WINTER PLANTING

Photo: Our pumpkins are primed and ready for the celebrations later this week, they just need hollowing out.

Our veggie patch is looking a bit battered at the moment. I got a bit of a shock today when I went out to see if there were any courgettes still coming on and found that all of the plants had just disappeared. Not disappeared as in stolen, but because we had a frost last week which caused them to die off. There were no courgettes but I did notice that our pumpkins were coming on nicely. We have had a couple of them already and they make a delicious addition to any meal, particularly curries. We fry them up in oil and add garlic and pepper….yum.

The pumpkins still in the veggie patch are going to be used for the Halloween celebrations. Shop bought pumpkins are not really grown for eating, they are grown for size to make a dramatic effect when they are carved. Ours are solid all the way through so it’ll take quite a bit of scooping to make room for the candle. We should get a few meals out of their innards though. The other difference is that they are yellow skinned, but in the spooky evening glow of Halloween I doubt anyone will notice.

Our leeks have perked up since they were transplanted into their own holes a few weeks ago. These are filling some of the bare spaces the spud crop has left since we dug them up. More areas are appearing late on in the season as things die down, this gives us an opportunity to plant something else. There are crops that can stay in the ground over the winter, such as broccoli, spinach, cabbages and brussel sprouts, but tender plants like the peas and beans are leaving bare patches. It’s not too late to plant green manures on your ground. These will help to keep the soil in place and also feed the ground ready for next year.

TYPES OF GREEN MANURE

The optimum times for planning are between September to November…. in other words…now…Here are the most common types that shouldn’t be too hard to get a hold of:

· Red or Crimson Clover – improves soil structure and nitrogen content. Smothers weeds.
· Mustard White Tilney – helps soil with moisture retention, structure and organic matter.
· Forage Rye – Good for heavy clay soils and suppresses weeds.
· Winter Field Bean – Fixes nitrogen in all soils. Flowers, then dig in the spring.
· Forage Pea – Up to 1 metre tall, fixes nitrogen in the soil for spring.


WHAT CAN WE PLANT NOW?

There are other crops that can be planted now. Some of the seedlings will need to be grown under horticultural fleece for protection or started off in a cloche to protect them from the frosts.

Overwintering or autumn varieties of Broad Beans can be put in now for harvesting in June and July. Try –

· The Sutton – A dwarf variety good for smaller and windy plots. Produces a small crop.
· Super Aquadulce – A tall variety that requires staking, produces a good long pod crop.
· Aquadulce Claudia – Early maturing with long pods and good crop.

Peas can also be grown overwinter for harvesting in May to June. Some choice varieties are:

· Feltham First – A quick growing variety with good crop of pods.
· Douce Provence – An organic sweet french variety with a good crop.
· Meteor – An early growing compact variety with very good crop.
· Pilot – A hardy fast to mature variety which gives a good crop.

Spring Onions can be sown all year round for a spring harvest. There are plenty of types to choose and will grow happily in containers.

· White Lisbon – Quick growing, crisp strong salad onions requires no thinning.
· Laser – Slim pickings from a tasty quick to mature variety.
· Winter White Bunching – A good bulb onion that overwinters well.
· Evergreen Hardy White – These are skinny onions and can handle severe winters.

ANYTHING ELSE?

There are other vegetables that will do well if planted now. Autumn Planting Onion Sets can fill a space and the Pak Choi if planted now could be harvested for Christmas. Garlic, mustard greens, winter lettuce, endives and winter spinach can all be grown too. Even winter variety radishes will be ready for eating in January.

Covering the ground in the veggie patch is a great way to conserve the nutrients and even put a bit back for next year. There is also the added benefit of suppressing the weeds that, as we all know only too well, don’t bother to stop growing over the winter….