Autumn planting vegetables

It's the time of year for the autumn planting veg catalogues to drop through the letterbox. Do you lot grow much of these things ?

I normally plant overwintering onions, garlic and broad beans. All of these things can also - given the right varietiies - be sown in spring, so it could be seen as taking an unnecessary risk overwintering them. I do it because although they don't put on much growth above ground, I believe it gets them off to a goos start with root system development, so in a dry spring / early summer they are better equipped to cope.

I tend to stick with Aquadulche broad beans (preferably Seeds of Italy for the enormous pack sizes !), the Isle of Wight garlic farm varieties - particularly Provence Wight, Carcasonne Wight and Iberian Wight if I can find it. I usually grow Onion Shakespeare - last year I also grew Red Cross because it was on offer as a twosome with Shakespeare, they were good enough to grow again - we use a lot of red onions being mediterranean food lovers here.

I've never had much luck with the salads that are supposed to grow overwinter - the best I can do is to get them to survive rather than rot, never actually grow. Greens on the lotty get eaten by hungry deer and rabbits. As for those black Spanish radish - I've tried them and they have all that is nasty in turnips in double measure, and none of the niceness. Urgh !

Anyone any other ideas to try ?

I don't attempt autumn planting outside because stuff just rots.  I am getting into it a bit more with the polytunnel but not really stuff that you would do outside - I've started spinach beet, pak choi and turnips.  You've reminded me to start some broad beans, they did well last year for a nice, early crop.

I must admit that I've bought seeds from the autumn catalogues, I've been full of enthusiasm, but nothing has come to much, whether over -wintering lettuce, late swedes, or hardy spring onions. I don't bother now, apart from broadies for the spring, and spring greens which I sowed in August.

This is going to be a new venture for me. I have planted garlic in the autumn before and overwintered, and intend doing so this year. I have some purple sprouting and red kale plants in, though I bought them as too late to start seeds.

I am going to try some winter salad leaves, but have planted the seed rather late - just five days ago. I didn't know where I should put the seed trays! Greenhouse? Could still fry on a sunny day. Shady spot? Maybe too dingy. Indoors? Then they would need hardening off. In the end, opted for trays outside in a cold frame that is currently missing its top glass, so I pegged some fleece over for a little shade and weather protection. I have also stood the trays on copper pipes to raise them from the ground and hopefully keep slugs at bay.

Been so busy since sowing the seed, I haven't been able to check for germination yet.

The cold frame sounds a good option - at least you can move that around a bit if you need to.

Those winter salad leaves that I sowed a month ago all germinated, except one tray - some Red Grenoble lettuces. Disappointed about those as I haven't tried them before.

Spent yesterday pricking out most of the seedlings, which were completely unmolested by slugs and snails. Guess standing the trays on copper pipes may have worked. For the first time ever, I have put the seedlings straight into their final home, rather than into pots or modules. The ground is clean and already covered with my newly refurbished cold frames.

This is all completely experimental - if the plants stay slug free, they should grow, but I have no idea how quickly or by how much. I have planted out approximately a 2' square of four types of leaves*, so half a cold frame each, all at quite close spacing.
* spinach, salad rocket, endive and lambs lettuce. The claytonia and land cress still too small for pricking out.

I'll keep you posted