Kitchen Garden Forum

I usually leave the greenhouse alone over winter, but am thinking of growing over winter. Thought of baby leaf spinach , perhaps courgette? Has anybody got suggestions? Greenhouse isn't heated but is south facing and is usually quite warm.
many thanks

Baby leaf spinach might be ok, winter temperatures permitting, but I think courgettes are a no-no, not least because of the lack of pollinating insects. What about winter-hardy lettuce, rocket, mizuna and other (almost) hardy salad plants? If you really think your greenhouse might remain frost free and you have enough room, you could start off broad beans and peas before planting them out early next spring.

Agree with Monika, not the courgette! Get some winter salads in there, maybe some Chinese crops for leaves for stir frying, definitely the spinach, if it's warm then maybe try some herbs as well. It would be a shame to not use it fully, especially if it is south facing. Just remember to feed the soil again for the spring crops!

Thanks guys,
we are in east sussex which misses most of the cold! I will give the spinach, lettuce etc a go. I started beans and peas in a propagator before but will try that! for info, I have pepper and chilli plants still flowering and fruiting! might try to over winter see what happens!
Might even try to start aubergines early!

I have chinese veg in mine plus a crop of spring onions which didn't get used to I'm just leaving them in there for now. They're beginning to look like real grown up onions now. Might come in handy for winter casseroles. However, I usually use my cold greenhouse to store my banana plants, cannas and pelargoniums, etc. Also, a dahlia seedling grew itself, amongst the tomatoes in the summer, so I've left it in the ground as it's flowering now and looks so pretty.

I've got a growing collection of succulents on the top shelf, which I add to regularly, either cuttings from my mum, or ones I've pinched from work, or little plantlets from jumble sales etc. I removed the dead cucumber plant yesterday, and tomato will follow soon. I have some garlic to plant up in modules too.

Most of the plants I am growing over Winter are already planted or are in modules waiting to go in. Most go in the polytunnel. Some lettuce, radicchio, endive, parsley and coriander are already planted but there are more in modules with some rocket as well. There should have been corn salad but they didn't germinate (fresh free seeds). I have a deep box in the greenhouse with two types each of mizuna and mustard in it, you could probably still sow these or a spicy/oriental salad mix. I have some strawberry runners potted up that will move into the greenhouse after a few frosts, probably in January. I have two greenhouses and one has been cleared then filled with chrysants that will soon be giving us a supply of cut flowers. The other one needs the staging putting back in then it will be used to dry the dahlias when they have been frosted. The tunnel also has herbs in big pots; rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano. There is a box of mint outside that will move into the greenhouse probably at the same time as the strawberries.

Kale outdoors

Currently I'm growing kale. With the autumn conditions it requires little maintenance. It just grows, even in a container, and I don't have to do anything for it. Natural autumn rain does the trick so no watering. Except for protecting it from butterfly eggs, by removing the eggs or putting nets around it. Maybe a little fertilizing if you want large crops.

The variety I'm currently growing is Brassica oleracea and it does pretty good in the same container I used for broccoli! Yes, I know that you should never grow kale on the same bed twice but I had nothing else to fill this empty space on our balcony. It works! This type of kale tastes best directly after the first frost went over it.

Looks g eat Elmigo! Mine have been decimated by snails.

Gosh, they look healthy, Elmigo. We had to pull up all our brassicas because the cabbage white caterpillars this year just turned all the leaves into lace. Next year, they will go under a netting tunnel.

Well, don't let my picture deceive you because those are the top leaves where snails don't reach (apparently). The bottom leaves have mostly been eaten away! Looks like the snails finally discovered my balcony, good thing I'm moving away now

Mine are pretty full of holes as well! You tackle one hungry natural beast with protection (cabbage whites) & then have a slug & snail invasion like it is an 'All you can eat' type of restaurant. I'm cool with a few holes as it is cut up to eat anyway.