[Madame Cholet]

Any hints and tips about eating fresh veg all year, theres only 2 of us my freezer is small and full of fruit. I use the dehydrator but am trying to be green and save money and electricity. I do jam and pickles and have a large understairs pantry. its my first winter I have lots of leeks, carrots, parsnips, radish, J artichoke and assorted brassicas.

I'm good at succesional sowing and like to try any new varieties or types of veg. I'm having a go with ow wizzard beans this year and Juno early peas and achocha. I'm planning to fleece my perp spinach too.

What do you do in May and June survive on beans, peas, sorrel and early spinach?

[GrowinGrowinGone]

I would imagine it's near impossible, unless you have a lot of land, a lot of time, and a lot of money.  Which if you had those, you would not need to grow it yourself, you would get someone else to do it    A lot of people want to be self sufficient, but soon realise it's just not possible to do it on your own.  I applaud anyone for giving it a try though.

[mumofstig]

Cauliflower that heads in April/May, the first of the early hearted cabbages?

[Madame Cholet]

Cauliflower that heads in April/May, the first of the early hearted cabbages?

I've put in some purple caulis and some I was given they are quite big but I'm not sure which variety they are hopefully they will be some ready in late spring. I don't mind buying carbs and cheese, sugar flour ect. its just the fruit and veg really and I do have lots of time and 15 poles.

[ilan]

Cauliflower that heads in April/May, the first of the early hearted cabbages?

I do have lots of time and 15 poles.

I trust they work hard but you still have to feed them

[mumofstig]

    

[Madame Cholet]

Cauliflower that heads in April/May, the first of the early hearted cabbages?

I do have lots of time and 15 poles.

I trust they work hard but you still have to feed them

now that would be interesting

[The Golden Heap]

Poly tunnel (keep dreaming) must be the only way!

[Growster...]

You may be lucky keeping Swiss Chard going all the time, we found it still going when all else was finished...

The brussels may carru=y on, as might the PSB, which is doing funny things this year, and may well surprise us over winter...

It has to be a freezer I'm afraid, so Mrs G regularly extends the 'Library' (see Growster passim comments...)

[stompy]

Lambs lettuce for salads under a cloche, there are quite alot of things you can grow over winter if you have a GH or cloches.
Look up seeds of italy as they have alot of winter hardy veg that will grow, if a little slowly under protection.
they will need sowing prety soon though to get enough growth on them for winter!

[Madame Cholet]

Poly tunnel (keep dreaming) must be the only way!

Watering is the problem too, no cash either, I'm 2 miles from the lotty and walk or cycle twice a week.


 just thinking out loud warm up the soil with a closh and plant and cover with fleece early spring woul this work with hardier things ie carrots?

[devongardener]

Komatsuma is a good winter green veg and is reasonably hardy outside (although we grow ours in a polytunnel).  Pak Choi may also be suitable for outside if you get the right variety.

[New shoot]

If the spring is a bit warmer than this year and you can get cloches over things, you should be able to start carrots, turnips, spinach and oriental greens, plus salady things like spring onions, lettuce and radishes.

For overwintered greens, perpetual spinach is about the most reliable crop as it doesn't seem to bolt as readily as chard come the spring. I plant some each autumn in a shadier spot on my plot to keep it as long as possible into the spring.  I plant chard as well, but it never lasts as long. Good King Henry is another good spring standby. Overwintered brassicas can last until May but really depends if we get a hot spell early on.

Do you know these people ?  Some interesting stuff here you might want to try    Seakale was my luxury treat this spring  

http://www.poyntzfieldherbs.co.uk/catalogue1.asp

[Madame Cholet]

I have a nice sheltered garden got some really early radish under bell closhes in tubs, I also find annual weeds good as early greens and chives come early too.
The carrots and early beetroot could be good up the lotty the beets could be started in modules.

I've planted perpetual spinach in August they are very small hope they will last until the spring sown are ready.
I've had no luck getting good king Henry to germinate can you buy the roots anywhere?

Thank you for the link looks interesting.

[sunshineband]

Caulis in May as MoS said, still have overwintered butternuts or long keeping squashes like turk's turban.

Japanese onions big enough to eat by then.

Overwintered late sown carrots are good in May, and some years I have had early french beans and courgettes (parthenon) too from the cold greenhouse, with the aid of fleece and persistance.

First early potatoes from a bag in the garden.

Late kale and PSB

Early turnips
and of course sprouted seeds indoors like bean sprouts, fenugreek etc