How to use and protect it

Raised bed attachments or poly tunnels extend the gardening season

Under foil Plants grown in glass or grown in glass grow faster and more evenly than conventionally grown plants thanks to the heated and moisture-saturated air. In addition, such aids can be used earlier in the spring and in the autumn Fresh vegetables can be harvested a few weeks longer. With the help of a foil tunnel or even one Greenhouse attachment you can even harvest crispy lamb's lettuce or spicy parsnips in winter.

You can still grow these vegetables in winter

There are a number of vegetables that you can leave in the bed even in winter and only need to be harvested when needed. Cold and frost cannot harm them, for some they are even decisive for good taste. But here, too, the following applies: In winter, growth is extremely slow, so that the plants listed have to be brought forward in summer.

Winter leek

If you want to harvest leeks in winter, you should choose explicit winter varieties such as 'Blue-Green Winter', 'Fahrenheit' or 'Pluston'. Other varieties are used for summer or summer cultivation. Bred in autumn and are therefore only partially hardy. Winter leeks are sown in July, either directly in the bed (rather unfavorable, as the space can also be used for other purposes) or in pots.

Lamb's lettuce

Lamb's lettuce, also known as winter salad or Rapunzel, is the ideal vegetable for post-cropping. Sow the seeds between mid-July and mid-September to provide fresh greens during the cold months. Seed placed in November ensures a spring harvest rich in vitamins.

Parsnips

Parsnips are sown and pulled directly into the bed as early as May, but can stay there all winter. The roots are insensitive to frost and are the perfect winter vegetable.

Winter spinach

It is best to sow winter spinach directly into the bed as a post-crop between September and early / mid-October.

Sprout broccoli

Winter or sprout broccoli is preferred and planted in the bed as a young plant in autumn. However, it takes a good six months until harvest: you can finally harvest the delicate florets between March and May.

Kale

Depending on the variety, kale should be brought forward between mid-April and mid-May and placed in the raised bed by mid-July at the latest. The cabbage is then harvested after the first heavy frosts between November and January.