Are you tired of picking tomatoes, zucchini and peppers from
your summer vegetable garden? Are you ready for something
different?
Are you tired of picking tomatoes, zucchini and peppers from your summer vegetable garden? Are you ready for something different?
Well, while we continue to enjoy the fruits of our labors, remember that we’re blessed with a mild fall/winter climate that is perfect for growing – you guessed it – winter vegetables!
And it’s not too early to start thinking about fall/winter vegetables. I always laugh when I talk to gardening friends back East, who are beginning to put their gardens to bed. For us, we have a whole new season to plant!
Many of the vegetables that grow well in summer also do well in winter in our area. Even better, they grow with fewer pest problems from September through April.
The cooler days mean that lettuce stays sweet and doesn’t go to seed quickly, things like green beans become more tender, cauliflower more creamy and greens like spinach and kale get sweeter still.
There are also other vegetables that don’t grow well in our summer heat that will be great in our mild winter climate. Things like lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, kale and Asian veggies like bok choi. You can also plant asparagus, artichokes, beans, broccoli, carrots, radishes, Swiss chard, turnips and more.
A column on winter vegetables can’t omit Gilroy’s own, too: garlic. Garlic is a very long-tenured plant in that it needs more than one season to grow.
You can plant garlic anytime after summer, and you’ll be harvesting your cloves right around Garlic Festival time next July. Garlic is easily started by breaking off the cloves of whole garlic bulbs.
Thanks to our Indian summer weather, these fall/winter vegetables can easily be directly sown in our gardens.
Give carrots, spinach and other direct-seeded vegetables a helping hand by planting the seeds in a shallow furrow and covering them with finely screened compost or planting mix. The fluffy topping will not crust over.
Fall crops will need plenty of water, especially if planted while it’s still warm. If you start later, say, late October or November, you may rarely need to water. Remember, that fall/winter vegetables can be planted anytime between now and next March or so. There is no real rush, but it is important to improve your garden soil before planting.
After a long, hot summer, most garden soils are pretty much used up about now. That’s why it’s important to work in organic compost, green manures, redwood soil conditioner, gypsum, etc., before you start an entirely new fall/winter veggie garden.
If you have a chance, rototill these soil amendments into your soil. Gas-powered rototillers can be rented by the hour if you don’t have access to one. Tilling the soil really will do wonders.
Take advantage of our mild fall/winter weather and grow vegetables year-round. Your friends back East will hate you for it!
