Timing varies for transplanting veggies

Q Since moving to the coast from the Prairies, we’ve been loving the climate, but we’re having difficulty determining the best planting times for our fall and winter vegetables. Some sort of seeding and transplanting schedule would be helpful.

A: In coastal British Columbia, conditions vary widely, depending on a garden’s elevation, distance from the water, sun exposure and protection from the elements. In my garden, which is surrounded by gigantic forest trees, I need to plant earlier than the usual recommendations to have properly sized plants by mid-autumn.

For fall, winter, and over-wintering cabbage-family vegetables, I aim for an August transplanting, just as the heat begins to subside. Look for transplants then. For your own transplants, seed indoors in late May to mid-June.

I sow lettuce, endive and escarole indoors the last week in July for transplanting in late August to early September, and radicchio indoors the last week in June for transplanting in August.

Seedings made indoors in summer give the young seedlings and developing transplants protection from the intense heat. By August, transplants are robust enough to weather the late summer warmth and they’ll have a good chance of standing up to pests.

Some of the best information on seeding and transplanting times is in the West Coast Seeds catalogue. A chart contains the timings, and detailed growing instructions accompany listings of each type of vegetable.

Conditions can vary considerably from area to area, so it is helpful to experiment a little.