Now that the mower is about to be stored away for the winter months, I like to spend a couple of weekends getting my vegetable beds packed so that I have lots of fresh fodder to pick at over the chilly months ahead. Keeping your garden going through the winter gets you outside in the fresh air, allow you to exercise and can give you brilliant home-grown produce.

Up until the end of October there is a good range that can be sown to supplement the leeks, parsnips and sprouts that should already be settled in.

…………

1 Broad beans

I always autumn-sow broad beans. As well as having more time than I do in spring, it stops nutrients leaching through otherwise fallow soil, which allows its structure to deteriorate.

They are ready a good month earlier than those sown in April, and they don’t get black fly. If the beans are in an exposed position and grow too tall (above a foot ) over winter, they can wave around and split just above ground level, so put in canes or sticks and string if necessary.

……….

3 Peas and pea shoots

For a late spring crop, it’s worth trying sowing seeds now, especially in mild areas. If you sow direct into the ground, plant them one inch deep and relatively closely at about one inch apart, to make up for a higher loss rate.

………

4 Garlic

This is the easiest crop to grow. Plant the cloves individually to a depth of 2.5in deep on light soils and a lot less deep on heavy soils, but always a minimum of one inch below the surface.

The distance should be about one foot apart each way. If you suffered from rust this year, in addition to rotation try hoeing in sulphate of potash in February/March.

……….

5 Onions, spring onions and shallots

There are quite a few varieties of onions from sets that can go in now. This is the easiest way to grow onions, and they can be harvested earlier on in the year.

Electric is a good red set, Radar a good yellow and Shakespeare is a highly reliable white.

………

7 Lambs lettuce

This is a good filler: it’s undemanding, easy to grow and useful for bulking out the salad bowl.

It is useful in that it does not need high light levels and tolerates low temperatures, and so can be sown up until the end of October outside; it can be picked until December or into the new year with some fleece or milder weather.

……….

8 Spinach

This is another vegetable that is very popular now. We pick it younger and just wilt the leaves rather than ruin it with overcooking.

…………

10 Spring cabbage

If you ring around your local garden centres, you might well find some spring cabbage plants left.

Plant 12in apart each way and earth up the soil around their stems after they have got going to help them against the cold. If it gets icy in colder areas, fleece or cloches can help.

You can thin early plants for spring greens and leave the rest to heart up. Watch out for pigeons.

Read the full article, including 3 more veggies, here: Click Here

Article source: The Telegraph
Image source: same as above