Winter Vegetable Planting

As I become more involved with growing my own food, my ultimate dream is to have a garden that is producing twelve months a year. I am far from that day but as the winter closes in, preparation is key (and patience is required).

My gardening tasks this month have included the following:

Gathering fallen leaves for leaf mould, which are being stored in bin bags for at least a year,  by which time they should have transformed into usable, healthy compost. If the leaves are dry, add some water to moisten. 

Tending to my brussell sprouts, which I have ignored for the last few months. The sprouts are a little small but they'll definitely be making an appearance on my Christmas day dinner plate. Yellow leaves have been removed.

Planting winter greens such as Cos lettuce and Spinach under cover:

Planting garlic outdoors (simply shop bought cloves):

Garlic plantings I made a week ago have already made an appearance over the soil:

Broad beans have been planted and are erupting with strength:

My cherry tomato plants bore great fruit this year, but four out of five have died away. The one remaining is still lush and green so I have taken some cuttings of the side leaves and replanted in the hope of establishing some new planted ready for next Spring:

Winter is also a good time for planting herbs, once they are indoors and in a sunny spot. I have basil established and have purchased coriander, chives and dill for planting.

It's a time to dig your garden to break up the soil and add compost.

You can move and plant fruit trees during this dormant season.

Although the seed packet doesn't confirm this, I have read that chinese leaves like Pak Choi can be planted successfully at this time of year, so I have planted some in window boxes in the greenhouse so hopefully they might be ready for Christmas too.

And to finish off, here are some of my "wild" flowers still blooming, with some preparing to open: