As we wave a fond farewell to the busy growing season and the joys of harvesting at the end of the summer, there’s no reason to let our green fingers sit idle.
As well as a whole load of clearing and cutting that we may need to do in our gardens this Autumn, there are some delicious and fun-to-grow crops that we can get into the ground now, some for early spring and others to keep us going through the winter.
Hardy and cold tolerant herbs and vegetables can bring delicious flavours to our tables in the winter and early spring. They can be planted in the autumn, and can survive the winter well if they are under cover, whether that’s cloche, fleece or ideally in a greenhouse.
Vegetables to plant outside in Autumn
Even in the UK, there are some crops that we can grow outside in the autumn and through the winter. One consideration for all of them, however, will be soil-type. For this reason, you may do better planting in containers or raised beds, where soil can drain well, instead of directly in the ground, where soil can become more water-logged. Here are some plants to sow now, to enjoy across the colder months or in early spring:
Spinach
Spinach is a wonderful winter crop, because the fully hardy and winter varieties will grow slowly throughout the colder months and their taste is actually improved by exposure to frost! As long as your seeds are planted when the soil is warm enough for them to germinate, you can grow spinach all through the winter. Fully-hardy varieties such ‘Giant Winter’ spinach can be reliably grown outside, and other hardy varieties can thrive under glass.
Winter Lettuce
The ‘Artic King’ variety of lettuce is a favourite for sowing in the Autumn, ready to add crunchy leaves to your plate in early spring. Plant these outside in full sun, and make sure to water them if there are dry spells during the winter months.
Spring Onions
You can sow some varieties of spring onions, such as the hardy ‘White Lisbon’ until late Autumn. Plant in well-drained soil, and protect them under a cloche if they are outside. They won’t require thinning out, and because they don’t take up much space, they can be ideal for fitting in between other crops. Your autumn sowing will be ready to harvest in March, with a mild flavour that is ideal for salads.
Vegetables to plant in your greenhouse in Autumn
The options expand significantly if you have a greenhouse in which to see crops through the winter. But even under glass, you need to choose crops that will flourish even in shorter days of sunlight. Here are some ideas for vegetables to grow in your greenhouse this winter:
New Potatoes
Early September is the cut-off point for getting New Potatoes in the ground for your Christmas meal, but if you’re growing in a greenhouse, you can still plant later than that to fill your plate in January and February.
Make sure to pick ‘cold stored’ seed potatoes, which have been hardened off and are often called ‘second cropping’ or known as Christmas varieties.
While you can plant new potatoes outside, you will need to protect them from frost, so a greenhouse offers ideal conditions for winter harvests. You can plant your seed potatoes in the ground, in raised beds, in a large pot or in a grow-bag. They should be placed on at least 15cm of well-drained and well-fed soil, and covered with 10cm of soil. Remember to ‘earth up’ your potato plants as they grow, which means adding soil around them as the stems grow, into mounds.
Your new potatoes will be ready to harvest after approximately 12 weeks. Dig them up carefully, to avoid damaging the seed tubers, and remember to throw away any green potatoes!
Salad Crops
If you choose hardy varieties of salad leaves, you can grow them throughout the winter, both outside and in greenhouses. The challenge with planting late will be making sure there is enough heat and light for the seeds to germinate, if you don’t have a greenhouse this might be best on a south-facing windowsill, and then can be hardened off and moved outside for low-maintenance continuous growth through the winter.
Herbs
Greenhouses are ideal for keeping a year-round crop of the herbs that you enjoy cooking with the most. We often recommend keeping perennial herbs in pots, so that they can be moved in during winter months, but not take up growing space under glass once the weather is warm enough for them outside. With a little planning, your greenhouse can help you have a steady supply of delicious herbs throughout the winter, such as parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme, basil, sage and marjoram.
Garlic
While there may be a bit of a rush with some vegetables, to get them into the soil in early rather than late Autumn, you can take your time with planting garlic bulbs. Their planting window is right up to the end of December, as garlic bulbs thrive in cold conditions. Choose the variety that’s right for you (it’s not recommended to plant supermarket bought bulbs) and split the bulb into cloves and plant them with the root facing down. They need sun and very well-drained soil, and should be planted under 2.5cm of soil. Your garlic will be ready to harvest in the spring, once the leaves have turned yellow. But before that, you can help yourself to a few leaves, to add a flavoursome garnish to your plate.
Broad Beans
If you sow broad beans in your greenhouse in September or October, you’ll benefit from an early spring crop. Choose a good winter growing variety, such as ‘Aquadulce Claudia’, and find a sunny spot in your greenhouse. Growing plants will need well-drained soil, regular watering and support as they get bigger. They also need pinching out, to prevent pest invasions and encourage the plant to put energy into the pods instead of new shoots.