Grow your own veg box

Winter vegetables

Image: Hardy stalwarts, second week in February (from top left): parsnip ‘Gladiator’; squash ‘Butternut Hunter’; celeriac ‘Monarch’; potato ‘Mira’, leek ‘Bandit’; carrot ‘Longue Lisse de Meaux’; beetroot ‘Cheltenham Green Top’; swede ‘Airlie’.

See summer and autumn for also in season: beetroot, carrot, potato, onion, kale, leek, parsnip and squash.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS and OTHER BRASSICAS When protected from pigeons, these are usually reliable winter greens. They are best sown in May to grow large by autumn with 45cm (18in) between plants and 60cm (24in) for Brussels sprouts. They suffer much insect damage in hot weather and do best in a wet summer. Check the cultivar description because maturity is at different periods of winter. Red and white cabbage hearts are damaged by temperatures below about -4°C (25°F), so need harvesting to store, but Savoys and sprouts are hardy to most British weather.

CELERIAC Slow to develop, celeriac grows best in moist soil with plenty of organic matter. Sow the tiny seeds in a seed tray in April, preferably indoors, and do not cover them with compost as germination needs some light, and takes three or four weeks. Prick seedlings out into modules or small pots and plant in June at 35x35cm (14x14in). Water in dry weather and significant growth can continue into October and early November. Carrot root flies often tunnel around the surface of roots; slugs can do some damage, especially in late autumn. Roots resist mild frost but are best harvested and stored before temperatures of -5°C (23°F) or lower. Cultivar variations are slight.

SWEDE This grows best in wet summers from sowings in June, around the longest day if possible. Seed can be sown direct and thinned to 30x30cm (12x12in) or sowed in modules and planted out, for instance as a second crop after potatoes. Water in dry weather, use mesh if caterpillars are numerous and protect from pigeons as necessary. Roots stand well in any winter weather and can be harvested until early April, when they begin to flower.

Two reliable cultivars of good flavour are ‘Airlie’ and ‘Brora’.

For even more detailed information, see our vegetables A-Z section