Garden Wisdom Blog — fall-planting

Planting for fall & winter harvests has to start in the summer and fall. Just like we sow summer harvest crops in the late winter and spring – it’s the same concept. Did you know that many crops can be harvested from the garden fresh, even after the end of summer? Root crops like carrots and beets, and leafy greens like kale and scallions, even lettuce! View the West Coast Seeds Fall & Winter Gardening Guide here. Download the pdf (7MB) In our mild coastal climate we can grow some vegetables all winter without protection. You can eat these plants...

It’s September, and much of the garden has been put to bed. Heat loving summer crops have all but withered: Sunflower heads have been cut for drying, tomatoes have been picked green and brought indoors, and pumpkins sit bright and orange while the rest of the plants have succumbed to mildew and the season’s end. Now is the time to plant legumes as cover crops, though. Members of the pea and bean family germinate well in the cooler soil of autumn. Plants like clover, fava beans, vetch, and winter field peas are perfectly cold hardy, and will continue growing (slowly),...

The first average frost date for Lower Mainland BC is November 2. This date is reflected pretty closely from the Sunshine Coast and Gulf Islands, coastal Vancouver Island, Puget Sound, and down to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. That means we have approximately eleven weeks of growing time before we can reasonably expect the cold to impact unprotected crops. With even minimal crop protection, we can extend the season even further, but this time of year is critical for planting fall and winter harvest vegetables, and for getting some cover crops started to improve the soil over winter. Here’s my...