{"id":13058,"date":"2011-07-14T11:41:39","date_gmt":"2011-07-14T17:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sustainablog.org\/?p=13058"},"modified":"2014-08-26T11:03:43","modified_gmt":"2014-08-26T15:03:43","slug":"how-to-plant-a-winter-garden-its-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-plant-a-winter-garden-its-time\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Plant a Winter Garden (It’s Time!)"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n Although the heat of summer is on, it is time to plant your winter garden. Winter gardening<\/a> is my favorite garden of all, as the cooler nights raise the sweetness of many cole and root crops. \u00a0Harvesting carrots out of the snow or having kale all winter long makes me feel like a master gardener and homesteader, providing quality organic food for my family year round.<\/p>\n There are two expected results of winter gardening: crops are grown for fall and winter harvesting or planted to overwinter for an early spring harvest. In addition, many winter gardeners use covering or cloching to extend their seasons well into frosty weather.<\/p>\n To make my life easier this year, I purchased a winter garden seed collection from Territorial Seed Company<\/a> to supplement my existing seed stock. \u00a0The kit includes the following crops:<\/p>\n 1. Broccoli-Fall Broccoli Blend Even though these seeds are not organically grown (the plants will grown as such in my garden), I like Territorial Seeds because they are grown in Oregon. I live in northern California, so our climates are similar. It is always best to select seeds from a similar zone as your own garden. \u00a0I can get organic seeds from Seeds of Change<\/a>, but they are grown in a desert environment. \u00a0I don’t worry so much about paying extra for certified organic seeds when I know my soil is such.<\/p>\n Some of these seeds are directly sown and some are started in pots to transplant later. \u00a0Unlike late Winter\/early Spring starts, you don’t need a greenhouse to get your winter crops started. \u00a0I have started cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and broccoli in containers, and I have directly sown broccoli as well. \u00a0There’s more to be done, but at least I have begun! The winter gardening catalog from Territorial has a great chart for winter planting and transplanting I hang on the refrigerator to stay focused on the winter garden. \u00a0Summer gardening can easily distract me from planning ahead.<\/p>\n Another aspect of winter gardening I love is adding plants for Fall or overwintering harvest fills in spaces left after harvesting Spring\/early Summer crops like lettuce, spinach, peas, onions, and garlic.<\/p>\nWhat Vegetables Can You Grow in a Winter Garden?<\/h3>\n
\n2. Brussels Sprout-Falstaff
\n3. Beets-Autumn Harvest Blend
\n4. Cabbage-January King
\n5. Collards-Champion
\n6. Carrot-Merida
\n7. Kohlrabi-Superschmelz
\n8. Kale-Improved Dwarf Siberian
\n9. Lettuce-Arctic Tundra Blend
\n10. Winter Greens Blend
\n11. Mustard-Tah Tsai
\n12. Onion-Winter White Bunching
\n13. Chinese Cabbage-Tenderheart
\n14. Pac Choi-Chinese
\n15. Parsnip-Gladiator
\n16. Radish-Cherry Belle
\n17. Spinach-Giant Winter
\n18. Swiss Chard-Fordhook Giant
\n19. Turnip-Purple Top White Globe
\n20. Cauliflower-Amazing<\/p>\nHow to Prepare a Winter Garden<\/h3>\n