Growing winter vegetables allows you to extend the season, and many vegetables that can be grown in winter will produce earlier crops than spring plantings.

If you were really organised in late spring/ early summer then you will have already grown some winter vegetable plants such as Winter Cabbage, Kale and Brussels Sprouts. These will be well under way by autumn and you will already have started planting your winter vegetables outdoors.

But don't worry if it slipped your mind - there are lots of tasty vegetables to grow in winter that can be still sown this autumn.

Vegetables to grow outdoors in winter

Most winter vegetable plants are fully hardy and will cope well with cold winter weather, but if hard frosts threaten then you can always throw some fleece across them to provide some extra protection.

Most can be planted or sown directly outdoors to ensure that your winter vegetable garden is fully stocked.