What can I sow now for Winter?

[Bluemoon]

I was dealing with some family problems in the spring and I've had a fair amount of illness over the summer and, as a result, my 'larder' (i.e, my veg garden) is looking a little bare when it comes to providing for the winter months this year. I've some savoy cabbages and brussels sprouts in, but that's about it. There will also be onions, pumpkins, squash and potatoes in storage, plus peas, beans and sweetcorn in the freezer, but taking stuff out of store is just not the same as picking and eating within the hour. Is there anything I can sow now that will produce between say November and March? I've heard that carrots sown in August will produce in late autumn/early winter and I've got a packet of Chantenay and half a packet of Autumn King in my seed box, but neither recommends an August sowing on the pack. Also I have a packet of spinach somewhere and, if I remember correctly, I think they might be do-able too. Any other suggestions?

[Millymollymandy]

Can you buy small plants of winter vegetables from garden centres or markets i.e. bunches of leeks ready for transplanting, cabbages, kales etc? It's probably a bit late to be raising them from seed right now.

[jim]

Dear Bluemoon,

Oriental veg like "green in snow", Pak choi - Tai sai variety, Mooli radish can all be planted up 'til september and provide winter food.

Green in snow can have leaves harvested 3 weeks after planting and Mooli after 4, if conditions are right.

Should be available at nurseries, I got my seeds from:- Tamar Organics,
Tavistock,
PL39 8JE
(Advice not advert! I have no relationship with them!)

Hope that helps,

Love and Peace
Jim

[ina]

Lambs lettuce - must get mine out asap!

[Bluemoon]

Thanks everyone, I'll take you up on some of those suggestions. As for the leeks, I sowed two trays earlier in the year, but only managed to plant one lot out, the second tray is languishing in the greenhouse, still alive. I might harden them off and pop them in. They're a bog-standard variety (Musselburg) would they form mini-leeks if I were to plant them close together? I was served a lovely dish made with mini-leeks last Christmas, I think I'll have to give it a try.

[Andy Hamilton]

I have just sowed some beetroot, can just about get away with it at this time. Mind you in this wet weather I think the slugs will eat the lot before it has a chance to grow!

[Jandra]

Hi,

Not too long ago there was a thread on summer sowing:

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... ra#p115571

Happy sowing!!

Hope that helps,
Jandra

[sleepyowl]

Pansies (ok not vegetable but still edible), you could also sow some winter peas or broad beans although they wont be ready for next year & there is also a lettuce called Winter King

[Andy Hamilton]

Pansies are edible, not heard that before. They grow like weeds on my allotment, so more food. What part do you eat, the flowers I guess??

[Birdie Wife]

Brocoli raab, spring onions, hardy-ish salads like perpetual spinach and oriental greens (mizuna, tatsoi etc), quick leaves for cooking like turnip greens.

[mrsflibble]

pansies go lovely in salads. yes, you eat the flowers.
I also have a lovely recipe for crystalised pansies. I used the same recipe to crystalise some rosemary flowers this year and they're so tasty they went in no time.

[Bluemoon]

Any chance you can tell us how to crystalise flowers, Mrs F? I've always wanted to have a go. Ooh, and the crystalised fruit that's so expensive at Christmastime. I'd love to have a crack at that if anyone knows how it's done.

[shell]

me too mrs f,crystalised fruit sounds good,and i have rosemary too,my dad has pansies outside his bedroom window i could even pinch them,

[richardwil]

They're a bog-standard variety (Musselburg) would they form mini-leeks if I were to plant them close together? I was served a lovely dish made with mini-leeks last Christmas, I think I'll have to give it a try.

Yes, you should get some great mini leeks doing this. Last year I grew some in a 12 inch square mini plot at 2 inch spacings, 36 in the mini plot. I roasted them on Christmas Day for dinner together with carrots I planted around this time and they grew fine, and I think mini parsnips as well which were planted late. As the leeks were planted so close though I did get a spot of rust. What about garlic and over wintering shallots. I am planning on planting these in a month or so.

No one has mentioned lettuce and radish which you could sow now. I have just been gardening all morning and have sown carrots, turnip, beetroot, mooli radish, ordinary radish, corn salad, rocket, land cress, perpetual spinach, mixed salad leaves and oriental salad leaves.

I expect to be able to eat most of it.

[Cheezy]

Now is a good time to get late sowings in for early starting next spring.

Spring cabbage,

cima da rapa (mustard version of sprouting broccolli)You can still sow to eat into Nov if you get the 40 day one from real seeds.

Sow fennel now you will get them to germinate and they will provide in March April, "winter salad mix" as some one has mentioned, don't forget onions from sets, and early pea and beans. Like meteor and aqua dulce.

Try Caverlo nero it's brilliant, but you'll have to hurry up.It'll over winter and you just have to pull off the leaves as you need.

Try some leeks, and don't forget winter cauliflowers, even though it'll be spring before you can get the curd, the leaves can be harvested through out winter and make great spring greens.