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Veg to sow now

The 'what to do now' section of the site says we can now sow, amongst others, spinach, swiss chard, beetroot and spring onions. I have some seeds for these, but all the packs say to sow from March to July or August.

Can anyone explain? Is this just a matter of there being different varieties to sow at different times of year (I have rainbow chard, beetroot boltardy, and spring onion white lisbon). Or is it perhaps that they can be sown now if under cover/in a greenhouse?

Posts

  • Maybe worth mentioning, I have no greenhouse, and I have a small garden in Manchester, where there is one single bed that gets sun! I tend to sow a few of each thing in a small row or dotted between other things in that bed.

  • sotongeoffsotongeoff Posts: 9,802

    Some veg will over winter to produce an early crop next year the sowing now dates point to that.

  • MuddyForkMuddyFork Posts: 435

    Some of these are quick growers so you could get another harvest this year.  I have just sown my third batch of beetroot and will probably harvest them towards late October, depends on the weather.

  • So I'm guessing it would be different varieties that 'will over-winter to produce an early crop next year'? And mine won't do that?

    Thanks, MuddyFork, I'm going to put some in for a last harvest, as you say.

     

  • If you like a stir-fry, oriental brassicas are easy and sure fire. I'm getting kaillan and choy sum twice a week from sowings I made in the middle of July.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    I'm sowing chard direct in the veg patch (some Ruby, some ordinary) at the moment, to grow on and harvest in the winter.  I have grown it through the winter without protection, but I may get some fleece or a mini-poly tunnel this year so that the cropping isn't interrupted by snow (if we have any) but to be honest you can get away without doing that if you accept that snow will knock it back for a week or two.

    In October I'll sow Broad Beans Aquadulce Claudia to overwinter and provide an earlier crop next year.


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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