What to plant in Autumn & Winter: Make your garden one step ahead.

There’s no one more prepared than gardeners. Gardening takes a lot of preparation and some weather predictions to get your plants to grow at the right time. Although it has just turned Autumn, gardeners will be ahead and will already be thinking about what to plant now to secure a flowering Spring Garden. Although some may choose to give their garden (and themselves) a break over winter, others may already have seeds in the ground.

While most gardeners already have their winter crop in the ground, for those seeking a later harvest near the end of winter to early Spring, there are still some plants tough enough to survive the upcoming harsh weather conditions.

When should you start?

Some say that planting for winter should begin as early as July, they say your winter crops are just an extension of your fall crops and recommend planting 6-8 weeks before your first frost. Although these plants are not designed to be able to withstand the harsh conditions of winter and require a method to keep the frost and snow off the crops such as a cold frame or hoop house.

If you’re looking for a winter harvest and you haven’t planted at this point you may have missed the mark for a lot of crops. However, there are still plants that can be planted during October and November which are hardy enough to survive the Winter and can provide you with a nice harvest just near the end of winter and into the beginning of Spring.

What can affect Winter crops?

There is a reason more people find it difficult to yield the same results from their crops in winter than they do in summer. Although some crops are designed to be hardier and can survive these months, they still need access to the basics for survival. Weather conditions are a major issue for winter gardeners, particularly in recent years when the weather conditions are becoming more unpredictable. These weather conditions will also vary at different times depending on location and your soil conditions will also be a contributing factor.

Of course, how you look after the crops will be huge in whether you get the yield you are expecting, Factors contributing to this will be both effort and knowledge and a little bit of predicting. Keeping up-to-date with the weather forecast and having the knowledge of what to do to keep your crops protected if things take a turn will allow you to be able to act before irreparable damage is done.

So… What can you plant?

Vegetables

If you’re looking for some options to plant which are beneficial for both your garden and your kitchen then ‘Garden Organic’ have some wonderful recommendations

These include some interesting vegetables such as:

• Garlic – is ideal for planting in October to early November, some types are also suitable for planting later in the year, so it’s important to research when to plant these.
• Onions – some Autumn onions sets can be planted in October such as Radar and Electric red.
• Lettuce – there is a whole variety of lettuce that is designed as a winter crop that can be harvested in November or December or some which can be planted even later in the year can be harvested as an early spring crop.

Flowers

It’s not just vegetables that get to have all the fun, some flowers can be sown in October which will prepare you for spring early. So if you’re someone who wants to have a lovely, colorful garden in Spring, then planning will help you achieve this. So, what flowers can you plant which are durable enough to survive the winter?

Wildflowers seeds can be sown and give you a step up on next year’s wildlife section. Riding on the back of ‘no mow may’ many people decided to ensure a wildlife-friendly garden or patch all year round to give their garden a much-needed boost of biodiversity. Planting wildflower seed is a great way to attract bees and butterflies to your garden as well as make the wild section more colorful.

Winter heather is another hardy plant to grow in your garden, ideally not from seed this plant will thrive in winter and provide your garden with some much-needed color over the colder, duller months. What makes these plants even easier for the novice gardener or even the pro looking to easily fill some space is that Winter heathers are happy in all soil types.

Indoor plants.

Luckily for those who prefer an indoor garden, the types of plants which you can grow indoors remain relatively unchanged, as long as you ensure that your plants have access to enough light, and water and don’t get too cold then you can successfully keep a wide variety of plants. Some house favorites include the classic cacti, succulents, spider plants, peace lily, and for those who like larger plants, a Monstera Deliciosa (also known as the swiss cheese plant).