Page 67 - Simply Vegetables Autumn 2021

Growing Vegetables In Winter
With the arrival of autumn, you may think that your vegetable growing season is over. However, with a little preparation, you can still sow and grow fresh produce during the colder months. This is because while many associate gardening with spring, autumn can provide a plentiful harvest while winter months are the perfect time for planning and sowing.
There are many varieties of vegetables that can be sown in autumn ready for a winter harvest, while other plants can be over-wintered – these are planted in autumn and remain dormant until the spring.
A polytunnel can create the ideal sowing and growing conditions for winter vegetables, shielding them from cold, frost and wind. However, winter growing can be daunting.
To help, here’s what to grow in a polytunnel in winter.
Autumn and winter vegetables
In addition to herbs like coriander, salad leaves and lettuce, which can be grown all year, there are a couple of other delicious crops that can be sown in autumn and enjoyed during winter.
• Radish A popular choice for growing
during the winter, due largely to their fast 4-week harvesting period and can be sown as late as October.
• Turnip Can be sown and planted during early autumn, ready to be picked in winter. A relatively easy plant to grow, these can be sown
directly into the ground when using
a polytunnel.
• Carrots An ideal late-season choice,
particularly because they are a hardy vegetable and can thrive in colder temperatures, even in frosty conditions.
• Garlic A low maintenance plant, garlic is an ideal choice for over- wintering. It also thrives in colder weather, with temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius boosting growth.
• Broad Beans Ideal for later in the season, broad beans can be planted up until November and will be ready to pick in the spring. For best results, sow indoors to protect seedlings from the elements, then plant in your polytunnel with a 15cm gap.
• Kale Easy to grow and weather hardy, kale is an ideal choice for over-wintering. To start the kale off, use indoor trays or propagators for sowing before transferring to your polytunnel. If you’re lucky, you may get a small winter harvest, but expect to see your kale sprout in the spring.
In addition to garlic, broad beans and kale, onions and peas are also ideal for over-wintering, providing a plentiful harvest in early spring.
Getting your tunnel ready for winter
While you may now have more of an idea of what to grow in a polytunnel over winter, it’s also important to prep your polytunnel, to provide
the optimum conditions for autumn
Sean Egan - Tunnel
growth and over-wintering plants. Clean up your polytunnel. With
fewer hours of sunlight, making sure your polytunnel is clean allows your crops to get as much light as possible during the day.
Check for damage. If there are
any tears in your polytunnel cover, this will allow the cold and wind to enter, which could damage plants and put the cover under stress in windy weather. As such, check for damage and carry out any necessary repairs. Repair tape is ideal for repairing
tears in the polythene. Alternatively, it may be time to get a replacement polytunnel cover or invest in a new polytunnel.
Get the temperature right. Although heating a polytunnel can be expensive, you could boost the internal temperature with an additional insulating layer such as bubble wrap or a protective fleece blanket.
Get your tunnel ready for winter, learn about winter production, salad and herb plants that thrive during the winter. Plan your rotation, revise your layout and get loads of ideas to get you through the winter months.
Meet and greet
The NVS is not all about growing or showing vegetables, for many it’s about the friendships and connections made over the years. With restrictions lifting, we are proposing a meet up in Lough Key Forest Park, Roscommon on Sunday October 17th at 1pm. All members are welcome to join for a tea, chat and the opportunity to meet up with friends again.
Lough Key is conveniently located on the N4 Dublin to Sligo Road and is 17 kilometres from the N5 Dublin to Westport Road. The town of Boyle is only 5km from Lough Key, which links to the N61 Roscommon/Athlone Road. Eircode - F52 PY66.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A NVS JUDGE?
NVS Ireland, have set the objective to increase the number of judges
in 2022 and we would love to hear from any member who may be interested in becoming a NVS Judge.
The judging exams are held in early October each year and include a theory exam and practical exam.
Members wishing to take the exam should be a NVS member
for at least one year and have gained some knowledge of judging. Candidates should also have a good knowledge of the NVS judges guide and what it contains.
To assist members, The Irish DA will hold a number of workshops through the winter covering the theory & practical aspects with guidance from a national judge. Next summer each candidate will be given hands on experience to shadow an experienced judge in preparation of the practical exam in October 2022.
To register your interest please contact Raymond Higgins 0864591655 email higgins. raymond@gmail.com
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