Greenfingers with Alan

GREENFINGERS… with Alan Titchmarsh

Horticultural inspiration, accomplished gardener, talented novelist and much-loved presenter, Alan Titchmarsh, discusses putting early preparations in place for the cold season.

So then, 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 ground, 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. We associate carrots with sugary, summer flavours, but planted in November, and with a bit of protection, the Adelaide carrot flourishes across the colder months for an early spring treat.

Leeks – a must on a winter plot – offer volume, flavour and spiciness right up until the soil freezes solid. Winter salads; rows of Lambs Lettuce, Land Cress and mustard, will need some protection from the elements, but once in the ground they are resilient and happy to be picked across the colder months, where they’ll regrow and keep the supply to your lunch table constant.

And you can never ignore hardy, tough and tasty onions (and shallots); easy to plant, brilliantly versatile, and incredibly resourceful in the soil. Onions have a very long growing season too and require slightly longer in the ground, so planting now will mean they won’t be ready until next summer.

All of this proves that while many of us believe the end of the summer will gradually see our gardens lose their colourful, bountiful appeal, there is still plenty of work to do, and plenty of our outside spaces still to be enjoyed.