Even if you don’t fancy the idea of going out to harvest kale, pak choi or swede over the winter months, there is a good reason to plant up this month…to harvest veggies in early spring!
Purple Sprouting Broccoli
Although you won’t get to harvest it until May, you will be so glad that you planted this. There’s not a huge amount to harvest in May, so a succession of purple sprouting broccoli spears is gratefully received. Choose a bed that gets a good amount of winter sunshine, plant approx 40cm apart and cover with netting.
Spring Greens
These will probably be ready to harvest as early as February or March. They are a great source of healthy greens, and incredibly easy to grow. Plant in beds or containers, protect from slugs and cover with fleece or netting and you can pretty much leave them to it until they are ready for harvesting.
Wild Rocket
We love planting this in September and October – it will seem like it isn’t growing hugely fast, and then when early spring comes it lives up to its name and rockets ahead giving you some deliciously punchy salad leaves to pick early in the year. You can also grow it in a greenhouse over winter for a fairly constant supply over the winter months.
Spring Onions
If you’re short on space, or just have a few gaps to fill, then spring onions are a brilliant plant to pop in the ground. They’ll be ready for harvesting from around February/March time, but will stay in the ground longer as well. They’re incredibly easy to grow, and you could happily grow in a window box either inside or out.
Leeks
Try planting out leeks in September – all going well, they will grow a little before winter settles in, then take a breather when it’s cold before having a growth spurt in early spring so that you can harvest them as early as May. It’s a lovely way of getting some more exciting veggies growing earlier in the year so that you can enjoy them with all that purple sprouting broccoli (see above!)