This has been our first winter where we have been 90% self sufficient with vegetables over the winter period and it’s been great! Obviously we won’t ever beable to grow the amount of potatoes needed for a family of four to survive on all year round, but the other vegetables have been fantastic. I still have kale, flower sprouts, chard, leeks and carrots left for harvesting on my little plot. We finished the red cabbage off a while ago and everything was harvested before the frosts got them. Over on my Dad’s larger plot he has swede, sprouts, flower sprouts, calabrese, purple sprouting brocolli, cavolo nero, curly kale, cabbages, leeks and parsnips. We are in veggie heaven right now!

I am an avid second season grower, if theres space on the allotment I’ll be sure to fill it with flowers or vegetables! I’ve always liked the idea of overwintering vegetables to fill in those hungry gaps when nothing else is growing and carrots are one of those perfect crops to grow. They actually say that carrots which grow over winter are sweeter in taste, and I have to completely agree. I sowed these ‘Autumn King’ variety of carrots at the end of August, and I am only just starting to harvest them now. They may be dinky in size but they sure are tasty!

To learn more about my second growing season plans and ideas head on over to the ’2015 Plan’ page.