PLANNING FOR WINTER PRODUCE
Start thinking about growing kale, leeks, lettuce and more in colder weather
Right now we are in the middle of harvesting fresh produce from our summer gardens and containers, so it seems a little odd to begin seeding and transplanting for winter. But if you want to enjoy some wonderful winter crops, timing is everything — and now is the time to start planning for some winter produce.
Growing winter vegetables to enjoy from very late fall until March of the following year is really catching on, especially with people interested in the benefits of homegrown or locally sourced fresh produce.
There are, however, a number of details that can result in great success or miserable failure. Experienced vegetable growers have always known there are traditional veggies that we can harvest into late fall and even into winter, but for many it can be confusing — and even a little complex.
Most root crops that have already been planted will continue to size up and can remain in your garden all winter. Carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, leeks and onions planted in well-drained soils are, perhaps, better left in the soil for harvesting as you need them. Parsnips, in particular, improve in flavour with a few light frosts. With the arrival of cold winter weather, a simple mulching with fine bark or sawdust will help protect them, and hopefully you can keep them going.
Last winter was a reality check for cold tolerance. Many years ago, at the Canada Research Station in Agassiz, winter vegetable trials were conducted to assess the viability of winter crops in the Eastern Fraser Valley. The result: on average, in hardiness zone 6 (-20 C maximum low), one winter in six was too cold for successful growing, but on the whole, the winter season offers viable crop opportunities.
In warmer coastal areas, zones 7 to 8, the winter weather is ideal for these crops. For locations further inland, the key is to find the most sheltered areas that are out of the cold northeasterly winds and have good exposure to sunshine, especially as the days get shorter and the sun sinks lower.
In my experience, once the temperature drops between -5 C to -8 C, you need to protect your crops with either floating row covers or the similar-looking but more effective N-Sulate fabric, which will provide upwards of 8-10 C greater temperature protection.
In Europe, growing winter vegetables has been a common practice for many years. Traditionally, vegetables such as kale, swiss chard and spinach have been great sources of winter produce. Brussels sprouts, too, have always been one of the toughest veggies, tolerating both cold and late harvesting, especially for Christmas. They can take -8 C to -10 C for a few days.
Brassicas, such as purplesprouting broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, are popular winter crops. They have the ability to tolerate cold temperatures in their vegetative state and then develop heads for harvesting in February and March. Timing here is really critical. The plants should not be too big going into winter for fear of foliar damage, nor should they be too small, because no decent-sized heads will form. Seeds should be started in mid-August and quality transplants can be set out as late as mid-September.
If you’ve never tasted purplesprouting broccoli, pure white Galleon cauliflower or January King cabbage in February, you may not be able to imagine how sweet they are. Harvesting them out of your own garden at that time of year is pretty sweet, too.
Kale is a great deal easier. The very hardy Russian and Siberian kales, like Redbor, Darkibor, Winterbor and Starbor, will tolerate temperatures of -15 C to -20 C and still bounce back. They also look beautiful growing in fall and winter gardens.
Lacinato kale, often known as dinosaur kale, has very distinctive large leaves that are wonderfully tender when cooked. Smaller kale, like Dwarf Green Curled, Vates Blue and Curled Scots, grow only 30-45 centimetres (12-18 inches) tall and are ideally suited for containers and small spaces.
Leeks have jumped to the front of the line for so many culinary reasons. It’s too late to start seeds now, so keep your eyes open for transplants. They can be grown in very high density and are great for small-space gardens. Plant them deep, up to the bottom leaves, in compost-rich soils. They love cool winter conditions and can be harvested from March to mid-June once the white bottom stems are about one inch in diameter. We like Megaton, Tadorna and the hardy Bandit from the Netherlands.
The well-known Walla Walla onions are the hardiest and best variety to overwinter. Seeded now, they have time to grow and produce beautiful, sweet bulbs in late spring, or earlier if you like them smaller. They are surprisingly hardy to -23 C and will thrive if planted in well-drained soil. Transplants are also available at this time of year.
Fresh lettuce in winter is a real treat, and two varieties stand out. Rouge d’Hiver, with its loose red romaine foliage, is an old heirloom variety dating back to 1885. It can be seeded successfully now, as can Winter Density, a green flavourful English variety. Both will overwinter with a little protection from thicker row covers.
Corn salad is one of the hardiest greens and it can be seeded now for harvesting all winter. I’ll never forget the hug I got from a lady from Switzerland who was thrilled to see it growing on the West Coast. She fondly remembered being back in her homeland and scraping the snow away all winter so she could harvest corn salad.
From collards, arugulas and mescluns to mustards, scallions and kohlrabi, there are many edibles that can be planted at this time of year for winter harvests. If you have a little empty space in your garden, reserve it now for winter crops.
Most garden stores have a selection of winter hardy vegetable seeds, and some will have winter transplants available now as well. Be sure that you choose only the true winter varieties — not all are suitable for winter growing.
In the heat of summer, it can be hard to get excited about planting winter crops, but when the wet, cold, dark days of winter are upon us, harvesting fresh organic veggies from your own garden will be a real treat.