Topic: Wintertime approaches!!!

[JerryB]

As the summer (if you've blinked recently you will have missed it!  ;D) will shortly be moving over to Autumn i just thought it would be good to see how people use their lotties over the winter, what to do, what to plant etc etc. I'm going into my first winter with the plot and will be planting the following - any ideas received with thanks!
Winter cabbage, winter cauli, overwinter onions, broad beans, garlic & sprouts!

[derbex]

Same as you really -plus kale (maybe), leeks & shallots. I'll be green manuring some plots to stop them going bare overwinter -wouldn't want them catching a cold ;)

The other major thing I'm hoping to do is to plant some fruit trees and bushes.

Jeremy.

[JerryB]

Jeremy

Forgot about the shallots - havce them too!

Jeremy!

[SpeedyMango]

Once the weeds stop growing I'm intending to attack the patch of ground at the end of my half plot that I gave up on this year and covered in weed suppressing fabric. Dig out all the bramble/bindweed roots and try to turn it into something I can grow on. Hopefully for year 2 of my ownership I'll be able to grow on the whole plot!

Might be putting in a couple of fruit trees.

Beds that I'm currently clearing (ex onion, spud, carrot and salad beds) will be sown with green manure, having stocked up on seed yesterday.

[derbex]

Which green manures are you using? I use phacellia a lot (seems to self sow which saves me a job  ::)). I'm trying grazing rye again this year -I used it before on the beds at home and the slugs ate the lot, so last chance.

Jeremy

[Mrs Ava]

I have things in that will stay there thru the winter, and things that will be going in during the course fo the autumn and winter. Kale (3 varieties), caulis, brocolli, spring cabbage, parsnips, leeks already in plus I have recently sown winter carrots, late peas, late french beans and I planted 2 rows of second cropping spuds.  Still to come later in the year are onions, shallots, garlics and broad beans.  Hoping to keep some of the lettuce in for winter use and protect with choches or fleece.  Bare patches will receive oodles of home made compost.  Don't know what to do about green manure, currently I do not have enough naked ground to sow any.  When does it become too late to sow it??

[JerryB]

EJ - Intreagued about the winter carrots - tell me more!!!!!!

[SpeedyMango]

Which green manures are you using? I use phacellia a lot (seems to self sow which saves me a job  ::)). I'm trying grazing rye again this year -I used it before on the beds at home and the slugs ate the lot, so last chance.

Jeremy

I'm going to try grazing rye (first time with green manures) - but didn't know that the slugs went for it  ::). I shall keep an eye on it now you've told me!

[derbex]

When does it become too late to sow it??

Short answer, depends on the manure. Severel can be autumn sown. I use phacellia, grazing rye & field beans which are ok for the next month or two.

This year I'll use broad beans instead of field on that plot -mulching between the rows -the grazing rye is going where the winter spuds were supposed to be  :'( and phacellia on bare patches. You can let the phacellia go if you want -not the most pretty plant but the flowers are good in the spring and bees &c. love them -they were swarming all over the summer ones in the brassica bed.

SpeedyMango -now there's a name  ;D -it doesn't mention slugs in the books, but they loved mine. Last time I grew it, they all came off the lawn and onto the bed.

Jeremy

[SpeedyMango]

I would have thought the birds would be the major problem, going after the seed. Do you have to net the beds after sowing?

[derbex]

Didn't have a problem with birds last time, and so far not this time, although they've only been in a couple of days. I think they're too busy munching other things.

Last time I caught the slugs at it, by going out at night, and the slime trails were a give away.

Jeremy

[reedos]

I've managed to acquire a second allotment next to the one I've got, needs work but the plan is to clear it - partway through doing that - and using half of it for fruit bushes so will be building a big fruit cage, building a polytunnel on it, leaving a bit sort of to nature (sowing wild flowers to get pollinators etc in).
Does anybody know of any sites showing plans for DIY fruit cages/polytunnels, think I know what i'm doing but it never does any harm to check.
On my "vegetable" site will be growing just about all the crops mentioned.

[derbex]

I found this -if you get any more I'd be interested as I'm thinking of building one myself.

http://www.greenfingers.com/articledisplay.asp?gfAdSection=HELPINGHANDS&id=405

Jeremy

[john_miller]

EJ, even given our frigid winters I have sown rye (what you call grazing rye I think we call winter rye) in November and had decent germination. It certainly took off in the spring! If you do spread and incorporate compost, remember to sow green manure on that too. Compost is not particularly high in nutrients so you need to retain as much of them as you can.