Green Fingers

GreenFingers

The Alan Titchmarsh column

He’s a brilliant presenter, accomplished gardener, talented novelist and all-round horticultural inspiration. This month, Alan Titchmarsh discusses putting early preparations in place for winter.

So winter is coming! Okay, so it’s a way off yet, but getting our plans together early for what we want to see in our gardens in winter, is actually a really good idea, even if the whole discussion feels a little, well, ‘out of season’, you might say! The notion of the winter vegetable is one we all stand by – rough, rustic, wholesome and happy, they are the meal mainstays of a season in which we want to be inside, wrapped up warm, with the products of our labour in front of us. Think about kale, brussels sprouts, parsnips, and who can resist the Jerusalem artichoke? These are all easy to get into the group, simple to maintain, and will flourish as the year goes on, ready for picking just when the temperatures begin to drop sharply in November. You also need to start thinking about early spring vegetables – they’ll be longer in the ground but still working their magic through the winter months. In this case, definitely consider spinach, typically planted at the start of autumn, and carrots too - planted in November and with a bit of protection, the Adelaide carrot flourishes across the colder months for an early-spring treat. You’ve also got leeks, winter salads, Lambs Lettuce, cress, mustard and tasty onions – all evidence that when the sun disappears, the work we can do in our gardens continues.