Vegetables to Sow & Plant for Autumn & Winter

In August, your vegetable beds are packed with growing vegetables and the harvest season is here. You finally feel like you can take your foot off the accelerator pedal and enjoy the fruits and vegetables of your hard labour and the summer, now it has arrived.

However if you do a little bit of planning and sowing seeds now whilst sitting back and admiring your current vegetable garden, you’ll be reaping the rewards in the winter when there’s are not many harvests during the colder seasons and otherwise empty beds to look at.

How do I know what Autumn & Winter Vegetables to grow?

1. What Vegetables do you & your family eat?

Spring Cabbage or Spring greens – Sow July or August. Plant Oct or Nov. Harvest Jan to March.
Garlic – Autumn Planting – Plant Bulbs Mid Sept to Mid Dec. Harvest July.
Onions – Autumn Planting – Plant bulbs October to November. Harvest July.
Winter Lettuce – Sow Early August to November. Harvested in 4-6 weeks.
Turnips – Sow March to June and July to Mid August. 6-8 weeks until harvest.
Swede – Sow Mid May to Mid June. Harvest Sept – Dec.
Beetroot – Sow March to August. Harvest June to October.
Carrots – Sow February to Late August. Harvest May to December.
Calabrese (headed broccoli) – Sow March to Late July. Harvest November to
Chicory – Non Forcing types & Radicchio – Sow June to Aug.
Kale – Sow March to Late July. Harvest Sept to March.
Florence Fennel – Sow Mid July. Harvest December to March.
Chard – Sow April to End July. Harvest October to December.
Peas – Sow March to August. Harvest October.
Potatoes in Pots – Plant tubers in July & Early August. Harvest Nov-Dec.
Spinach – Sow Late July to September. Harvest December to March.
Spring Onions – Sow March to September. Harvest July to December.
Winter Radish – Sow July to September. Harvest December.

2. Easy Vegetables to Grow in July & August

If you can’t decide, the easiest vegetables to grow outside in the ground are:

Carrots – Sow Autumn Carrots.
Beetroot,
Chard,
Perpetual Spinach,
Peas,
Radish,
Pak Choi,
Mixed Winter Salad Leaves,
Winter Lettuce,
Spring Onions.

Easy Vegetables to Plant in September to November

Plant Autumn Onions in September or October. Harvest June.
Plant Garlic in November – can pre-order online in July & August. Harvest July.
You can also try Potatoes in Pots – Buy Christmas Potato Tubers and plant before end of September.

Fussier Vegetables to Grow

Brassicas like cabbage, kale, turnip and Calabrese (broccoli) and cauliflower will still need to be covered in fine mesh netting at this time of the year due to cabbage white butterflies and whitefly.

Therefore the Brassicas type of vegetables are normally grown by the advanced vegetable grower or the one with glutton for punishment!

3. No need for Vegetable Growing Plans, just fill the gaps!

Do you have gaps in your vegetable beds where your harvests have finished?

Do you have space to sow any root vegetables amongst your other vegetables? Sow carrots & beetroot now.

Do you have room in your greenhouse? Then Start sowings of peas, chard, winter lettuce, pak Choi now.

Are you growing Onions or Garlic or another crop that will be ready to harvest in the next few weeks? This is your chance to fill those gaps.

4. Haven’t got Time to Sow Seeds? Buy Vegetable plants instead.

There are online companies like Rocket Gardens who sell vegetable plants in plug plants which are ready to plant straight into your vegetable garden or pot on if you haven’t quite got the room yet. I have used this company a few times and have been impressed by the quality of plants.