The evenings are getting cooler, a bit shorter and we’re pulling on the woollies if we know we will be out late at night.
Brrr! It sounds like winter is approaching fast but don’t despair garden-lovers and vegetable-growers, this doesn’t mean that your garden should die over the next few months or your hobby for growing your own food should stop.
For food-growing newbies, the opportunity is still there to start growing your own food in your garden. Keep your diet organic and budget-friendly over the winter months and give yourself an excuse to get out into the winter fresh air, get a bit of exercise, give yourself some brilliant home-grown produce and tend to your new veggies!
Where to start?
You are a step ahead already if you have a greenhouse or a poly-tunnel set to go in your garden. Alternatively, you can also sow outside and cover with fleece or perforated polythene. Don’t forget snails and slugs during the winter months, they are less of a threat now as they to start to hibernate for the winter months but they can still ruin young seedlings.
Now, you’re ready to go, here are the top five easiest vegetables to sow this months and keep your garden alive during the winter months.
Peas and Pea-shoots
It’s worth trying to sow pea seeds now, especially in mild areas. Plant them one inch deep and relatively close at about one inch apart. Plant in groups of three lines, all 12 inches apart to form thick rows. Don’t forget the pea shoots are delicious too, just pick off the tips and add to stir-fries and salads for that intense, tasty flavour. To speed up the peas’ growth, put seeds on a wet kitchen towel on a plate and sow when the root starts to develop.
Garlic
This is the easiest crop to grow. Yes!, says you. Plant the cloves individually about 2.5 inches deep in a light soil and less deep in a heavy soil. The distance should be about one foot aprt each way. Spraying with a sulphur-based compound helps prevent rust.
Spring Onions, Shallots and Onions
Onions are a popular vegetable to grow at home as they are used quite often in the kitchen. They are relatively easy to grow and don’t require a massive amount of effort. Sow some spring onions or shallots now. Shallots are becoming quite popular with their sweet, subtle flavour.
Broad Beans
Both tasty and good for you, nothing screams success more than a good batch of home-grown broad beans. Planting broad beans in the autumn stops nutrients leaching through the soil, which can deteriorate their structure. If the beans grow too tall (above a foot) in the winter time, just make sure to put canes or sticks and string in the soil to hold them up if necessary.
Lambs Lettuce
A very reliable crop, lambs lettuce is easy to grow and a useful sandwich or salad bowl filler. It does not need high light levels and can tolerate low temperatures too, perfect for the winter it looks like we’re set to have. It can be sown up to the end of October. Ideal.
