Grow Your Own Fall and Winter Veggies and Herbs

Fall and winter vegetable and herb gardens require little effort and supply bountiful harvests. Early to mid-fall is the ideal time to plant your cool-season vegetables and herbs so that they have the best chances at a strong start. Warm soil temperatures in early-mid fall will get your plants established and producing luscious lettuce and more. Once the rainy season begins, there is not much to do except harvest, cook, and eat. These cool-season crops are hardy enough for growing throughout winter.   

What to Plant:

Get Leafy: Lettuce, chard, collards, kale, spinach, arugula, mache, mizuna, escarole, radicchio, mustard, bok choy, chicory among others. 

Go Rooty (bulby): beets, carrots, radish, potatoes, turnips, onion, garlic, shallots. 

Broccoli and friends: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kalettes (cross between kale and Brussels sprouts).

Others: kohlrabi, peas, fennel, celery, leeks. 

Hardy herbs: rosemary, parsley, sage, and thyme.

Kalettes

Recipe for Success:

Amend your soil with EB Stone Organic Compost, Chicken Manure, Agricultural Lime, and Sure Start before planting. 

Plant in an area where your plants will receive as much winter sun as possible.

Keep up on harvesting so that the plants continue to supply you with leafy greens. 

Pests aren’t as prevalent in fall and winter, but watch out for aphids, cabbageworm, and leafminer. 

If hot days are expected in early fall, add a little shade cloth over your planting beds or containers to create a cooler microclimate. 

Stagger plantings for a continuous harvest. If you have enough room, plant fast-maturing vegetables such as lettuce and spinach a few weeks apart for all season long deliciousness.

Plant a cover crop like fava beans or clover in beds you won’t be planting. Cover crops supply nutrients for next year’s vegetable crops and attract beneficial insects. 

Edible Flowers For Fall and Winter: calendula, pansies, violas, Bellis, primrose, and snapdragon. 

By Ali White

Garden Center Manager