Split pea troupe

I vividly remember this time last year. A growing clamour in the reaches of my mind, the sense that summer was coming to an end; August bank holiday weekend - the traditional glorious finale galloping into view.

I am burdened with a childhood memory that associates September with the sky turning grey in late afternoon with winter shortly following.

Last year, I thought I'd reached the end of the growing season and that it followed that gardening was over for another year. I was clearing the debris from my successful broad beans and peas thinking about hanging up my gloves trowel and retiring indoors. I've reached that point again as demonstrated by one final picture of my abandoned peas:

Yet, last year I remember using the space to regrow - I put some leeks and celeriac in, and tons of rocket. Runner bean plants started to flourish, and I learnt how to row. Like, proper rowing. Steve Redgrave (sir) not Billy Bunting on a boating lake. And to me rowing was the whole summer. Ok, that's a bit random but I'm heartened that this time last year, I'd only just begun.

So, reflecting on my split peas and the end of summer the truth is that the joys of long evenings, bbqs and fresh picked veg are all still to come. Among my many hopes and tasks next week is to finish clearing the garden weeds, flower and bean corpses and set in train some autumn or winter planting so that I don't reach a dead end. Except, I haven't really planned anything. Or thought about what is possible to grow, if anything.

So, I'm putting a call out to anyone with some winter veg experience. What is there to grow? My garden is pining for inspiration...