What To Grow in Winter
Winter can be a hard time for plants. With harsh conditions creeping in and causing damage to plants all over the garden, it becomes difficult to remember the pleasure of gardening in the summer. Cold, wet and windy weather can prevent plants from growing and causes damage to shrubs and trees alike. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of six vegetables you can plant over winter that will withstand the bitter conditions.
2 minute read
Garlic
Most vegetables are sown in autumn, ready for harvesting over the winter, but garlic can be planted from November onwards. You should work the soil and plant cloves in a few rows, watering every several days. If you want to protect your plants from birds, you could always buy a horticultural fleece and lay it over the top. That way, you won’t have to run out into the garden every five minutes to shoo them away.
Garlic has a long growing season and shoots should start to show in early spring. As soon as bulbs appear, you should reduce the frequency of watering, otherwise you will be faced with rot. Because they are low maintenance, you’re able to move on to other plants.
Broad beans
Stay ahead of your fellow gardening enthusiasts by harvesting your beans earlier than theirs. People tend to plant broad beans in the new year, from February, but broad beans can actually be planted from November onwards, and they’re so easy to grow!
Once you’ve chosen your spot, sow the seeds however you’d like – this could be in single rows, double rows, or spaced out with enough room to walk through. Make sure the seeds are about three inches deep and water well. If the ground is naturally dry and there isn’t much rainfall, soak them every now and again.
When they start to get a bit of height, use stakes to support them. You should regularly hoe to remove any weeds that might develop over winter. It may sound like a bit of work, but at least your broad beans won’t develop blackfly during this season as they only appear in late spring.
Peas
Austrian peas in particular are very resistant to the cold and can survive temperatures as low as -17 to -23°C. These can be sown in exactly the same way as broad beans. Plant the peas a couple of inches deep and cover in soil, watering well. These can be planted in rows, or some people like to plant them in bunches so they can harvest their leaves for salads.
Just like broad beans, use stakes for support when they start to get a little height to them. Peas are one of the fastest growing plants and you should start to see shoots coming through within a matter of weeks.
Spring onions
Another good vegetable to grow over the winter months is spring onions. These generally grow quickly, over the course of eight weeks, and only need to be planted in a hole half an inch deep. Spring onions need to be kept moist and weed free and are incredibly winter hardy vegetables.
Turnips
Generally, these are good after the summer because they utilise the rest of the nitrogen in the soil left over from other plants, making a good autumn harvest. However, mature turnips are also durable in the winter, able to withstand sub-zero temperatures.
What’s more, turnips are exceptionally easy to grow. Because they grow so fast, they only require the soil to be moist for about three days before they germinate. Once they’ve established, keep them in moist soil and thin out the leaves when they start to get too bushy.
Spinach
When planted in winter, spinach needs a lot of nutrients to grow, so start by providing a booster feeding compost with water-soluble plant food. Growth will be slow over winter, but the leaves will start to fill out at the beginning of spring. This will produce some incredibly crisp leaves that are sure to impress your friends and neighbours. If planted just before winter and established, the plant enters a state of dormancy, hardy enough to withstand the cold.
Sow seeds in a hole an inch deep and in rows, watering well. Ensure they stay watered during dry conditions. Spinach is so good at growing that it can be sown any time of the year and harvested throughout.
Hopefully, you’ll feel inspired enough to get your gardening tools back out again and to start organising your garden. If you have a greenhouse, you can always plant these inside to give them a helping hand through the colder days, or if you don’t have a garden, many of these plants will grow inside where it’s warmer. These plants are robust enough to withstand the cold, but they will also grow in warmth too.
