Page 37 - Simply Vegetables Summer 2023

Winter harvests
There have been articles on winter harvesting in Simply Vegetables in the past, but I feel another would not go amiss with the current food prices which tend to rise during the winter period, and they are likely to rise more in the future as some commercial growers reduce the acreage that they grow.
Even if inflation reduces which it is predicted to do food prices will stay high owing to fewer supplies and the increased costs of transporting and importing from Europe and other countries. Some of the vegetables that can be harvested in the winter period can be sown in July / August so there is still time to get yours into the ground.
Many gardeners produce vegetables over the summer/autumn period and may have a few staples like leeks, parsnips, winter cabbage and Brussel sprouts
but leave large areas of their garden or allotment empty or growing weeds while they hibernate for the winter! In this day and age it is important to get maximum productivity from the soil and area especially if paying high allotment rents.
If well planned all ground is capable of producing two to three crops a year and this should be everyone’s aim. July is the time to sow the second or third crop to grow and harvest mid to late winter and into the spring. In this article I am going
to stretch the winter period out to include the hungry gap period of April / May to try to ensure all the year-round availability of home-grown vegetables. The crops can be cleared in the spring period for the next
summer crop. Ground left empty is wasted ground so either crop it or green manure it.
Some may argue that growing over winter is not worth the effort, but it is very satisfying to pick crops when few others can, and the effort required is not that great. Many winter crops can be used in salads which saves cooking and therefore energy (worthwhile these days!).
The sowing season for winter crops
is usually July through to September depending on the crops being grown; these can then be harvested in October
to early December and then February to April / May giving fresh vegetables during a period when little is available, and they are expensive in the shops. Also, if climate change is going to continue as it has
over the past few years, which is highly likely vegetable prices will increase at a higher rate than general inflation. Back in February there was a shortage of some salad vegetables owing to unusually cold weather in Spain and Morocco and at the time of writing in late April there was a news item on the radio about unusually
hot weather in Spain that led to water shortages and a reduction in the volume
of carrots and onions available for export
to Europe and the UK resulting in another round of shortages and price hikes. Europe is likely to get the crops that are available as they pay more than the UK and it is a shorter distance to transport them. We need to become more self-sufficient in vegetable and fruit crops for our own sakes, the climate is changing and population increasing so Grow Your Own!!
Swiss chard ‘Bright Lights’
So, what are the options for growing in the winter period outdoors in the U.K? The table below lists some plants, and this will be followed by brief growing advice.
Vegetable
Sowing
Harvesting
Corn salad
Kale
Oriental greens
Winter purslane (Claytonia)
Watercress
August - September July - August
July - September August
August - September
October – April February – May October – May October – April
October - April
Endive
August - September
October – April
Land cress
July - August
September – April
Salad rocket
July – September
October – April
Lamb’s lettuce
August - September
November - April
In the table I have shown many of the crop’s harvest period to be October to April in reality it tends to be split into two main periods, the first being October to early December and then mid-February to early April and sometimes into May. The mid-winter period owing to short days and lower temperature leads to little growth until the days start to get longer and temperature improve in February.
Looking at some of the vegetables to grow I will start with Chinese cabbage, which is a fairly modern crop, well it was not widely grown in the U.K 50 years ago! It is not the easiest of vegetables to grow to a high standard but is not too difficult to grow for leaves to pick especially if you don’t
Chard
Kale Redbor
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