"Plant a fall-winter vegetable garden"
2014-08-15 by Pam Peirce, author of “Golden Gate Gardening”, for the "San Francisco Chronicle" daily newspaper [http://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Plant-a-fall-winter-vegetable-garden-5691410.php]:
Summer’s flying by, but the garden’s end is not near. Instead, we are just at the start of the season for planting our fall and winter garden. With a little planning, we can have plenty of homegrown vegetables and herbs to eat throughout the colder months.
Not only that, but these winter crops will require much less watering than the ones we grow in summer. Even when rains are sparse, the soil stays moist longer during cooler, shorter days.
Our winter crops all evolved near the Mediterranean Sea, where they grew through mild, wet winters similar to the Bay Area’s. Most tolerate frost; some can even be grown in shade.
The best planting times vary among the crops, and also depending on your microclimate. This list includes three planting date ranges for most crops: (coastal/some coastal influence/inland). Note that planting dates have some wiggle room, as regions and years are not uniform.
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Tips for fall-winter gardens -
* Amend and fertilize soil before you plant fall crops. If you will be planting after Oct. 1, prepare soil earlier, while weather is still pleasant.
* Shadows are longer in winter, so placement is important. All of the above crops need at least half-day sun except arugula and parsley, which will be fine in open, bright shade.
* For container vegetable gardens, don’t skimp on root space. Give lettuce and small greens a depth of 8 inches, larger plants such as chard, kale, peas, broccoli 10 to 15 inches. Space container crops as you would in a garden bed, so that leaves of mature plants touch or reach the edge of the container.
* To make sure roots can use the whole container depth, place a small piece of fiberglass window screen (available at a hardware store) over drainage holes instead of using a layer of pot shards or pebbles.
* A fine, small-space trellis for peas in winter (cucumbers or beans in summer) can be made with hog wire fencing, which has 2-by-4-inch openings. Buy a 6-foot length of 4-foot-wide fencing. Stand it on end for a 6-foot-tall trellis. Fasten it between two tall metal stakes you’ve inserted deeply in the ground or mount it a foot from an existing fence.
* Most of the recommended winter crops can take light to moderate frosts, but floating row cover can be used if hard frost is predicted. Least frost tolerant are peas and lettuce.
Resources -
* Local nurseries carry seeds and plants of winter crops.
* Hog wire fencing is available at nurseries, hardware stores, or feed/farm supply stores.
* Floating row cover, a translucent nonwoven polyester material, is available in most nurseries, or by mail from Gardeners Supply, www.gardeners.com, (800) 876-5520.
Lettuce -
For fall and winter, choose loose-leaf or romaine varieties. Read descriptions to find ones that tolerate cold best. Some good choices are red-tinged 'Marvel of Four Seasons,’ speckled 'Flashy Butter Oak’ and the red-leafed romaine 'Rouge d’Hiver.’
Grow it: Set out plants rather than sowing seed directly in the garden.
When to plant: Coastal: Aug.-Dec. some coastal influence: Sept.-Nov. Inland: Sept.-Nov.
Snap peas -
These delectable morsels, pricey at the market, are as easy to grow as other peas. Use a sturdy trellis, 4 feet tall for bush, 6 for pole varieties. Use floating row cover to protect plants from snails and birds until 6 inches tall. Let pods become fat with peas, then eat pod and all. Pods may not form until spring.
Grow it: Sow seed directly in the garden.
When to plant: Coastal: Oct.-Nov. Some coastal influence: Sept.-Oct. Inland: Sept.-Oct.
Broccoli -
Once you’ve cut the main head, most varieties continue to reward you with smaller side shoots, sometimes well into spring. Try old varieties such as 'De Cicco’ or 'Calabrese’ or newer ones bred for fall planting, such as 'Packman F1.’ As with its cousin kale, check leaves for pests and pest eggs.
Grow it: Timing is for purchased or homegrown seedlings.
When to plant: Coastal: Aug. Some coastal influence: Aug.-Sept. Inland: Sept.-early Oct.
Mustard greens -
Whether you choose large-leafed spicy types or milder varieties, all can be planted late summer into fall. Cook the spicier leaves with strong-flavored ingredients, such as onion, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil. Use the smaller, milder ones in salads or stir-fries.
Grow it: Sow seeds of all mustards directly in the garden.
When to plant: Coastal: Aug.-early Sept. Some coastal influence: Aug.-Oct. Inland: Sept.-Oct.
Garlic -
Plants form storage bulbs by late June, but you can harvest early as “green garlic.” If you let bulbs mature, stop watering as soon as lower leaves yellow, in about May, to reduce disease. Softneck varieties are best adapted to our climate.
Grow it: Purchase starter bulbs at nurseries to be sure they are disease-free. Buy early, as the supply often runs short.
When to plant: Oct.-Nov. in all of our region.
Kale -
Popular for soups, salads or for drying into chips. All kinds thrive here: curly kale, Siberian kale or Tuscan black kale (the dino kale kind). Search plants weekly until mid-October (especially leaf undersides) and crush any insect eggs or aphids you find.
Grow it: Timing is for purchased or homegrown seedlings.
When to plant: Coastal: Aug.-early Sept. Some coastal influence: Aug.-Sept. Inland: Sept.-Oct.
Artichoke -
Stately, space-consuming plants are happiest near the coast. Be sure that the soil is well amended and fertilized for this large perennial plant and that soil is moist while it’s growing. Plants may not bear buds, or few of them, the first year.
When to plant: Plant from containers anytime. Plant from bare-root in November or December.
Parsley -
You’ll find many uses for fresh parsley when you grow your own, from a handy source of that “2 tablespoons minced parsley” in so many recipes to larger quantities for Mediterranean pesto and salads. Flat-leaf types are easiest to chop.
Grow it: Best started from small transplants.
When to plant: Aug. or early Sept. plantings give you the longest harvest.
Swiss chard -
All kinds thrive in winter, but plan to remove them in spring when they will bloom, seed and die. My favorite is 'Bright Lights,’ which has a mix of white, pink, yellow, orange and red stems. Winter-grown plants escape damaging leaf miner insects.
Grow it: Timing is for purchased or homegrown seedlings.
When to plant: Coastal: Aug.-early Sept. Some coastal influence: Aug.-Sept. Inland: Sept.-Oct.
Arugula -
This Mediterranean green thrives in our fall-into-winter weather. Use the spicy young leaves in salad or on pizza, or grow to full size and saute with onions and garlic to serve with pasta (try with ravioli) and Parmesan cheese. When cooked, the flavor is mild and sweet.
Grow it: Sow seed directly in the garden, When you start to harvest seeds from one sowing, plant more seeds.
When to plant: Aug.-Nov. in all of our region.
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