Gardening expert Barry Wilson says there are nine seeds you should be sowing right now to ensure fresh produce for your table – and it’s your last chance to do so
As the peak gardening season draws to a close and winter approaches, it might appear there’s little to accomplish beyond clearing fallen leaves and carrying out some pruning.
However, according to garden expert Barry Wilson, there are nine varieties of seeds that should be planted immediately to guarantee fresh produce for your dining table.
Barry emphasises on his No Dig Norfolk Gardener YouTube channel that green-fingered Britons must move quickly: “Miss this window and you’ll be buying expensive vegetables from the grocery store while your neighbours are harvesting fresh veg from their plots”.
Broad beans
Barry definitely recommends planting some broad beans around this time of year. Broad beans are “hardy little warriors that can withstand the frost and the cold that’s thrown at them over the winter months.”
Plant your broad beans in October and you could be collecting them by mid-May, Barry says: “That’s probably a month to six weeks before you would get a harvest from a February sowing.”
Broad beans need to be planted as soon as possible [stock image](Image: Getty)Lettuce
Barry has already planted some lettuce in September: “They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year.”
However, to bridge the so-called March to May “hungry gap,” he suggests a second planting in October – selecting varieties such as Arctic King and Winter Density – will provide you with a harvest in early spring.
Barry has already planted some lettuce in September, stating: “They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year.”
There’s still just enough time to plant some spinach – try the Medania variety. While it’s recommended to sow in spring and summer you can still get good results if you get them in the ground in the first week of October.
There’s a hidden bonus to autumn sowing as the lack of sunlight means there’s less danger of bolting.
Barry emphasises: “But this spinach will do better if it’s grown under cover.”
Barry has a list of easy-to grow plants that can supply your kitchen(Image: No Dig Norfolk Gardener)Field beans
Barry has already planted some lettuce in September, stating: “They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year.”
Field beans, often known by the somewhat unappetising name of Green Manure, are another good choice – working as a tasty ingredient in dishes such as falafel and hummus as well as improving the fertility and structure of your soil.
“I shall be sowing some at different stages during this month right up to November,” Barry says.
Winter peas
Barry has already planted some lettuce in September, stating: “They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year.”
Winter peas, with proper attention, will withstand virtually anything Britain’s climate can deliver.
Barry suggests the Meteor or Feltham First varieties.
Even with these resilient types, you’ll achieve better results by cultivating them in protected conditions such as a cold-frame or polytunnel.
Field beans can give you tasty falafel and hummus [stock image](Image: Getty)Radishes
Barry has already planted lettuce back in September: “They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year.”
Should you be considering sowing radishes, it’s advisable to complete this task during the opening week of October: “Right at the beginning of the month,” explains Barry, “it will be your last chance to sew what I think of as summer radish… things like French breakfast.”
Whilst the fiery bite of a radish might appear better suited to warm-weather dishes, they’re equally delicious when sautéed with a touch of garlic and some chopped rosemary – remember that the leafy tops are perfectly edible too, and can be finely chopped for use in pesto.
A polytunnel will help many plants thrive through the winter(Image: No Dig Norfolk Gardener)Winter Radish
Barry has already planted lettuce back in September: “They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year.”
You might also consider establishing some winter radishes during this period – Barry champions the Newly variety, which he describes as sturdy and dependable in chilly conditions.
Garlic Barry has already planted some lettuce in September: “They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year.”
Barry says you can save money, as well as getting a lot of satisfaction, by growing your own veg
“October is also the time that we look to plant our garlic,” Barry adds.
Growing garlic couldn’t be easier: “All you need to do is to split the clove so that they’re individual and then pop them into the soil wherever you want to be planting them.”
Whilst garlic is relatively inexpensive at the supermarket, it’s so handy and adaptable that most households do get through quite a lot: “If you buy a head each week, it soon adds up,” Barry says.
You can save yourself a surprising amount of cash by growing your own garlic(Image: Getty)Onions
Barry has already planted some lettuce in September: “They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year.”
Onions are also a straightforward crop to cultivate that can end up saving you an unexpected amount of cash: “We sow all of our onions from seed, but many people like the convenience of having an onion set to actually plant.”
Onions are also a straightforward crop to cultivate that can end up saving you a remarkable amount of cash: “We sow all of our onions from seed, but many people like the convenience of having an onion set to actually plant.”
With onions, he explains, you don’t want them to become too large just yet: “If you put them in in August or September, they’ll get really quite large and that will hurt them as we go into the winter months.”
Instead, he suggests, onions are better off having a “little rest” during the darkest, coldest months of the year: “Then as the days start to warm up and lengthen in February they get a good jump start on the onions that you’ll be sewing next year for your main crop onions.”
You can jump start your caulis if you plant them now, Barry says [stock image](Image: Getty)Cauliflower
Barry has already sown some lettuce in September: “They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year.”
Now is also an ideal time to begin over-wintering cauliflower: “You need to select a summer harvesting variety,” Barry advises.
Sowing them in February, which is the conventional wisdom, works well enough but it means that you won’t have ready-to-eat caulis until late June or even into July.
Barry particularly recommends the Clipper and Boris varieties for this type of cultivation.
By sowing a summer harvesting cauliflower in October, once it has germinated and developed its first true leaves, you can leave them in your undercover growing spaces and just let them tick away.
By the time we reach next February, they’ll already be about 8″ tall, Barry says, and at that point “You can just pop them into your beds and then you will get cauliflowers that will harvest next June.”
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