Topic: What do you do with the allotment over winter?

[Digitalis]

Do you grow much, or is it just soil prep'?

[Tee Gee]

Outside over the winter months I will have such things as;

Winter Cabbage, Spring Cabbage, Savoys, Sprouts, Leeks, Parsnips, Garlic, Japanese Onions and sometimes sprouting broccoli on the go.

I don't bother growing stuff in my greenhouse I find it too much hassle, plus the fact this is my hibernation period.

[tonybloke]

Do you grow much, or is it just soil prep'?

plant overwintering onions, garlic.
grow.. all of the brassica's (cabbage, cauli, sprouts, broccolli, kale) leeks, parsnips, carrots.
grow green manures (saves soil erosion)
prep a bit of ground, repair any structures, turn the compost heap, collect rainwater,.......
NAH,  Not much going on overwinter on an alotment!! ;)

[Robert_Brenchley]

I have a few things in - permanent crops like rhubarb, plus overwintering onions, garlic, sometimes broad beans. It tends to get waterlogged at that time of year so it's not an ideal environment and there are quite a lot of flowers, lilies for instance, that I can't grow in the open ground.

[trickydiggy]

collect and spread poo to cover weeds/grass and rot down to make ground easier to dig in march
TD

[STEVEB]

Sit and ponder

[cambourne7]

I try and turn over the soil which is heavy clay to let the frost break it down.

I do plant over winter thngs like garlic but the sites so exposed nothing else really works.

[kt.]

Do you grow much, or is it just soil prep'?

Most of the stuff I do has already been said.  Not just soil prep,  but also, if required,  re-plan and add in any alterations to what I intend to be growing after winter and where I will be planting new stuff.  You should also look at cleaning your greenhouse,  pruning fruit trees and bushes in late autumn or early spring. 

[Eristic]

I aim to harvest crops every month of the year and plant crops every month of the year. Land that becomes free has to be dug or forked prior to resowing and there is always some weeding to do. Between tasks there is compost bags to turn, manure to collect, old flowerpots to empty, new peasticks to requisition, and all has to be done before darkness. Winter is a busy period for me.

[hopalong]

This winter I grew overwintering onions, garlic, aquadulce broad beans and butterhead lettuce (under a cloche).  Also sowed some green manures - field beans and winter tares.  Continued to harvest brussels sprouts, cabbages, kale, leeks, parsnips and perpetual spinach.

[elvis2003]

wintertime we get frustrated due to the lack of daylight,there is always something to do it seems,last winter  the husband was busy putting up the new shed,whilst i was digging it all over ready for  a nap.tried some overwintering cabbage and kale,still looking good,got onion sets in,generally tidyed up,maintanence jobs etc.looked after the compost,put up bird boxes,general pottering around really.this year we will def be looking on collecting manure,plant more overwintering things,and absolutely get dug over by november,once its done its done hey.well,thats the idea,wether we do or not.......

[Robert_Brenchley]

I normally get on with some digging, but this winter I almost abandoned the plot for several weeks due to low temperatures. The result is that I'm now way behind where I hoped to be.

[elvis2003]

I normally get on with some digging, but this winter I almost abandoned the plot for several weeks due to low temperatures. The result is that I'm now way behind where I hoped to be.

robert,im sure you are not as behind as you feel you are,youll soon catch up

[1066]

Go on holiday!! after all the work on the plot I deserve it   ;)

[PurpleHeather]

We find winter is the best time to take a holiday or three. No kids to worry about schooling any more. It is rather long haul to find decent sun and resorts but it suits us.

We grow winter vegetables and the lottie, it has some food in 12 months of the year.  parsnips and swedes for roots, leeks, savoy, brussels, kale. Then PSB and spring cabbage for later.

I keep my herbs in large pots outside in summer and most of these will over winter in the unheated green house with nothing more than a weekly watering. I have not found the knack of growing potatoes and lettuce there but have another cunning plan to try out this winter.

The surplus fruits beans, cauliflower and so on in the freezer with jams, chutney and pickle could probably make us totally self sufficient if we put the effort into it.

Most people finish sorting out the allotment from Summer in October and
start off a few seeds, onions and garlic either at home or in the cold frame or greenhouse on the plot in January. That is only 8 weeks off altogether and there is Christmas to attend to.

We need a holiday too.

[flowerofshona2007]

We do all the digging, put manure on the plotect.
We have leeks, parsnips, loads of brassicas, onions, shallots.
We are up the lottie most weeks through the winter.

[lewic]

I fixed my leaking shed, spent far too much money in garden centres, and took tons of rubbish to the tip.

What I should have done is less shopping and more digging!

[manicscousers]

collected leaves for a leaf bin as well as all the above, we have hens so someone has to clean them out and feed so, most days, even if only for half an hour, we're up there , plus, there's always something to harvest, we grow chinese leaves etc in the poly ;D

[Adrianw]

Planted Italian Rye Grass as a green manure.
Forgot how much hard work it was digging it in.

Repaired leaky shed, fixed fence, remade pathways.
Sat with a flask of coffee watching the world go

[saddad]

I gave up rye grass for the same reason... tares and phacalia much easier...  :)