Let's talk Fall & Winter crops....

[asdjrocky]

I love my Spring/Summer garden, my first so far, and I'd love to continue on into a year round program. Right now I have about 500 square feet with Tomatoes (about 6 to 7 varieties), Crooknecks, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers and lot's more. I'm in zone 9, best I can figure out, and I'd love some suggestions on what to plant for Fall and Winter. I should have about 4 big boxes coming up empty at the end of October and beginning of November and I'm starting to plan for new stuff to grow.

I'd love some garlic, some onions and some winter lettuce. What else can I do? When and how should I start? You guys have given me more help here than anywhere else I've gone.


My average morning harvest. The bottom of the basket is full of my favorites, cherry tomatoes.

[sazemisery]

1. OK, I'll play.

First, let's look up our first frost date here: http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/

Now, let's see what we can plant: http://www.yankeegardener.com/resource/fall-veg.html

Here's a good link for growing garlic: http://www.garlic-central.com/garlic-growing.html

More later....:hi:

[asdjrocky]

3. Looks like I'm going to be pretty busy today.

Thanks so much for the links. :hi:

[RedEarth]

2. If you are not familiar with the GardenWeb forums

you might want to check it out. They have hundreds of forums dealing with regions of the country, types of gardens, types of plants...etc.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/

Plus they have forums on everything dealing with the home.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/

and Nature......

http://www.nature.net/forums/

[asdjrocky]

4. One of the things I love about gardening-

Is that everyday there is something else to learn. Thanks for the links. :hi:

[hippywife]

5. What a lovely harvest!

I'm so glad your little urban garden is producing so well for you! :hi:

[asdjrocky]

6. Too much stuff!

I've started taking some of my stuff to a food bank. Man, is that a good feeling! This weekend I'll be trying my hand at canning tomatoes.

[Gormy Cuss]

7. Garlic goes in this fall, out next June.

I grow garlic from cloves of locally grown garlic rather than buying sets, but sets work just fine. Get them in the ground by November.

You can overwinter onions but it's better to buy the starts in January and plant them then. For the fall, use seed rather than sets (seem to be fewer flowers that way and flowers are not a desirable trait.)You can thin the onions through the winter and use the thinnings like scallions.

Broccoli plants should be in the ground by October. We usually stage the plantings beginning in September and have main stalk heads by December, side shoots all the way until March or so. Same deal with kale, collards, and other hardy greens.

Build a small portable cold frame or buy one, and use it to grow lettuce all winter. We do, and we're essentially in the same climate as you. Radishes will grow with a little protection during Nov-Dec and after February.

Fava beans are a great cover crop for the beds not in use this winter. You can harvest the beans either green or dry and the roots supply a lot of nitrogen to the planting beds in time for the summer garden.
Favas grow in our climate without any care at all during the rainy season -- plant the seed and forget about it.

[asdjrocky]

11. Garlic is going in for sure.

That and favas for sure. I think I can make the box my American Cukes are in for the Broccoli by October. Thanks for the advice!

[bvar22]

8. We're still making final plans.

For the Fall, we are planning on Snap Peas, broccoli, radishes, lettuce (several) , and are researching cabbages.

We will plant more Garlic, several different kinds, and onions for over the Winter.

We are preparing a plot for a Blueberry garden, about 10 -20 bushes that , according to the research, we can plant in the Fall.

We are really excited about the Blueberries. We have a couple of small plants that we harvested about a pint of tasty Blueberries from this year, but we visited a pick-your-own Blueberry farm about 30 minutes away, and we were blown away!


There were gallons and gallons of tart, delicious berries on each plant.
These plants were 20 years old, but, according to the farmer, good production can come after 3 years. The bushes are hearty, low maintenance, Hi-Production, disease resistant with few natural pests. A couple of hungry cats can keep the losses to birds at a minimum.

The harvesting is labor intensive, but if these are in our garden, it will be a labor of LOVE.


We picked several gallons. We have preserves and frozen Blueberries to last through the Winter, and Blueberries can be dried.
They grow well here. No fertilizers or insecticides. Minimal irrigation after the plants are established. Blueberry Heaven!

[asdjrocky]

12. I'll try radish again.

I must be a sucker for punishment as I've had no luck with it at all so far. I'd love to do head lettuce.

[Kolesar]

9. "Four Season Harvest" says to select plants that can survive a frost and a freeze

The idea is that they plants grow in the late summer and you harvest them for months afterword while they are in a dormant state. The plants that I recall were spinach, radiccio, cabbage/broccoli, carrots, and more.

The idea is not to recreate a summer climate under glass, plastic, or a greenhouse that would grow your typical summer plants like tomatos, etc.

___\|/___\|/___\|/___\|/___\|/___\|/___
I read half of the book "Four Season Harvest" on a road trip last week. It is intense and I will have to reread most of it.

[japple]

10. Garlic, leeks, greens, peas are going into my fall/winter garden.

I live in zone 7, and some years have been able to harvest cabbage in January, even after a light snowfall. We'll plant turnips, turnip greens, kale for winter, and may plant some more peas this weekend.