If you’re growing your own veggies this winter then this article will give you a good idea of what you can expect to see from your crops over the next two weeks or so. It’s worth bearing in mind the differences in temperature across the country, however, as here in Cornwall it has been relatively mild with not even a sniff of snow over the past weeks, whereas other parts of the UK have been somewhat colder. Those of you growing veg in the colder areas will find growth a little slower.
Veg planted in summer:
July was a big planting month for Christmas veg, and we were sending out loads of brussels sprouts, seed potatoes, cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, broccoli and kales to be planted. These veggies should all be harvestable now if you haven’t already eaten them!
You can harvest sprouts by twisting them off the stalk (start with the bigger sprouts at the base first) or cut down an entire stalk, remove the leaves and keep it in a cool dry place. The latter is a good thing to do if you have problems with slugs, pigeons or mice in the veg patch.
Kales can be harvested as a cut & come again leaf and they should keep providing you with fresh leaves for a few more months.
Broccoli in milder regions may still be sprouting, but if there is no sign of further sprouting in colder places then you can pull the plant up and compost it now.
Cabbages and cauliflowers should be harvestable now, but you can leave them in the ground until you want them.
Potatoes and carrots should really have been pulled up by now.
Veg planted in autumn:
September and October were big months for getting all those winter salads and lettuces, kales and greens in the ground as well as planting turnip and calabrese. There will be marked differences in the rate of growth depending on the temperature where you live but as a general rule you could expect the following:
Lettuces & leaves should be harvestable now – use them as cut & come again for a continuous crop over the next few weeks. Chicory and Endives will need a bit longer.
Kale can be harvested as a cut & come again leaf if it is big enough, but they may still be quite small in colder parts of the country.
Winter greens should be ready to harvest in the next few weeks, with spring greens following in March. Spring onions should be ready from February.
Turnips should be ready to harvest now – check that they are big enough by gently pulling some soil away at the top of the crown.
Calabrese broccoli may start to form heads in the next week or so in milder areas. Keep an eye on them!