Topic: Winter Harvesting

[saddad]

After the cold weather have been down checking on the lottie,
brought in some leeks, swede (which I had stored in sand in the greenhouse against the frost), celeriac (similar but in the garage as they rotted after the frosts early last year), carrots, a white cabbage and the last of the red cabbage which were splitting from all the rain. With potatoes, onions and squash from store it's looking good. 

[JanG]

Congratulations Saddad. Our mainstays this winter are brussel sprouts and leeks which we have good quantities of. There is a small number of winter cabbages too.
I was interested that you’ve protected your swedes. I have a couple of good looking ones still in the ground. I’m hoping they’re OK but perhaps should investigate further. I’ve not had much success with swedes before so I’m completely inexperienced as to whether they’re affected by frost.
I can’t leave carrots in the ground past about early November as they just get gutted by rodents so it always surprises me when I hear of people successfully pulling carrots in mid winter. I store them in sand in a metal chest.
But yes, no need to starve in midwinter if you’re lucky enough to be able to grow things!

[saddad]

Swede are much hardier than the celeriac, but one had gone rotten in the ground so I put the rest in sand, in a plastic storage box in the cold greenhouse just to be on the safe side...

So far the rodents around here don't seem to have developed a taste for carrots... I think they prefer the takeaways that people abandon in the streets.
 

[JanG]

Sounds like takeaways are a good decoy. My neighbours aren't doing their bit in that direction unfortunately. Thanks for the encouragement re swedes and hardiness. I'll try mine in the next few days.

[BarriedaleNick]

Still getting used to how the seasons work here but I am just about there so next year will be better. My plan to have tomatoes for Christmas didn't work out - the fruit literally rotted on the vine but a lot of other things have done well. Still picking peppers and chilis, late plantings of broccoli and caulis are coming good and we have an abundance of nice cabbages. Leeks were late going in because they have a tendency to bolt if done too early but there are some decent ones now. I still have an aubergine or two to pick, squash, spuds and sweet potatoes are in store, late sowings of celery are just about ready too.

[Tiny Clanger]

Wish I could grow sedw, I've NEVER had any success with it.  Can only seem to grow Celeriac successfully.

[Deb P]

I hadn’t realised I had any rodent visitors in my lottie greenhouse until I went to uncover some sweet pea seeds and beans I had left to dry ( covered in wire mesh ) and found every one had been eaten! 🙄