The days are getting shorter and we can feel winter on the way!
But don't give up - you can keep growing tasty nutritious food year round in Ireland!
To keep the harvest going, plan a mix of plants including:
plants which prefer the autumn and produce now (e.g. mustard greens)
plants which will continue during winter (e.g. kale)
plants to you plant out now to give you a lovely spring harvest e.g. cabbage, cauliflower, broad bean.
Where can I grow them?
Pre-sow seeds in modules if possible, or get pre-grown plug plants for quicker, easier results
These plants can be grown in the ground or in pots.
They can be grown outdoors or in a polytunnel.
What can I still sow in September?
In September you can still sow the following:
Salads & Greens
Spinach
Veg
Pak Choi
Carrots
HERBS
Other tips:
Choose sheltered sites if possible - hail and wind can be just as damaging to plants in winter as the cold.
But make sure the sites you've chosen are not frost pockets e.g. base of a wall, bottom of a hill
Try to choose positions which get winter sun. In winter the sun is much lower in the sky, and obviously shines more weakly and for less time, so avoid shaded areas if possible.
Since it's getting later in the season, speeding up growth by sowing indoors, in greenhouse or polytunnel will help, or simply put a plastic lid on the seed tray.
If grown outside, these plants will benefit from a bit of fleece protection when winter wind, hail and chill hits! Fleece inside the polytunnel will provide an extra couple of degrees warmth too.
And don't forget next month - October is the ideal time to plant out organic onion sets & garlic bulbs!