Anyone got an autumn/winter veg garden?

[doozle]

This is the first year that I finally got round to planning an autumn/winter veg garden and so far, it's been really enjoyable.

No watering, less weeding, no frantic planting or sowing seeds. Just harvesting and taking stock of the last year.

Wondering if anyone else has done one ... and what would you do differently next year? I'm already thinking more broccoli and kale as only got a few plants.

What do you have in yours? I have an allotment and am harvesting things like leeks, parsnips, sprouts and celeriac at the moment (last year I had carrots through to Feb as well). My sprouting brocolli usually comes a bit later (March time as I recall).

Snorkie, ah I was wondering how long the carrots would last. Don't they get killed off in the frost?

Have leeks, parsnips, celeriac, kale, purple sprouting broccoli, swede, pak choi, lettuce, cabbage, spring onions.

Seems like a long time to wait for the purple sprouting doesn't it? I read about Rudolph and Bordeaux varieties and they're supposed to crop before xmas so might give them a go next year.

I know carrots aren't supposed to stay in the ground that long, but I earthed them up well and they seemed fine - I couldn't dig them out when the ground was frozen though (as it was quite a bit last winter), but they survived OK under the snow as did the celeriac which isn't supposed to like the frost either.

I usually manage to keep salad greens going all winter, but in the greenhouse. I reckon growing winter veg saves a fortune on shop prices.

Thanks Snorkie. I will just leave the carrots in the ground and see what happens. We get mild-ish winters here so should be ok, I guess.

Would love a greenhouse to keep things going. Haven't got the space though. Do have a large cloche type thingy but it keeps blowing away in the wind no matter how much I peg it down. Maybe I need to stake it as my allotment neighbour keeps telling me.

Jerusalem Artichokes anyone? Can be harvested from October and left in the ground until March for harvesting as and when you need them.

Fartichokes, more like!

And what a lot of fun they can be! Especially witnessing the to the uninitiated... Also, farting is funny, and can be a competitive sport of a winter's evening

Free heating!