Veggies that will work for fall/winter (in CA)

[Mama Soltera]

For my fellow Californians (and those living in places with similar weather), I would like to know which vegetables I can start now and if there are any I can start during the winter? I'm in the Bay Area and right now it's hot and has been very hot. Ideas/suggestions?

[FarmerCathy]

Originally Posted by Mama Soltera

For my fellow Californians (and those living in places with similar weather), I would like to know which vegetables I can start now and if there are any I can start during the winter? I'm in the Bay Area and right now it's hot and has been very hot. Ideas/suggestions?

Pretty much anything that can take a light frost, you can pretty much garden their all winter with greens and such. I grew up there, lived in Santa Cruz for the first 19 yrs of my life and just recently moved from CA to NC. Greens need to be covered when you do get a frost. Brocolli, all your root crops, etc. I'm going to try the 4 season harvest here. We'll see how my lettuce survives and for how long.

[Mamato2and2]

We are in the bay area too, Oakland to be exact, and we have carrots, beets, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, celery, cilantro, parsley, lettuce, peas going right now....I think that's it! I just planted more seeds of carrots and beets last week, I'm not sure if they will be okay but it doesn't hurt to try. I'm also starting seedlings of more broccoli, cabbage, and lettuce to go in the beds where the tomatoes are once the tomatoes come out and the soil is ammended. I think right now is the perfect time in the bay area to plant your peas, favas, etc. I highly recommend "Golden Gate Gardening" by Pam Pierce as a good bay area resource guide to planting. Also, if you go to the farmer's markets and see what seedlings they are selling and talk to them you would be super surprised at what they do and recommend to do. Berkeley's ecology center has a seed library and usually some folks are in there that like to chat about gardening.

Good luck!

[FarmerCathy]

Oh, and visit Love Apple Farm. Just google them and you should be able to find them, I wish I could have visited them when I was living out there, they have lots of great gardening classes, bee classes, etc. I just won a t-shirt from them about a month ago. I won some seeds in 2008.

[violetflapjack]

I would try kale, broccoli, beets, carrots. If you can get the brassicas big enough before the frosts come they should be okay...and more delicious. Light frosts actually sweeten them!

[Erinz]

I'm a few hours south of you in the Salinas area and haven't started ANY of my seeds yet, and after the heat this past week I'm really glad I'm a wee bit late A few weeks ago I did get in a crop of fava beans and a round of Kentucky Wonder beans, only because the seeds would be 3 years old next year so I wouldn't have used them and I figured what the heck, let's see what happens! This summer has been so cool, maybe autumn will be extra warm?

I find beet greens are easier than lettuces for winter eating because they are heartier and don't mind being rained on for weeks at a time. Also, the slugs and snails tend to do less damage or just aren't attracted or something.

Kathy I didn't know you hailed from Santa Cruz! That's very close to us. I wanted to go to a bee class at Love Apple Farm last spring but had just had a baby so it didn't really work out but am looking forward to checking it out this spring! I would LOVE to keep bees.

And thanks Mamato2and2 for that book rec. I added it to my list

[Mama Soltera]

Thank you so much for all your input. I'm sure I'll have more questions very soon.

[FarmerCathy]

Originally Posted by Erinz

Cathy I didn't know you hailed from Santa Cruz! That's very close to us. I wanted to go to a bee class at Love Apple Farm last spring but had just had a baby so it didn't really work out but am looking forward to checking it out this spring! I would LOVE to keep bees.

And thanks Mamato2and2 for that book rec. I added it to my list

You guys are making me homesick. I miss that area, but I don't miss the price of living in that area. The redwoods are what I miss the most. Love Apple Farm always has great pictures, I really wish I had time to visit, but I am loving living in NC, I have truly embraced where I'm living. So much green and trees. We'll see how I do growing in this climate, I saw a ground hog down the street the other day, they are huge and the squirrel population is amazing.

[ctrygirlatheart]

I am in Ben Lomond, about a mile and a half from the original Love Apple Farm location actually, and I just planted out cabbage, leeks, kolarabi, broccoli and pak choy. I have some brussel sprouts too but those haven't made it into the ground. I also plan on planting the following seeds this week: peas, swiss chard, kale, cilantro, beets, rapini, mache, carrots, radishes, turnips, lettuce and spinach although some of the faster greens will have to wait until I evict my lazy tomatoes from their bed. I bought my onion and garlic sets but I am holding off on those until a little later in the month. I also have some nasturtium and sweet peas that I will add to the mix. You can always do cauliflower too.

[pinky]

Originally Posted by FarmerCathy

Pretty much anything that can take a light frost, you can pretty much garden their all winter with greens and such. I grew up there, lived in Santa Cruz for the first 19 yrs of my life and just recently moved from CA to NC. Greens need to be covered when you do get a frost. Brocolli, all your root crops, etc. I'm going to try the 4 season harvest here. We'll see how my lettuce survives and for how long.

Not to derail this thread, but I am in Durham, NC, and I think a 4 season harvest is doable, depending on the winter weather. Last year was unusually cold, with a lot of snow (by our standards, anyway), so not much of a year for winter gardening. But I've certainly had lots of years in which I've had kale and other brassicas, plus carrots and spinach, growing through the summer. And I've never even tried covering anything.

Welcome to NC!!

[FarmerCathy]

Originally Posted by pinky

Not to derail this thread, but I am in Durham, NC, and I think a 4 season harvest is doable, depending on the winter weather. Last year was unusually cold, with a lot of snow (by our standards, anyway), so not much of a year for winter gardening. But I've certainly had lots of years in which I've had kale and other brassicas, plus carrots and spinach, growing through the summer. And I've never even tried covering anything.

Welcome to NC!!

Thanks!

Yay! That makes me so happy, yeah, heard about the weather here from hubby's parents last year. I am so looking forward to this next year. I missed my garden this year.