Even as the weather cools, your veggie patch doesn’t have to sit empty! There are several crops that can be planted now in September that will grow through winter, giving you fresh produce well into the colder months and ensuring a head start for the next growing season.
Mizuna
Mizuna is a hardy green that can be sown directly into well-drained soil or containers, it thrives in the crisp autumn air and grows quickly, providing a fresh harvest in just a few weeks. It can withstand light frosts, often becoming even more tender and flavourful as the weather gets colder. Regular harvesting of the outer leaves promotes continued growth and ensure a steady supply of this nutritious, peppery green for salad leaf.
Radish
Radish seeds can be sown directly in the soil now and generally reach maturity in just a few weeks, making them a great choice for a quick harvest before the first frost.
Onions
Planting onion sets in September ensures you’ll have a fresh crop ready to harvest early next summer. Winter varieties of onions are tough enough to withstand the cold and will begin growing slowly as temperatures drop, picking up speed as spring arrives.
You can also find a winter hardy variety of White Lisbon Spring Onion, which has been adapted for colder climates, it’s reliable for sowing in late summer or autumn for overwintering and harvesting in early spring.
Kale
Kale is one of the hardiest crops you can plant in September, it will grow throughout winter and endure the frost. There are several varieties to choose from, including Kale ‘Nero di Toscana’ a fantastic crop that’s flavour gets even better after the first frosts, and ‘Emerald Ice’ a unique variety of kale with ruffled green leaves boasting a sweet flavour.
Don’t forget to enjoy kale as a baby leaf by harvesting young, tender leaves for an extra-nutritious addition to salads.
Sweet Peas
While not a vegetable, sweet peas are a beautiful and fragrant addition to any allotment. Autumn sowing allows them to develop strong roots over winter, resulting in earlier blooms next spring.
Start sweet peas indoors or in a cold frame, sowing seeds in deep pots for planting out in spring once the frosts have passed.
A top tip is to pinch out the growing tips once seedlings reach about 10 cm to encourage bushier growth and more flowers.
Onion and garlic Sets have Arrived!
Onion and garlic sets are a great choice for autumn planting, allowing them to establish roots before the winter cold. Planting them now gives them a head start for a bountiful harvest the following summer.
Onion sets, which are small bulbs, can be planted in well-drained soil where they develop strong roots during the cooler months.
Garlic sets, or individual cloves, are planted similarly, with the pointed end facing up. Both crops benefit from the winter chill, which promotes bulb development. By spring, they begin to grow rapidly, producing large, flavourful bulbs that are ready to harvest in early summer.
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