenhouse last winter. The first attempt were eaten by rats, but the 2nd lot of turnips sown in January grew slowly through the winter and the first was edible by the end of April.

Attempts at overwintering potatoes in the greenhouse have produced a small handful of new potatoes in early spring.

For tomatoes you will need added heat and light. I've had the odd tomato indoors from overwintered plants on my windowsill. They are very small, on spindly, sick looking plants, and they don't have much flavour. I think it will be too cold for courgettes and cucumbers to survive, and too dark for them to produce flowers if they do.

Good luck with it

[Chippy Minton]

You could sow the seed of a"daft" idea a week and see what comes up

[Jimmy]

If you are willing to throw money at it then it's probably possible.
You might need to organize a direct feed from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drax_power_station

Jimmy