Fall / Winter Gardening for Dummies(and Smart People)!
Timing, Transitions, What to Grow and More!
Hi All, We often talk to large groups of people who LOVE planting their summer garden in the Spring. Those same people have NO IDEA what to do in the fall and winter, believing gardening is a one-season event. Well, I know not everyone is in California, but for those of us in growing zones 8 or above, don’t hate on the winter garden!
Timing: NOW! Usually in most parts of California, sometime between mid-September until about Halloween is a good time to get crops in the ground. Remember to watch the weather, these cool season crops do NOT like the heat. This year, for instance, I am having a hard time planting since the heat in my area has been off the charts! I’ll likely wait until I see any sort of cooling trend.
Transitioning: A big question is, when do I transition my garden? Well, we have a hard time with this question but have to break it down by type of garden. At home, I do a slow transition and remove crops that have finished up for the season (cucumbers, beans) and will still leave my crops like tomatoes and peppers that are still going strong, and even having a resurgence with this late season El Niño weather we are getting.
I’ll start using the space from the crops that have finished for planting broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peas and any other crops that take a bit longer to grow. Within the next month, whether my tomatoes have finished or not, they will be coming out to make room for other winter crops that are a bit faster namely leafy greens. Onions and garlic are also a great choice to wait until closer to Thanksgiving. Onions and garlic have a longer growing season, so make sure you plan for a mid-summer harvest.
At our corporate / employee gardens, we need a specific date to clear everything out to make sure we have a full season of growth for each of our crops since we don’t have the luxury of removing each plant individually.
What can I grow in the winter?
The most common crops for fall/winter are broccoli, cauliflower, peas, cabbage, all of the leafy greens, kale, carrots, beets, radishes, brussel sprouts, bok choy, kohlrabi, swiss chard .. and then garlic and onions later in November.
Some great colorful additions to your winter garden can be found here!
My personal favorites to grow in the Winter include: Snap Peas, Broccoli (purple sprouting is my favorite), kale, romanesco, purple cauliflower and all the leafy greens we can get!
What if I REALLY don’t want to grow this winter?
If you REALLY don’t want to do a winter garden, feel free to plant a cover crop of something easy like fava beans, this will put much needed nutrients back into the soil in preparation for your next Spring planting.
Now don’t be afraid of the winter garden, and start small if you don’t want to dive head first in your first season!
Good luck!
Josh and StartOrganic Team