Vegetables Seeds to sow in Autumn

If gardening is one thing it is seasonal! And with each season brings an array of things to do in the garden. Everyone knows that spring the time for most of our vegetable growing but little is known about what seeds can be sown the rest of the year

With our vegetable plots teeming with life from late spring until the end of August it is tough to see it limping along over the winter months with only the odd Brussels sprout and ‘gone to seed’ cabbage holding the fort. But luckily there is a range of seeds that can be sown during the months of July to November to fill your vegetable garden over the winter months
There are good reasons to continue sowing your vegetables in late summer and one reason is that it ensure your vegetable plot remains active all year round. It is Important to avoid having a bare plot from half the year. Bare vegetable plots can become overgrown with weeds which would then become a problem all summer long. Also bare vegetable plots lose all its beneficial insects such as worms and bacteria that prefer to find refuge under a thick covering of foliage
You can sow a range of crops directly outdoors in the vegetable garden but these should all be covered over by the beginning of November to protect against frost. Use a garden cloche or mini polytunnel to cover and protect rows of vegetables
Below is a list of good seeds to grow, when to grow them and links where to buy them:

Pea ‘Douce Provence’

When to sow October
http://www.thegardenshop.ie/pea-seeds-douce.html

Garlic ‘Sulpot’

When to Sow: November
http://www.thegardenshop.ie/garlic.html

Spring Cabbage, ‘Duncan’

Sow indoors in July / August – plant out in late September
http://www.thegardenshop.ie/cabbage-duncan.html

Spring Onions, White Lisbon

Sow Outdoors in August
Keep Undercover all winter using a garden cloche
http://www.thegardenshop.ie/scallions.html

Carrot Adelaide

Sow in Autumn for an early spring harvest

Spinach

Sow in August
http://www.thegardenshop.ie/spinach.html

Pak choi

Sow in September
http://www.thegardenshop.ie/pak-choi.html

Salads are also a good option if you want and quick harvest during the colder months. These are best when grown indoors in polytunnels or cold frames and will give you a harvest over the entire winter months:

Salads Mixes

Sow any time of year in greenhouse or tunnel
http://www.thegardenshop.ie/french-salad.html
http://www.thegardenshop.ie/salad-seed.html

Lettuce

Sow all year round
http://www.thegardenshop.ie/lettuce-seeds.html

If you have even more space let over on the vegetable plot then you can sow green manure. Green manure is basically a cover crop for bare soil and helps to keep your soil and plot active over the winter months. Green manure as other benefits including increasing soil fertility, reducing spread of invasive weeds and preventing soil erosion so it really can help your soil
http://www.thegardenshop.ie/green-manure.html