Keep your veg growing in winter

If you have got your planning right, you can have a plentiful supply of veg throughout the season.  So there’s less need to become involved in the supply and price problems from national and international growing problems from our wet summer.

How rewarding it can be to cut and cook – and the nutrients you will receive from your fresh produce will be a real ‘cut above’ those from supermarket veg.

Your winter patch can simply take the place of your summer patch.

With fewer pests in the winter and – given the rainfall we seem to get – no watering, winter growing is so much easier!  With cooler temperatures the crops don’t grow as fast but that means, once planted, you can simply watch and harvest.

If you’ve prepared well, you’ll have ensured that there is good drainage in your patch.  We expect more rain in the winter but, in our country, you need that drainage for the summer too.  If you didn’t build a raised bed for this winter, you could add it to your spring time plans.

Is your area getting enough light?  Whilst it may be a major task to move a plot that has too much shade, perhaps you could change walls, fences, trees or bushes that block the light.

Have you protected your plants from winter winds?  They can be bitter and make the difference between a crop and a flop.  Gabriel Ash’s cold frames are an insurance against the frosts and winds of winter and maybe something to put on your Christmas list?

If you have a patio or other area close to the house it may be more sheltered and handy for harvesting your produce.

The Royal Horticultural Society who endorse Gabriel Ash’s greenhouses have plenty of advice on winter growing, so take a look at http://www.rhs.org.uk/gardening/grow-your-own.

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