Kitchen Garden Forum

Has anyone else noticed some stuff still growing? In December my pineapple sage was flowering, now the rosemary is flowering, mushrooms are appearing out of season. LOL I even picked some active caterpillars off the greens today! I am wondering if I dare plant early for spring it is so mild here!

It depends on what you want to plant.... But I get tricked every year into thinking its mild enough to plant out then we get that nasty cold spell around Feb /March. Id hold your horses for a bit .
To keep my itchy green fingers quiet I do start some trays indoors on window ledges , things that take ages to grow like asparagus from seed, lavender seeds or onion seeds.

We are only less than halfway through winter so there is plenty of time for it to turn very cold yet.

And remember the other crucial factor, daylight - 8 hours a day average through January, 11 hours average in March.

Like Alan I think the light levels are as important if not more so than the temperature. It is particularly noticeable in the greenhouse that autumn sown plants just sit and do absolutely nothing all winter until about the third week in February when they spring into growth. The light levels and day length are enough to stimulate growth even if it is still quite cold from this date here in Yorkshire, although you will be a bit earlier further South.

Getting new growth here on a small patch of rainbow chard, and on celery. Seedlings of both were a gift from a late sowing by a market grower. Hard frost seems not to have done any real damage.