Topic: how to harvest more in spring and winter?

[antipodes]

Ok, this year's very harsh winter was unhelpful, but I have seen that this year I have harvested virtually nothing since last autumn. I only put in a few leeks in 2009 and my brussels failed, so this means that the gardne has not given me any veg for a while, and doesn't look set to until I can get the early spuds.
What can I do to increase harvest in the early spring, or even in the winter? I feel like I am not using it to its full potential...
I guess I do grow lots of spuds, garlic, onions, pumpkins, which I store and eat progressiveley, but it would be nice if it was more even, and less "gap and glut" growing  ;D
Any ideas guys?

[goodlife]

You could grow more brassica family...I'm just sowing sprouting broccoli for next winter..and brussels are just about ready to go out..later on I'll sow some winter hardy kale and spring cabbage...all those, part from brussels I'm still able to harvest now from last winter...
In cold greenhouse I grow mix salad leaves...the spicy mix with different mustads and chinese leaves are very hardy...black radish is winter hardy too..
Are you growing many roots?...those will keep you going..parsnips, carrots, swede...with carrots you need to pick later variety and sow as late as possible..you can leave them in ground if you are not in soggy area..just give cover of hay or straw before winter sets in..or you can lift and keep in shed with some sand or compost..
Jerusalem artichokes you can eat from first frosts untill new growth start and they are dug out as you need them as they store best in ground... I'll get good 4 monts cropping out of them..
anymore ideas...?

[goodlife]

Have you got greenhouse or tunnel....?..then there is plenty of more you can do...

[GodfreyRob]

There are several crop varieties that will grow through the winter with a little protection (like a fleece or cloche). For example Bordeaux is a red stemmed spinach and this came through the last winter to give me great crops in April (another variety is Polabear).  On similar lines is Swiss Chard.

There are also some lettuce that are pretty hardy too - Ice Queen.

Mizuma, Kailan are also tougher than you think and add variety.

A Tomato called MicroTom can be grown on a windowsill for late winter/early spring crops.

Don't forget chilli plants can be overwintered inside too.

[goodlife]

Herb are easy too..I sow parsley a bit later on summer and plant few into bucket/pot which is lifted in cold GH for winter...
Same can be done for chives..
Peas shoots ...
Stumpy carrots..
Garlic for greens...

[antipodes]

Yes maybe brassicas are the answer. For now I have brussel and a bit of red cabbage. When should I sow cabbage for later in the season? and what varieties??
Afraid I don't like PSB...
I have sown some Rainbow chard but it's not really hardy that one.
I have a lot of trouble doing lettuce or salad greens, this is the first year I have succeeded in getting my own lettuce plants from sowings. But Maybe I can try a scarole variety.

Roots: parsnips yes and beetroots. I have sown carrots, this may be the first year I actually get some as they are doing better than usual. In general I have never been able to grow them.

Unfortunately I do not have a greenhouse or tunnel, I have a couple of coldframes now... I live in a flat so not much way to do anything inside.

[goodlife]

Kale you can start sowing now until end of June...planting by end of July..mid August at latest...
Spring harvesting cabbages..You sow July-August..planting in September-October..
Winter cabbages for solid heads...sow by end of this month...but if you want as spring greens without solid head you can delay sowing quite a bit later..
Have a look www.kingsseeds.com they do lots of different sort of brassicas...with sowing and planting time quides... ;)
Cauli's you can grow all year round too..it is just about picking right varieties for the job... ;)

[suncekoret]

This is one of the questions which takes growing to another level.
On our site we have many old school gardeners who have a 'good show' in summer but by autumn they are wanting to get everything cleared and 'tidied up' for winter perhaps leaving only sprouts

I have been trying for many years to spread out the harvesting to give more variety every week of the year

As mentioned brassicas can spread the harvest Kale bridges between the cabbages and PSB which can be harvested through to May.
 I have overwintered caulis ( Maystar ) which which will be ready in 2 weeks - a friend uses 3 varieties to spread over a longer period

Perpetual spinach comes thru winter fighting and gives several good pickings before running to seed

Among the roots celeriac is really useful - standing from Oct to April

It is possible to have Leeks every month of the year = I've still got a few to finish and if I had sowed early Jan I would have a new crop begining June

I always have rocket, land cress and lambs lettuce all thru winter ( even this year ) until the first lettuce are ready




Good luck and good harvesting!

[jennym]

You might want to try Chinese greens, sown in autumn, along with a little lettuce (lettuce does seem to germinate quicker in cooler weather), and then protect with a fleece cloche when the weather gets really cold.
You could also try making a hot bed with some really fresh horse muck in about November, cover it with about a foot of good fine sieved soil and grow carrots in that - I did that once and had baby carrots Jan /Feb. As long as the muck is covered in a really deep layer of soil, the carrots don't fork. Other veg might like it too, but I only tried carrots and a bit of lettuce.

[kt.]

Sow winter lettuce Valdor.  Sown in Sept it can be harvested Nov/Dec.  I also sow it in growbags late Oct/Nov in the greenhouse then plant out in March for harvest late april/may.
http://www.kingsseeds.com/Ko-transact/productlist.asp?as=True

Brassicas are already mentioned but try their new cauli for harvesting Nov-Jan called Belot:
http://www.kingsseeds.com/Ko-transact/productlist.asp?as=True

Calabrese Parthenon is for early summer harvesting and if sown in August can be harvested right through winter.  Huge heads and it stands well too.
http://www.kingsseeds.com/Ko-transact/productlist.asp?as=True

[GodfreyRob]

I have a lot of trouble doing lettuce or salad greens, this is the first year I have succeeded in getting my own lettuce plants from sowings. But Maybe I can try a scarole variety.

Lettuce germinate really badly if its too warm for them. They germinate best below 10C so a cool (north facing) windowsill is ideal. I get best results with 2/3 seeds in a 3ins diameter pot, thin to the strongest seedling and plant out when 3-4 ins high (survive slug attacks better that way).

[antipodes]

Heavens, what a lot of useful suggestions! Sounds like I had better order some more seeds! Or maybe buy a few plug plants...
I can see I will have to pay more attention to the varieties, late early, etc, and I will have to really get savvy with the coldframes, which I only have just this season. 
I tried cauli this year, the seedlings all died (actually I felt like complaining to Alan Romans about it, I tried several different ways of growing, indoor, outdoor, in a seed bed etc, and all the seedlings failed.). Maybe some plug plants will be the solution until I get that sorted.
Luckily I have a garden that is in bits and pieces, many little rows and squares, so I can grow a wide variety of things.
I forgot to say I do have rhubarb and globe artichokes but both are late this year, so basically I have had almost zero harvest up till now...

[antipodes]

Oh also, I do have a packet of these:
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/336/1/

Nantes Frubund carrots, they are meant to be an autumn sower! Does that mean they will continue to grow throughout winter? Does anyone know these?

[luckydog]

If growing these winter varieties of brassica, does that mean that they won't need to be netted against the dreaded cabbage white?   ::)

[goodlife]

Code: [Select]

If growing these winter varieties of brassica, does that mean that they won't need to be netted against the dreaded cabbage white?
They do need netting during summer and autumn but after that no... ;D ;D ;D

[goodlife]

Oh forgot...there is always the pigeons..they still like to eat their greens.. ::)

[antipodes]

We don't seem to get cabbage whites here, cabbage is something that I have managed quite successfully in the past.
Anyway I ordered some seeds this lunchtime, I plumped for purple kale, Pak Choy, which is new for me, Durham cabbage that I can grow as greens in winter or let them develop for spring, some White Lisbon winter hardy onions (well spring onions are on the whole not really successful, but I will have a go at these anyway), some late cropping beetroot that I can sow in the next couple of weeks, and I also ordered some artichoke seeds, as my one artichoke bush is probably going to give up the ghost at the end of this year, and I would like to give it two companions anyway.
So I will soon be busily making a new seed bed in one of the cold frames!!

[GrannieAnnie]

Before I got around to building a cold frame I just planted some lettuce (Red Sails) in the ground about Aug or Sep and put an old window over it propped up with bricks going loosely around its perimeter- not mortared in so plenty of cold air was blowing in and out. I was amazed to see the lettuce held up all winter that way. The plants perked up and grew again in the very early Spring.
This was in Delaware where we get very cold winters so probably you'd have good success with some of the lettuces that tolerate cold like Winter Density and others.

Another advantage of not having it in a closed cold frame was I didn't have to keep running out to open and close it for fear of heat build up.  Give it a whirl. I'm sure you'll have success...unless the slugs get it >:(