Gardeners told 'sow these nine seeds now' in last chance for winter vegetables

As the gardening year winds down into winter, it seems as if there's not much to do but rake up dead leaves and do a bit of pruning. But according to garden expert Barry Wilson, there are nine seeds you should be sowing right now to ensure fresh produce for your table.

Barry stresses on his YouTube channel that green-fingered Brits need to act fast: "Miss this window and you'll be buying expensive vegetables from the grocery store while your neighbors are harvesting fresh veg from their plots"

Broad beans

First up, Barry advises, are broad beans. Broad beans are "hardy little warriors that can withstand the frost and the cold that's thrown at them over the winter months,"

Sow your broad beans in October and you could be harvesting them in mid-May. "That's probably a month to six weeks before you would get a harvest from a February sowing."

Lettuce

Barry has already sowed some lettuce in September: "They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year."

But to plug the so-called March to May "hungry gap," he recommends a second sowing in October - choosing varieties such as Arctic King and Winter Density - will give you a harvest in early spring.

Spinach

Barry has already sowed some lettuce in September: "They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year."

There's still just time to plant some spinach - try the Medania variety. While it's recommended to sow in spring and summer you can still get good results if you get them in the ground in the first week of October. There's a hidden bonus to Autumn sowing as the lack of sunlight means there's less danger of bolting.

Barry stresses: "But this spinach will do better if it's grown under cover."

Field beans

Barry has already sowed some lettuce in September: "They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year."

Field beans, often known by the somewhat unappetising name of Green Manure, are another good choice - working as a tasty ingredient in dishes such as falafel and hummus as well as improving the fertility and structure of your soil.

"I shall be sowing some at different stages during this month right up to November," Barry says.

Winter peas

Barry has already sowed some lettuce in September: "They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year."

Winter peas, too, with a little care will survive almost anything the British weather throws at them. Barry recommends the Meteor or Feltham First varieties. Even with those hardy types, you're more likely to have success if you grow them undercover in a cold-frame or poly tunnel.

Radishes

Barry has already sowed some lettuce in September: "They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year."

If you were thinking of planting some radishes, it's best to get that done in the first week of October: "Right at the beginning of the month," says Barry, "it will be your last chance to sew what I think of as summer radish... things like French breakfast."

While the peppery snap of a radish might seem more suited to a summer salad, they're also delicious fried with a little garlic and a handful of chopped rosemary - don't forget that the green tops are also edible, and can be chopped and used in a pesto.

Winter Radish

Barry has already sowed some lettuce in September: "They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year."

You can also think about planting some winter radishes this month - Barry recommends the Newly variety, which he says us robust and reliable in cold weather

Garlic

Barry has already sowed some lettuce in September: "They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year."

"October is also the time that we look to plant our garlic," Barry adds. Planting garlic could hardly be simpler: "All you need to do is to split the clove so that they're individual and then pop them into the soil wherever you want to be planting them."

While garlic is a comparatively cheap item at the supermarket, it's so useful and versatile that most people do get through quite a lot: "If you buy a head each week, it soon adds up," Barry says.

Onions

Barry has already sowed some lettuce in September: "They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year."

Onions, too, are an easy-to-grow crop that can end up saving you a surprise amount of money: "We sow all of our onions from seed, but many people like the convenience of having an onion set to actually plant."

Onions, too, are an easy-to-grow crop that can end up saving you a surprising amount of money: "We sow all of our onions from seed, but many people like the convenience of having an onion set to actually plant."

With onions, he says, you don't want them to get too big just yet: "If you put them in in August or September, they'll get really quite large and that will hurt them as we go into the winter months."

Instead, he says, onions are better off having a "little rest" during the darkest, coldest months of the year: "Then as the days start to warm up and lengthen in February they get a good jump start on the onions that you'll be sewing next year for your main crop onions."

Cauliflower

Barry has already sowed some lettuce in September: "They will actually give us harvest through autumn and into the early part of winter, right up to about Christmas time and through into the new year."

Now is also a good time to start over-wintering cauliflower: "You need to select a summer harvesting variety," Barry advises. Sowing the in February, which is the conventional wisdom, works well enough but it means that you won't have ready-to-eat caulis until late June or even into July.

Barry particularly recommends the Clipper and Boris varieties for this kind of growing. By sowing a, a summer harvesting cauliflower in October, once it has germinated and got its first true leaves, you can leave them in your undercover growing spaces and just let them blip away."

By the time we get to next February, they'll already be about 8" tall, Barry says, and at that point "You can just pop them into your beds and then you will get cauliflowers that will harvest next June."