[fibilou]

Ie - do you plant so that you always have something to eat from your allotment, even in January and February ? We got our allotment hoping to cut down our fruit and veg spend, and I was wondering if there are people on here manage to be mainly self sufficient when it comes to fruit and veg ? Our plot is only 40x30 but as there is only two of us we hope that it will be big enough to go a good way to keeping us in our 5 a day.

Is this realistic ?

[wighty]

Anything and everything that can be frozen, beans, peas, carrots, spinach etc gets frozen ready for laterMost of the beetroot gets pickled along with the gherkins (also made into picallili).  We only tend to eat salad stuff during the summer or stir fries with mangetout which I find doesn't freeze well.  We also grow PSB and leeks for the winter.

[woodburner]

I'm certainly going to try Also with the aid of a feezer but trying to grow enough winter crops to always have something fresh too. I love sprouts especially

[grymalkyn]

Try to ... don't always make it   . Am getting better at it. It's partly keeping up with succession that cracks me up. And I do tend to hibernate in the winter  


If I only did gardening I spose I'd manage. Bet we all say that  

[DD.]

January/February.....

Leeks
Sprouts
Parsnip
Carrots
January King Cabbage.... all fresh, plus a load of frozen stuff.

[Celtic Eagle]

Try to be doesn't always work but thats part of the fun just finishing off last years onions and leeks at the mo'

[kentishlad]

Ie - do you plant so that you always have something to eat from your allotment, even in January and February ? We got our allotment hoping to cut down our fruit and veg spend, and I was wondering if there are people on here manage to be mainly self sufficient when it comes to fruit and veg ? Our plot is only 40x30 but as there is only two of us we hope that it will be big enough to go a good way to keeping us in our 5 a day.

Is this realistic ?

I think my plot is about that size maybe a bit smaller; there are only the 2 of us and we nearly have enough veg. all year. Run short of spuds and onions; the onions because I didn't dry them enough / store them properly I think.
Still eating:
purple sprouting (picked and blanched the remainder now)
leeks (they have been a great crop, standing all year)
spring cabbage.
rhubarb
and have frozen courgettes and beetroot from last year.

In the plot we have a head of rhubarb, a fruit cage containing about 5' of raspberries and 2 x bush blackcurrants; plus 2 x gooseberry bushes and a 4' x 2' strawberry bed. the soft fruits are still establishing so hopefully we'll start to get more of a crop in the coming years.
Elsewhere we have 2 established apple trees, 5 new apple, 1 plum and 1 pear tree dotted around the garden! We hope to do well with these for both storing and jam / wine making

[compostqueen]

I read Joy Larkcom's article Hungry Gap which tells you what to grow and when to sow to get year round food.  It can be found in her Vegetable Growing handbook and it's a right good read I reckon. It's in the library if you want to browse before getting your own copy