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When people refer to winter vegetables are they talking about veg that should be planted now

01:00 Fri 23rd Nov 2001 | Home & Garden

A.� No, they're talking about vegetables that grow on and can be harvested through the cold winter months.

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However, if you live in mild southern areas so far unaffected by frost you could just about get away with planting over-wintering spring peas such as Feltham First and Fortune and the classic early broad bean Aquaducle Claudia if you get a move on. Nothing ventured nothing gained. If you've got a heated greenhouse you can keep sowing lettuce until January.

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Q.� So what are the classic winter vegetables and when should they be sown

A.� Look at a traditional allotment or vegetable patch in winter and you'll more likely than not see things like winter cabbage, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, leeks and beetroot. The brassicas like the cabbage and sprouts are sown in early spring when the ground is beginning to warm up as are leeks and beetroot. Parsnips are often sown a little earlier but not if the weather is still very cold or the ground waterlogged.

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Q. It sounds like pretty standard fare that we can get from any greengrocer. Is there anything more exciting to try

A.� Yes. Vegetable gardening has gone through a minor revolution recently with lots of new and revived varieties now on offer. Also, their is an increasing realisation that the vegetable patch doesn't have to be purely functional and that it can provide a welcome splash of colour, never more valuable than in the middle of winter.

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If you fancy trying something a bit more adventurous for this time next year it is worth browsing through the myriad of vegetable seed catalogues now on offer so that you can get order in plenty of time for spring.

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For colour, why not try one of the red cabbage varieties such as Ruby Ball or Red Savoy. Even if you don't have a vegetable patch they can add a splash of cheer to a bare border. Beware of the ornamental cabbages however, if you want to eat them. Varieties like Tokyo or Osaka look great but taste terrible.

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For textural interest there are things like curly kale. Kale is often derided as animal feed but the young leaves and shoots are delicious if picked just after frost and their curly leaves make a cheerful green feature. Another looker is the hardy salad vegetable curly endive 'Wallonne'.

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For a different flavour salsify is a much-neglected gem. Also known as the oyster plant (because of its flavour) or scorzonera, it has thin taproots that can be baked, fried, pureed or boiled. Also under used is kohlrabi, widely grown across the continent. It is a form of cabbage, but unlike your average cabbage it is the stem you eat. It swells into a rounded globe and should be picked when it gets to about the size of a tennis ball. It is delicious mashed with butter and black pepper or grated raw onto salads.

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If you've got a question about your home or garden, click here.

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By Tom Gard

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