[exploring mama]

Hello,

thought i'd ask for some more advice from you all again if poss! We have cleared the allotment and i'm really keen to get planting. I have a few seeds ready to plant now but most of it looks like its harvested up to oct.

I have some winter lettuce and spinach and know I can plant leeks and cabbage to harvest over winter but wondering what else. Really want to plant carrots but to have over winter too. Is this not possible as I cant find any info?! Just want some advice on having veg alll year round and how you rotate it all!

[Aidy]

the best of all spring vege's Purple Sprouting Brocolli. this is well worth the space, I was harvesting for about 6 weeks.

[DD.]

Your last question is a biggie! Best to take it in small steps. Won't hurt if you don't worry about rotation for the first year, more important once you're really established.

You can still sow carrots - I get away with leaving mine in over winter. Brussels would be good as well if you can get the plants. Worth riking parsnips - a bit late but they should make something - they will sit in the ground all winter.

Try swede - not all soils like them - but worth a shot, mine have not long come through.

You can also think about planting Japanese onions & garlic to grow overwinter to crop next year.

There's bound to be more, but won't hog it!

[exploring mama]

thanks, i'll have a look into it.

It doesn't sound like there is much to harvest over winter though (please correct me if i'm wrong as i'm sure I must be). What do people eat veg wise over winter if thats the case?

ps I don't want to grow potatoes! (my friends keep telling me to)

[gobs]

From store: pots, onions, garlic, dried beans and other pulses, also frozen goods.

From ground or store: jer artichokes, carrots, parsnip, celeriac, swedes, root parsley.


Fresh from garden: cabbages, winter radishes, leeks, kales, winter purslane, winter spinach, perpetual spinach, welsh onion, rocket, land cress, mustard and other cold tolerant or evergreen herbs and salads and for early  spring there is over-wintered lettuce, cauliflower, sprouting broccoli, spring cabbage.

[DD.]

Not much then.

With that poor choice, no wonder we fly food in from the other side of the world.

[gobs]

     Dutch cabbage, too...

And all those I forgot, doh, brussels, pumpkin, etc.

[nipper31]

I found this for you exploring mama... try this link  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A848595

Jan

[noshed]

That black tuscan kale is lovely - I had a load under enviromesh last year and it lasted for months. It just kept growing.

[compostqueen]

it is anorl. Easy peasy to grow too, as long as you keep it covered with sommat     Posh nosh     I've managed to overwinter pak choi.

A good one to overwinter for a spring crop is spinach Bordeaux, lovely arrow shaped dark green leaves with purple stalks and midribs. Eat baby leaves for salad and cook with the bigger ones.

Kale of all types will sit happily overwinter and makes good eating

A good read on this is by Joy Larkcom.  She wrote an article called the Hungry Gap and it's in her book called  "Grow your Own Vegetables"  You can get it in the library  

So have we given you food for thought