Then there are vegetables like rocket which are so sure to pop up you may as well direct sow. Likewise, transplanting radish or carrots can produce deformed fruit, therefore direct sowing is best. Hardy annual flowers such as poppies and nigella have very delicate roots which detest being transferred. Peas and sweet peas have a lateral root system that likes to stretch out long and deep before branching, so sowing in a shallow tray is not recommended. There are several vegetables and hardy annual flowers that prefer to be direct sown. Autumn sowing these varieties means they have a long enough season to thrive before succumbing to these issues. Many hardy annual flowers are prone to disease in warmer weather: rust for Antirrhinum (snapdragons), while Lathyrus odoratus (sweet peas) suffer powdery mildew. Nigella damascena ('Love in a Mist') and Centaurea cyanus (cornflowers) are tough as nuts and fast-growing, while Calendula will flower right through the winter if timed right. There are several hardy annual flowers that can be sown in autumn, with some actually preferring a longer, cool period of growth that can encourage them to put down deeper roots to establish stronger plants.Īmmi majus (Queen Anne's lace) is an example of this – able to survive freezing temperatures, the plant will tower over two metres high when planted in the autumn compared to a much shorter plant if sown in spring. They rapidly put on growth then flower, set seed and die – all within a year. However, unlike hardy plants which may be transplanted into the garden before the frosts, half hardy annuals may need a little extra protection and could be overwintered in a greenhouse or cold frame.Īnnual flowers are flowers whose life cycle consists of one season only. Half-hardy annuals can also fall into the category of things to sow in autumn. These are called hardy annuals which are robust plants that are frost-tolerant and can survive the winter, ready to flower much sooner than their spring-sown counterparts. Lettuce however still enjoys cooler temperatures, anything too warm, and it bolts quickly, so planting inside a cold frame, or container and sheltering under a patio or wrapping up with frost cloth will help to prevent a bitter taste.)īelieve it or not, there are flowers you can sow in autumn. (An exception would be salad greens whose leaves can go tough and bitter from hard frosts. The list of hardy vegetables below can be planted out into the garden in autumn to overwinter with no protection. Likewise, brassicas like cauliflower and cabbage heads will gradually fatten up during the winter to be timed for picking before the pressure of aphid or white butterfly. Root vegetables like carrots or beetroot store perfectly well in the garden even when the ground freezes, while peas will slowly vine up their trellis over the winter, ready to jump into production as soon as spring sets in. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach and bok choy are good choices as they are great examples of cut and come again veggies in the garden, as are celery or sprouting broccoli which can be picked a stem at a time. By this time, your plants should be big enough to harvest small amounts. During the winter months, the rate of growth will slow considerably. Sowing seeds in autumn gives the plants a head start and a chance to put on a reasonable amount of growth before the frosts start and the daylight levels drop. These cold hardy vegetables will not only survive frosts but prefer the cool weather, which punctuate flavour and also protect them from insects that thrive during the warmer months. The Vegetable Garden: What to Sow in AutumnĪfter a glut of summer cucurbits, it always feels like a relief to be preparing the garden for cool crops.
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