Gardening expert reveals the one most underrated vegetable you should be planting right now: 'I'm about to set up my balcony'

Autumn is traditionally the time for harvesting your vegetable garden, but one gardening influencer has shared which veggies you could be planting now that will be ready for picking next spring.

What's the scoop

According to Instagram gardener Martha (@marfskitchengarden), one good vegetable to harvest in the spring is the aptly titled spring onion. 

In a popular Instagram Reel, she explains that spring onions are ideal for planting from September until mid-October. The White Lisbon variety is best because it is winter hardy. 

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A post shared by Martha 🏳️‍🌈 |📍London (@marfskitchengarden)

Spring onions don't need much space, so they can grow easily in containers. You can also sow them directly into the ground wherever the crops you have already harvested — like tomatoes or strawberries — have left some gaps.

In one clip, Martha demonstrates the container she will use: a plant pot with holes cut into the bottom to allow for water drainage. She adds some pebble gravel and peat-free compost to help with this, too. 

Martha then spreads a couple of pinches of spring onion seeds over the surface. To finish, she sprinkles some additional compost on top and adds water. 

These seeds will germinate and grow through the winter, ready to be pulled up around March or April.

"March/April can be a quiet time for harvests but if you sow these now you'll have something to pick right at the start of the next new season," Martha wrote in a caption.

How it's helping

Knowing which vegetables grow well in winter allows gardeners to maximize their kitchen garden. Even in colder quiet periods, there is still food that can be grown. 

Growing food all year round means that gardeners can become more self-reliant and slash their grocery bills in the process. 

It also encourages people to eat seasonally, which is better for the environment — seasonal produce tends not to require pesticides or insecticides. 

This is particularly true in the winter months when many pests are hibernating.

What everyone's saying

Martha's followers are delighted at the prospect of continuing to garden through the winter. 

"[You're] out here teaching me so much!" one user commented. "I'm about to set up my balcony for all these goodies."

"Cool! I love these seasonal videos inspiring me to do new things," another added. 

Another user shared some additional winter planting ideas: "I've just sowed some winter purslane, radish and spring onions and Californian poppies. You could also sow winter lettuce under cover and Asian greens, pak choi, tatsoi, chopsuey green."

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