Don’t leave your veg patch dormant, says Simon Lock. After enjoying a harvest that just kept on giving, the idea of buying shrink-wrapped fruit and veg now seems almost too much to bear.
This can be a depressing time of year in the garden. Not to mention the supermarket. Where grow-your-own types now wander, looking quizzically at mange tout shipped in from Malaysia. But before you turn on your local checkout boy with a weighty overseas aubergine, why not get planting some crops ready for next year?
So many allotments and vegetable patches lie dormant over the winter and it’s such a shame. There are lots of options, it’s just a case of finding stubborn stock that can survive the cold. Suppliers stock plenty of ‘winter hardy’ varieties nowadays. They’re a great way to utilise your space and ensures you’ll be serving up super-local delights much earlier than those who’ve spent winter indoors.
First off I’d definitely recommend sewing a tough, winter variety of spring onion. A tray of these always makes for a nice surprise early in the year. You can plant full size onions at this point as well but they will take longer and may impact on your spring planting.
Broad beans will survive the winter, as will some varieties of peas. You can afford to plant these seeds closer together this time of year as the likelihood is that fewer will germinate. Throw some leafy greens into this mix, certain varieties of spinach and kale for example, and you’re well on your way to five-a-day.
For those who want to be a little bit more ambitious, £50-£60 will get you a decent cold frame. This will allow you to get more sensitive plants like carrots up and running, and also allows you to harvest winter salads throughout the colder months.