"Harvesting"
Many perennial and bienniel plants hibernate through the winter months, or lie dormant, in botannical terms. And many animals sleep through the winter. But alongside a few evergreens, us humans manage to function fairly well when the cold weather strikes. The best way to spend a happy and healthy winter is to be healthy from inside. Make sure you have a good healthy diet and are harvesting all the fruits from the garden and storing them where possible for winter. Don't forget to dry some herbs to use for cooking and making herbal teas.
 Store all root vegetables in sacks or boxes and keep them in a dry place out of direct light. Freeze what you can - if there are any late beans they should be harvested now. Bring in all fruit and vegetables that won't live through a frost night. Fill your store cupboards with your own harvest this winter.  In the human hibernation period, there are many things we can do to plan for next spring, as well as maintaining the garden and keeping up with a few outside chores:
- Clear all dead plants and either compost or burn. If you have a little space under cover pile up dead twigs and plants to dry out for a bonfire at the end of the month. Turn the pile every day or so to prevent animals taking refuge. - Prune all shrubs that need pruning. Either burn or use undamaged and healthy cuttings to propagate new plants. Either use a prepared seed bed or large well drained pots of fresh compost. Choose healthy cuttings around 4 to 6 inches in length depending on the size of the shrub,and preferably with a 'heel'. Push gently into the compost and water. Keep protected during the winter, either in a greenhouse or conservatory or, if planting outside be ready with a cloche in very bad weather.
Thompson and Morgan are online worldwide suppliers of seeds and other products and they have some great pictures to drool over!
************************************* From October until early spring, trees can be cut back and new ones planted. Check on the manufacturers growing recommendations when you buy a tree from a nursery or garden supplier for the best time and place to plant your tree, and when you will be harvesting the fruits, or enjoying the flowers.
- Fix all hedgerows and fencing. Check latches on sheds and, if you have time, paint the shed with an environment friendly wood preserving product. - Clear weeds from around winter vegetables and protect with a cloche if necessary. Hoe gently to aerate the soil. Some winter lettuce and other crops can still be started from seed as long as they are kept warm and have enough light. A greenhouse is ideal for a winter lettuce crop.
During the harvesting and clearing time, plan next years garden....
- Are there some plants that could be grown in containers to save space in the vegetable patch? Even potatoes can be container grown so there's a good chance you may be able to work with containers successfully alongside the vegetable garden. - Are some crops just not worth growing? Some may be too high maintenance for the crop you are harvesting. There may be vegetables that seemed like a good idea when you planted them, but now it turns out that no-one in the family will eat them. - And conversely, there will be those that you can't grow enough of. Perhaps give over an extra bit of land to those ones next year? - Do you want to give the whole garden a facelift? Maybe incorporate a herb garden or a few extra flower beds. These could be colour co-ordinated or chosen for their strong scent. Then get hold of some seed catalogues and dream about the stunning diplay you are going to have next summer. Make some notes and check on your garden journal entries last year, so you can plan this years growing season with ease. If you havent been keeping a journal, I'd recommend it. Theres a free download here, so now theres no excuse!
Happy Gardening! Grow Your Own Groceries: Producing your own food is not only rewarding but - in times of economic and environmental changes - increasingly a must! Nature provides everything the human body requires to thrive, and cultivating some of those natural products in your own back garden will not only produce the best food on the planet for you and your loved ones, it is also economical, environmentally friendly and more fun than shopping.
 Gardening is more than a hobby; it's a way of life. Even without a garden, many plants can be grown in containers, on a balcony, and indoors. Order it now direct from the publisher... Grow Your Own Groceries Herb Gardening: Herbs are becoming recognised more and more as superfoods, as if we didn't know that really! 'Herb Gardening' has been beautifully put together by the publisher (Crowood Press) into a well presented book with full colour photos.  Along with growing instructions for forty different herbs, there are lots of great ideas, including culinary delights and medicinal alternatives. You'll also find gardening advice as well as some ideas on planning a herb garden. Order it now direct from the
publisher... Herb Gardening
Grow Your Own Pharmacy: If, like me, you want to be able to eat the best food on the planet, grow your own!  • Clear instructions on planning, planting, growing and harvesting the fruits, vegetables and herbs required for a healthy vitamin intake. • Recipes and menus to help incorporate the fruit and vegetables into your daily diet. Granny's Book Of Good Old Fashioned Common Sense is packed full of great ideas and tips. Granny brings traditional home-making up to date with cooking, gardening, needlecrafts and even games to play with the kids...Click on the link below to order your copy.  Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore and preparing nourishing home cooked meals for the family will certainly keep them away from the goodie shelf. Gardening encourages physical exercise and a good healthy dollop of fresh air. And you can get the kids involved too. Before the days of computer games and electronic pets, children used to have fun without rummaging about in the fridge every five minutes. Enjoy a few rainy-day games and crafts of yesteryear with today’s kids. They’ll love it and so will you!
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broad beans 
brussel sprouts 
Carrots
Chile Peppers 
Sweetcorn 
Tomatoes