Planting a fall and winter garden

Just because summer is almost at its end doesn't mean you have to shut down your gardening opportunities. If you live in a very cold northern clime, hoop houses, row covers and cloches can help to extend your season. If you live in a warmer clime, well, this post probably isn't too applicable, but I'm sure these vegetables will grow where you live as well.

There are two things to keep in mind when planting crops for fall and winter harvest: temperature and number of hours of daylight. You can only fool some veggies so much before they just decide to either give up or overwinter.

Yesterday, I prepared one of my beds for my fall and winter crops. I dug out all the radishes (most were too puny and bolting to keep around) and all the red onions for storage. I left the row of tomatoes in the back as they are still going strong. I added in a couple inches of compost and then went to town planting my winter hardy crops.

Since our first frost date around here is at the end of November, I found the vegetables that had a growing period of 60 days or less to make sure they were mostly "finished" before frosty weather arrives. I also ordered a number of winter hardy types last year and got those out.

What I ended up planting were some Napa Cabbage that I bought as seedlings over the weekend as well as spinach, kale, purple top white globe turnips, beets, broccoli raab and sugar snap peas.

I'm curious to see how successful they'll be. Since we are still having warmish weather at least for a little while longer I'm hoping they'll get off to a good start. Early next month is when I'll go totally bonkers planting garlic. It was such an easy success last year that I want to plant a whole lot more for next summer's harvest.

I also am freezing the tomatoes (for making sauce later) as well as shredded zucchini (4 cups from the one I picked yesterday) for making bread when it's not so hot out. I just need to remember that I have them in the chest freezer.

By the way, here's an interesting article from the New York Times last week about finding local wheat and growing it yourself: Flour That Has the Flavor of Home. It makes me want to plant a patch of wheat in my front lawn.

Anyway, are you planting anything for fall/winter? If so, what?

Fall plantings

Sandy asked on yesterday's post what things we can plant now for a fall or winter harvest. She is in zone 7 so I think her options are more open than for you guys out there in a zone less than 6.

I actually just planted a few things yesterday even though I probably should have done it at the end of July. Since we are finally getting our August-style temperatures, I thought I'd give it a try anyway.

I had replanted another round of sugar snap peas in early August and they are just now looking good. I'm doubtful they will produce anything giving our recent cold temperatures, but I'll see.

Yesterday, I planted winter hardy lettuces, kale, spinach, broccoli (not sure if this will work) and onions. Other fall and winter delights you can plant now are radishes, beets, rutabagas, parsnips and turnips. Oh yeah, and carrots.

Later in the fall I will plant some overwintering onions and garlic.

Territorial Seed Company lists their winter varieties and other hardy seeds. So, take a peek through those and see if anything fits your zone (and your tastes)!

Since I really don't know what the hell I'm doing, double check whether or not any of these plants (or the varieties you choose) will work for your zone.

Happy planting!!!

P.S. What are the rest of you guys planting, if anything, now?

Whatcha plantin? - May 12th

Although I'm not planting anything new this weekend (so far), I thought I'd share a picture of one of my raised beds. I've had requests of pictures of how things are growing so here's the most active one so far. It's 4' x 4'. For more details on variety, see the sidebar "In the garden".

On the back row: beans, sugar snap peas, red peppers

Second from the back: beets, lettuces

Second from front row: red onions, carrots, radishes, spinach

Front row: yellow onions, garlic

The weather should be nice enough for almost everyone now, so what are you guys planting this week?

Whatcha plantin? - May 5th

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

What are you planting in honor of the victory of the Mexican army over the French?

I'm planting:

*Black Beauty zucchini (yeah, I didn't get around to it last weekend)
*Another round of Chiogga beets
*More Oxheart carrots
*More Butterking lettuce

I also will be hilling my mutant potatoes from another planet (more on that next week...)

Whatcha plantin? - April 28th

Things are slowing down for me planting-wise as I've already got most of my veggies in the ground for now (see sidebar "In the garden..." for an exhaustive list). If the weather cooperates I may plant:

*Black Beauty zucchini

How about you guys? Has the weather improved enough to start planting?

I'd also like to plant some fruit trees, so I'm doing some research on that, but I won't be buying anything anytime soon. I'll keep you posted on any forays I have into the apple or pear world.

Whatcha plantin? - April 21st

It's time to report what veggies (or fruit) you are planting this weekend!

I finally dug the weeds out of the side bed and it's ready for planting. So, this weekend, I'm planting:

*Sugar pie pumpkins
*Bird's nest gourd (okay, they're ornamentals)
*Jack Be Little pumpkins

Do you see a theme here?

I also bought my replacement tomatoes so I'm planting:

*Black Prince tomato
*Brandywine tomato
*San Marzano Roma tomato
*Sweet Million Cherry tomato
*Red Beauty bell pepper

What are you guys up to?

Whatcha plantin? - April 15th

Hopefully things are warming up for you guys out there. This weekend I planted:

*Olympia blueberry highbush
*Bluecrop blueberry highbush
*Tristar strawberry plants

*Berggarten sage
*Dark leaf oregano
*Italian parsley
*Marjoram
*Santo coriander

I would be tending to my newly delivered tomato plants, but they are all dead. More posts about that tomorrow, when I am done weeping over them.

Whatcha plantin'? - April 6th

Come on. I know you guys are up to something. You're planting something this weekend! Well, what is it? (Feel free to add links if you're blogging about it.)

We're planting:

*Val d'Or lettuce
*Butterking lettuce
*Spinach
*French radishes
*Early Italian purple garlic (a spring planting experiment)
*Chiogga beets
*Oxheart carrots
*Stockton red onions
*White Lisbon bunching onions
*Oregon sugar snap peas
*Pole beans

I also got notification that my tomato plants shipped so I better get crackin' and get those other beds ready for planting.

Ummm. Is it just me, or do beet seeds look like they are from some alien planet, errr plant?