*The information contained in this pack has been taken from Modules 5 and 6 of my online course, Skills for Growing, so if you have purchased this course, or just Modules 5 and 6, you will already have the information. For any queries, please email anna@charlesdowding.co.uk

Please note, this is a digital product and only accessible via the website. It is not downloadable.*

All year growing happens in many ways – see my ‘Planning’ knowledge pack for more on this.

Here I explain how you can enjoy harvests in the colder months. Also in the hungry gap of spring.

Cover types, methods, and timings

Covers over beds of vegetables, or even on individual plants, serve two main purposes.

One is pest exclusion, and you can find more on that in the ‘Pests’ knowledge pack. The second is about weather protection. Holding warmth in spring, occasionally giving shade in summer, and some frost protection in cold weather.

Spring advantages

This knowledge pack covers the second aspect, which is all weather- and season-related. Above all I describe how best to use fleece in early spring. That’s the time when there is a surplus of sunlight and you can use covers to convert it to warmth.

Learn how much difference you can gain in the spring by using covers of fleece. I give you the why, when, and how of the best way to use them.

Winter gardening

Winter gardening is less intense and much less busy than in summer. The results of doing it well are also far more valuable, and you will appreciate them a great deal!

This is a lot about starting the spring before. I explain the best sowing dates for enjoying fresh harvests and stored vegetables in winter. Then how to look after vegetables still growing in the winter, and how best to store the harvests you already have.

Hungry gap

There’s another aspect to this, which is the hungry gap of spring. I include that as part of winter because it can actually be a more challenging time for having sufficient food. By May in particular, there is very little left in store.

Perennial vegetables

To some extent, perennial vegetables mitigate the difficulty of hungry gap time. For example, asparagus, although a luxury vegetable, serves us well for harvesting at a time when not many other harvests are available.

In this section of the pack, I explain how growing perennial vegetables is perhaps not as easy as sometimes suggested. They still need maintenance, even though they are perennial. Looking after them correctly will give them a longer lifespan, and more harvests generally.

Knowledge pack contents – includes text, photos and video:

• Covers for speeding growth
• Winter gardening, and how to manage frost
• Some perennials