what to do this autumn?

Hi there

Go to the search facility and look for 'dual cropping'; it will help you to plan year round crops. Courtesy of Snadger, dual cropping king.

Check into the 'what I did today' thread, and you can see what crops others are sowing and planning.

You can have veg all year round, it just takes a little planning - once one set of crops is starting to be harvested then you need to start sowing seeds for the space once harvesting is done. That's the way I plan these things.

I was at the GC today and they seemed to have cottoned on that people don't like to see bare earth through the winter.!
There were punnets of PSB, Spring cabbages, Kales, caulis, white sprouting broccoli to name but a few.
Next year if you're cute you'll have these plants all ready to pop in from seed that you've sown yourself. Broad beans, peas, japanese onions and garlic can all be autumn sown also!

See; the Dual Cropping king!!!

I saw the same at Wyevale on friday, and smugly chomped to my OH that we didn't need to get any as I already had it in seed beds waiting to go in. His DD [11] read out each on e [I'll bet you haven't got...cabbages? yup. Broccolli? yup. kale? yup. She gave up after a while.]

For me in Newcastle, September sees the start of land becoming cleared and space becoming available in the greenhouses. I thought I’d give you an idea of what I’m doing this month to keep it all going over the winter. (I’ve left out some of the more obvious crops such as garlic and onions etc. as they are already well documented.).

As I have 1 greenhouse with only a peach tree in I have decided to try and grow a Loofah, from Chiltern Seeds. I am going to grow it up the support system I have for my cucumbers. The greenhouse also see’s me sowing, Lettuce Meraviglia D’Inverno (Seeds of Italy) which will crop until March. Salads also include, corn salad, landcress, rocket, winter purslane and winter hardy spring onions.

Winter Spinach, Medinia from Suffolk Herbs is also a wonderful winter crop and much less prone to bolting than summer varities. Also on the spinach theme I’m going to try the herb Amaranth which just looks fantastic. Adquadice Claudia are well worth trying as an overwintering broad bean and for me are about a 5-1 shot in surviving. Chicory & radiccio go in, I use a red variety Palla Rossa which with a little protection will provide pickings throughout the winter. Swiss chard also provides much needed colour and looks great when covered by frost. I sow some large pots with Amsterdam Forcing carrots and put in the greenhouse….produces finger size carrots every year! Try oriental veg if you can give it some cover during the harshest temperatures, I grow mustard greens, mooli radish, mizuma and pak choi. I know it wont tell you on the packet but sow kohl rabi, try a red skinned variety) and eat when golf / tennis ball size.

It’s worth remembering that even growing weeds will take nutrients from the soil. If you have bare earth try growing a green manure. You can sow field beans, Italian ryegrass, mustard, grazing rye and vetches in September which are usually dug in after over wintering. I am lucky in that I live near the beach and tend to cover my bare ground in seaweed.

One last thing, as your tomatoes and peas die of use the haulms as a base for you onion bed for next year. Just put these into the bottom of a small trench and then backfill with a soil / manure mix.

I am doing much the same as Snadger (but not on the same scale).

I have brussels sprouts, PSB and 1 kale already growing in the brassica bed. I've also got a large bed of leeks on the go. You might be able to get plants for the brassica bed (also cabbages and cauliflowers) and leeks in the GC yet.

I planted 2 short rows of carrots (early nantes) and turnips (a white variety), along with some radishes and sping onions 2 weeks ago for late crops of baby veg (hoping for an Indian summer here). And I am still sowing lettuces for using as baby leaves as long as possible.

In October, I will be planting a double row of broad beans (Aquadulce Claudia) and a double trench of peas (Meteor) for overwintering. I will put some salads (corn salad, lettuce "all year round" and land cress) alongside those for use over winter. I also have a packet of spring onions which are suitable for growing all year round (can't remember variety but they are from T&M) which I am going to trial.

I will also be putting in my garlic shortly - due into the GC next week and I'll probably plant it fairly soon after that (last autumn, the OH planted cloves from the previous crop, but planted tiny ones so I have almost none this year so going back for proper seed bulbs this year).

Last year, I also had overwintering onions, which were a good idea. I also like to grow a packet of yellow and a packet of red ones in the spring - which means that this year, I have loads to keep me going. The overwintered ones came good just as last year's crop finished up and they will keep me in yellow ones for another months or 2 before getting into the spring ones. So next season, I reckon that I will have enough to keep me in oninos until the spring sown ones are ready. Long story short - I will be growing overwintered onions every second season and that means not this one.

In the garden at home, I have a kale and 2 pots of potatoes, and a pot of baby turnips (only sown 2 weeks ago). I intend having a few more salad leaves there where I can protect them a bit more, but that's about it for there I'd say.