Quick over winter crops

[grahamhobbs]

Any suggestions for crops that can be planted in (not before) October but lifted / cleared in April, other than winter lettuce / endive,etc? Or is there a good green manure?

[Peggy Sue]

I think buckwheat green manure will do that period, it's what I'm planning to follow my spuds with although I shall have it down September rather than October.

What about some overwinter peas? It's a push getting them ready for April, but it might work?
overwintering onions- when do they mature?

[grahamhobbs]

Thanks Peggy that's a great suggestion, I could even sow the buckwheat before I lift the previous crop. I would have thought April was too early for peas, unless you were thinking of a particularly fast variety and under cover? Onions would definitely not be ripe but I guess could be eaten small.
Currently I have 35 beds of which 5 are 'bare' over winter, so the ground is used quite intensively, so although I do not mind more legumes I'm reluctutant to introduce more onions (or brassicas) into the rotation - so I think buckwheat is a very good idea.
By the way, I just ordered some plants from the Kitchen Garden magazine, some winter cauliflower, calabrese, sprouting broccoli and cabbage. If I had started them I would have thought September was too late to be transplanting them, but we will see how they get on and most of these should be cleared by the end of April. We like to eat a lot of calabrese, but I cannot find the seed of an overwintering variety, although they are often sold as plants.

[Odsox]

Turnips are good too, either as green manure or for turnip top greens ... eat what you can and dig the rest in.

overwintering onions- when do they mature?

About July Peggy.

[Peggy Sue]

Thanks Odsox, am trying the onions for the first time this year so now I know what to expect!

grahamhobbs- my purple sprouting is about 3' tall now so I guess if you wanted to transpant those late you'd have to get some pretty big pots! Most of those overwintering brassicas are in the May/June for me due to space at home.
I don't think you can get Calabrese that overwinters, there is a variety of 'quick broccoli' I got from realseed which is ready in 60 days. If you are in a mild area you can sew these Sept (plant out Oct?) and eat over the winter months. I did that 2 years ago (rabbits got em last year )

35 beds is some rotation plan

[grahamhobbs]

Peggy, yes I would have thought these plants need to be quite big by now, I don't know what I'm getting for my money but we will see.

I've seen 2 overwintering calabrese offered Maypole and Aquiles, both F1 and only offered as plants not as seeds, to mature in April.

[Peggy Sue]

Have a look at the second one down- not F1 and I've cropped them all winter once http://www.realseeds.co.uk/broccoli.html

[grahamhobbs]

Peggy, yes I had spotted that last night as well. As to the buckwheat as an over winter green manure, from what I have read I'm not sure it is going to be the best for this time of year. Rye and tares is the favourite for sowing in October.

[Peggy Sue]

Rye and tares is the favourite for sowing in October.

I might giev them a go next year, can't remmeber why I chse buckwheat now

[Odsox]

Have a look at the second one down- not F1 and I've cropped them all winter once http://www.realseeds.co.uk/broccoli.html

This looked interesting Peggy, it would be ideal winter crop in the polytunnel.
I have bought quite a lot from Real Seeds before, but I see that not only do they now have an £8.00 minimum order but they want a whopping £7.50 postage.
£15.50 is a tad expensive for a packet of Broccoli seeds

[adekun]

Chinese cabbage aka hakusai is popular here. Should be finished in February.

[Peggy Sue]

Have a look at the second one down- not F1 and I've cropped them all winter once http://www.realseeds.co.uk/broccoli.html

This looked interesting Peggy, it would be ideal winter crop in the polytunnel.
I have bought quite a lot from Real Seeds before, but I see that not only do they now have an £8.00 minimum order but they want a whopping £7.50 postage.
£15.50 is a tad expensive for a packet of Broccoli seeds

Yep you really have to do a big order for it to be worthwhile

[Odsox]

Yep you really have to do a big order for it to be worthwhile

It's not the order size Peggy as £8.00 minimum order you do at least get £8.00 worth of seeds.
It's the £7.50 postage that kills it for me, so much so that I'm pretty sure I won't be ordering from them again.

When you compare it to other seed companies;
Dobies .. £0.95
E.seeds .. £1.75
Seeds by size .. £2.00
T&M .. £2.45

Shame as I thought Real Seeds was the sort of company I would buy from on a regular basis.

[Peggy Sue]

I know what you mean Odsox, I guess I do a fairly big order and consider it 'absorbed'. There are some things I really like from there and they do ahve really good germination rates I think.

I suppose you should comment to them. maybe they will take it on board another year?

[Odsox]

I think they are the same as a lot of UK companies, just not interested in anything outside the UK.
UK P&P is £1.45, much the same as other seed companies.

English xenophobia ... I can say that as I'm English, not one of those Johnnie Foreigners.