Polytunnel in winter

[Vince G]

What does everyone grow in their polytunnel for consumption during the winter / very early spring?

Although mine is still packed with toms, cukes, peppers, chillis and aubs, there will come a time in the next 6 weeks or so when we have to begin considering what's going to happen when they're all finished and so some stuff ready to put in when they're all pulled up.

All ideas / comments welcome.

[Peas'n'Kews]

I don't have a proper poly tunnel, but in my wee collapsible ones I grow little gem lettuce, and get the peas and bbeans going, along with some carrots....

Not very exciting but quite yummy!

[CaroltheCarrot]

Cabbage,kale,broc,cauli, early peas, yes yes I know most of these can be still outside during the winter but you try being up here in the dead of winter, its nice to be under cover and see things growing

[Bren In Pots]

I sow Arctic King and 'all year round' lettuce plus some spring onions in paper pots around the end of August then its ready to go in the GH border once the toms have finished.

[Alison]

Loads of brassicas, broad beans, spinach, chard, spring onions, salad stuffs etc

[Thelma Sanders]

This year - Corn salad, SeedsofItaly's letuce/radichio mix, Kailaan, Mizuna, Tatsoi, spinach, a few Waltham broccoli plants and a few April cabbages

[Uber-Uncool]

Excellent ideas. My plackytunnel is chockablock with tomato plants and basil and once they are done with I aim to fill it up with other veg and not let it sit idle late autumn/winter/spring. Will keep an eye on this thread for further ideas....have been itching to buy books on growing veg under cover, but am a skinflint so hope to make use of info where I can get it for free.

[mudpies]

Carrots, beetroot for roasting, cauli and cabbage for us, oh and a few spuds for Christmas Dinner!

[redser]

Going to try garlic this year

[Dead Dogs]

Cabbage,kale,broc,cauli, early peas, yes yes I know most of these can be still outside during the winter but you try being up here in the dead of winter, its nice to be under cover and see things growing

As above, for the same reason. Plus Leeks, onions, garlic and sprouts.
Did do some over wintered broadies, but bearly got the number of beans as I sowed.

[Feral007]

Pak choi is great for winter as well. I've got red and green cabbage just passing time out in the garden so I think they would go viral in a GH or polytunnel. Leeks yes, corn salad (not impressed), some late sown globe carrots, lettuce till the cabbage saw them off (they don't like each other). Spring onions overwintering, that's it. Oh and some herbs. Rosemary, mountain pepper, oregano, think the tarragon may have Gone to God, but still hoping it's just sleeping. Mint, because I haven't managed to kill it yet!

[Thelma Sanders]

Excellent ideas. My plackytunnel is chockablock with tomato plants and basil and once they are done with I aim to fill it up with other veg and not let it sit idle late autumn/winter/spring. Will keep an eye on this thread for further ideas....have been itching to buy books on growing veg under cover, but am a skinflint so hope to make use of info where I can get it for free.

Be careful, many of the veg listed needs starting in modules or trays soon, rather than waiting til the toms come out

Borrow Joy Larkcom's book GYO Vegetables from the library - good advice for late crops in there!

[Paulieb]

Although I only grew some lettuces last year in my greenhouse after reading The Polytunnel Book: Fruit and Vegetables All Year Round by Joyce Russell, I have a new plan for this year.

The general jist of the book is the extend your main growing season an extra month or so at each end, say, instead of April to Oct you can grow the same crops from March to Nov.

For example, I have started Xmas potatoes already (and they are 6 inches high in buckets outside. Around October I'll stick them in the GH to get the most from them (perhaps fleecing them on cold nights).

I have carrots started off in my 'potatoes buckets' from this summer which will go in the GH around october to keep them growing a bit and for easy harvesting if the ground freezes.

Same with spring onions and a few brassicas.

The main thing to remember is to start stuff now because due to reduced light and heat not much growing will be done from Nov to Feb, although lots of crops will happily just stand in the cold.

[SarzWix]

My 'Polytunnel Year' planner suggests sowing in August:

Beetroot
Broccoli
Cabbage
Calabrese
Carrots
Cauliflower
Coriander
Fennel
French Beans
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Mizuna
Oriental leaves
Pak Choi
Peas
Potatoes
Radish
Rocket
Spinach
Spring Cabbage
Spring onion
Swiss Chard
Turnips
Winter lettuce

Most of those can be started in pots or modules and planted out when you have space for them

[judy2shoes]

Im a bit late but last week planted swiss chard, beetroot, pak choi, chinese cabbage, dwarf peas. I just can't get my head around 'continuous sowing' / planting at this time for winter. Might try and sow another batch of the same.