Overwintered failures

Decided to try some autumn sown and overwintered veg this year. Started off OK with winter cabbage, japanese onions and broad beans. BUT cabbage did nothing and just then all died, onions more than half have suddenly disappeared, and all broad beans dead apart from two not at all happy looking plants.

No hard frosts here , the ground hasn't frozen, and did manage to plant them away from the worst of the waterlogging. Not really sure what's gone wrong.

There are some funny ferny leaved green things in my garden. I think they might be kale

Blueberry, I never have any luck with autumn sown veg, or veg sown in Jan/Feb. I don't sow anything until March and it's fine. Seems to catch up. I wonder if hungry beasties get them.

   I wonder what's happened to your broad beans?  I got 100% germination and they're all still alive and healthy (crossed fingers smiley needed) - we've had deep snow and hard frost - they've not been protected with anything.  Which variety did you sow and when did you sow them?

I've also got some Swiss chard that has overwintered well (so far - don't want to tempt fate) - one row sown in the summer - I've been able to take occasional pickings from this except in the worst weather - and two rows sown in the autumn and overwintered under a plastic tunnel cloche - hopefully they'll grow on quickly when the spring sunshine appears.

I've also got some winter hardy lettuce Arctic King under a cloche in a raised bed - they've grown very slowly throughout the winter and again, when the weather picks up they should provide an early crop.

Tell us a bit more about  garden and what you've been growing and when it all began to go wrong

Blueberry now you know that after years of experience I do not bother, birds or field mice probably got your onions, you would not see them do it.
I do put a few broad beans in pots on the staging of the greenhouse for an early crop although they turn out not to be all that early as sowing them later gets me a crop almost the same time.
Your greens need light and we have not had a lot this year, a touch of sun and they will noticeably grow, no sun and they just stand still.
You do not say where you are in the North East we just sit and wait, sow as soon as we get some light and the odd day of sunshine which most February's does not happen, Patience my friend.

Frank.

We have got some very good purple flowering broccoli and spring cabbage. That's all we bother with now, as said before, things tend to catch up when sown in early spring. We start broad beans in pots and plant out when the weather permits, and always get a good crop.

I also think a lot depends on where you live as to the success or failure of crops, although this year it's been the same in most places regarding rainfall

ChrisX

We don't have any luck with autumn sowing either, think it is too dark for far too  long this far north, early spring sowing in the greenhouse works a great deal better for me - oh the garlic has come up however, that's about it. 

Yet again an autumn sowing of things has been chewed by the slimey brigade, despite pellets etc. in the coldframe. I should know better, it happens nearly every time. 

So next week shall resow some sweetpeas & everything else waits until March- it all catches up.

Agree with you Bookertoo, us northerners do have to do things differently. J.

I planted my garlic in November as I always do, I had given up the ghost with nothing showing when last weekend (9 days ago) I saw the shoots coming through. No idea why they have taken so long this year, I was just about to go and buy some more but now I'm happy. Circumstances meant I was unable to put my broad neans in in November as I also do so they went in in January - no signs of life yet

Hello all. I'm in Yorkshire, but in an urban microclimate - friends and family only a few miles away can have frost and snow when there's nothing here. It is a bit exposed though so can suffer from the wind. The soil is clay based, has been improved slightly, but soggy with all the wet weather.

Broad beans all geminated well and seemed to be happy, looks like something nipped them off at ground level but the rest of the plant isn't eaten or damaged at all.

The winter cabbage just looked sickly, yellowed and purply. Perhaps the soil is too acid or has been leached with all the rain ?

Will have another go with usual spring sowings, maybe just not the right conditions here for winter stuff.

I had the same experience with garlic, November sowings have always worked well for me but this nothing appeared to have grown so I was expecting to be re-sowing in the next week or so only to discover that the vast maj have now broken through and appear to growing well

I tried my first autumnal sowings, nothing extravagant! just some garlic and onions, oh and replanted my elephant garlic from last year as they all made large bulbs size of a golf ball, so I'm trying the replant and let them have another season idea! I'm in Birmingham using raised beds, planted everything about early/mid Nov, everything shooting, mind you, had to go and replant half of the onion sets becuse they had pushed proud of the soil. Beds are all netted  with 15" height, (I have two cats and we have loads of foxes) so couldn't have been the birds. I was glad I did replant the onions because it was about a week before we had the heavy frosts then snow! My spring bulbs seem to be trundling into life, maybe there is hope on the horizon.

My garlic did the same.It was started in October and still nothing showing at the end of January, some of the cloves had gone soft  so against all good gardening advise and not to miss the frost I bought three cracking bulbs from a local fruit and veg shop, said they were grown locally, and the bulbs, whole, were started off in vases of water. In  no time at all the roots were romping away. There are about 30 to 40 cloves now in the GH with shoots. Must be the only person in the country hoping for a frosty spell so the developing bulbs will split.

Gave up on broad beans. Never been able to get them through a winter. Much prefer french/runner beans.

I planted winter veg for the first time as my raised beds are in the front garden and couldn't leave them empty! Didn't get round to covering them before first frost and they seemed to cope. Broad beans, lettuce (various) spring onions, kale, cabbage and others have survived but not grown much. Lost a few Calabrese and the remaining ones look weak. Can I expect to harvest anything to make room for new plants in April/May? I am new to veg growing 

The only things I have overwintered are leeks and garlic.  Garlic is just beginning to show through.