California’s drought-plagued Central Valley hogs the headlines, but two-thirds of your winter vegetables come from a different part of the state. Below, you’ll find a list of 18 cold hardy vegetables capable of tolerating low temperatures (and even thriving in them!). There are plenty of edibles that you can plant in wintertime, including garlic, leeks, onions, radishes, lettuce, peas, potatoes, chard, spinach, rhubarb, and other leafy greens such as bok choy and kale. You’ll probably need much less space for your winter garden than for your summer garden, since winter vegetables are more compact than tomatoes, melons, and squash. … And the roots of the weeds keep the soil in your raised beds from washing away. There are many different vegetables that are at their best when temperatures are cool – and sometimes even cold – withstanding light to heavy frosts. Count back from a November harvest to a late August sowing. Cole crops and greens are the stars of the winter garden. Insects aren’t generally a problem in colder weather, and although snails and slugs can proliferate, I had enough vegetables planted in my garden to ensure there was plenty left over for me. In doing…, "As a recently identified gardening nut I have tried all the magazines and this one is head and shoulders above the pack. Spicier than store-bought mustard varieties, it makes an excellent addition to salads paired with robust poultry and meat dishes. Peas, carrots, beets, spinach, and lettuce can be direct-seeded and planted in succession for an extended harvest, but start planting in early August. Most of the rest of northern California, however, is classified at zone 8 and above, which experiences winter lows of 10F/-12C or above. © 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. But kitchen gardeners in other regions can enjoy a longer growing season even if the mercury dips to freezing levels. ", Back in May, Fine Gardening committed to planning and planting a garden for Karen, an emergency department nurse. For beets, onions, and carrots, you can plant the same variety of each (preferably one suited for over-wintering) and harvest them at different stages of growth, as needed. In other parts of the country, weather may be capricious. In the United States, Florida and California have a thriving agricultural industry that produces fruits and vegetables year-round. Of course, you can start seedlings indoors and nurture them there until they need to be hardened off and transplanted out. Non-legumes such as barley, rye, and oats can also be planted as a winter cover crop; they won’t provide as much nitrogen as legumes, but they will add large amounts of organic matter and help choke out weeds. If you want to get a little more ethnic, try planting collards, kale, mustard, endive and chicory. (a bulbous stem, often sold in supermarkets under the incorrect name of “anise”) and kohlrabi (another bulbous stem, a mild relative of cabbage). Recommended times to plant vegetables in Santa Clara County. There are no hard-and-fast rules for when specific crops should be planted, but, in general, the earlier the better. Printer-friendly version. But over their many, many years at Fine Gardening, they’ve researched and written a lot about this genus. Weeds don’t grow fast in fall and winter; most of my weeds were wild grasses, which I just cut short with grass clippers. For your own garden, you’ll want to seek local advice about the best cover crops or mixes for your area. All Rights Reserved. A lettuce bed is draped with floating row cover to protect it from a freeze. Since most vegetables come in many varieties, with different maturation rates, you can plant your winter garden all at once and still be able to harvest over several months. These crops grow to maturity in cool weather without bolting. The University of California prohibits discrimination or harassment of any person in any of its programs or activities. Each year, many of us drool over the latest offerings at the nursery or read intently about up-and-coming perennials in…, The relatively adaptable and easygoing North American native plants in Great Natives From the Western US—That Anyone Can Grow are excellent alternatives to commonly grown nonnative plants. Since California stretches the height of the United States, its USDA Hardiness Zones range from 5 to 10. The 10 Healthiest Winter Vegetables Written by Jillian Kubala, MS, RD — Updated on November 29, 2017 Eating in season is a breeze in the spring and summer, but it … (Then get your wok ready!). But don’t think that all beans fit in this growing season – common beans are strictly warm-season vegetables. In the author’s northern California garden, drip irrigation keeps the warm-season vegetables growing through the hot dry fall. Because these plants “head up” best when night temperatures average about 45-50° F, adjust your planting schedule so that the vegetables mature along with when your local weather experts predict such temps. If you plan on planting the more elongated varieties you will need to amend the soil a little deeper than for the standard radish; 6 inches deep is generally good. I would plant in spring, harvest in summer and fall, and do nothing during the winter months but wait and plan for spring again. I recommend planting one bed in root crops (carrots, beets, and onions), another in cole crops (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and bok choy), and another in salad greens (lettuces, mesclun, spinach, and chard). Be prepared to transplant by Labor Day, so your seedlings can take advantage of Indian summer’s mild weather. I found that, given a good strategy, a winter garden is easier to manage than a summer garden, and I feasted on greens through the months when I usually long for the flavor of freshly harvested vegetables. But when heads are forming, they need cool weather. If you want to start some vegetables from seed to transplant later, sow your seeds in August, when soil and air temperatures are conducive to germination and strong growth. There’s no need to water if you plant just before the fall rains. It accepts a wide variety of soils, handles pruning, can be grown in part shade, requires little summer water, and attracts hummingbirds and beneficial insects. University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Sometimes growing winter greens actually means growing reds; this winter vegetable is pretty enough to grow as an ornamental. By Sara Malone, Sonoma County Master Gardener. It’s arranged so you can easily find specific vegetables or specific months. Before choosing your zone 9 winter vegetables, you need to select a garden site and prepare it. Last year I decided to keep my garden growing year-round. If you live in California, cooler weather means leaves, roots, flower buds and pods in the vegetable garden. The trick is growing only hearty vegetables so that they can withstand the cold temperatures as long as they don’t have the snow and frost on them. I am fortunate to garden in an area of northern California with an agreeable climate. Winter vegetables don’t need as much water because of the moisture they get from winter rain and snow. This won't delete the recipes and articles you've saved, just the list. If starting with a bare, never-before-worked plot, add 15-25 percent organic matter (by volume) to the vegetable bed. Starting Seeds: Tips, Techniques, Equipment. Print. In retrospect, my winter garden took much less effort than my usual summer garden. [9] Seeing the garden throughMaintaining my winter garden was remarkably easy. And some unusual roots – and root-like edibles – that I think are worth the growing effort are celeriac (celery root), fennel. Optimally, seeds should be started in late summer, but nursery seedlings transplanted in early fall will still do well. I had to water regularly during August, September, and October, but once temperatures cooled off and the winter rains came, I didn’t water at all. Leaf vegetables like water, so make sure you keep their soil almost constantly moist (drying only slightly between waterings). 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.. Helping You Become a More Successful Gardener. This durable California native, an upright shrub with handsome red bark, glossy leaves and winter blooming delicate pink blossoms, does well in the Sacramento County area. I’ve just given you nearly 50 reasons as to why that’s doesn’t have to happen. If you’re a gourmet gardener who’d like to give some Asian vegetables space in your yard, check out the specialty seed catalogs for bok choy, pak choy, Chinese broccoli, Chinese cabbage (many kinds), Chinese mustard, daikon radish, garland chrysanthemum, tyfon and snow peas. But it was well worth it: fresh steamed broccoli and cauliflower, homemade coleslaw, sweet garden peas, borscht made with my own cabbage, beets, and carrots, and of course, incomparable salads. Remember, you can enjoy the taste of any fruit or vegetable year-round. It’s actually best not to pull weeds, because when the soil is soggy, you risk harming your vegetables’ root systems. Imperial valleys is the only time we can grow winter vegetables california of the.! 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