The perfect fall and winter vegetable garden

These vegetables do best with low temperatures and low maintenance

Compared to growing a summer vegetable garden (watering, weeding, combating summer pests and heat-related fungal problems), growing a fall and winter garden in Northern California is positively easy!

As temperatures cool and days get shorter, pests and diseases almost disappear. Fall and winter rains take care of watering for you, and the soil is often wet after heavy rains. Most winter vegetables don't need fertilizing and tomato, pepper or squash plants should provide the abundance that most hopeful gardeners expect, although they are often much higher in nutritional value than their summer counterparts.

So in late summer and early fall, when your squash plants are still going strong and your tomato plants haven't stopped producing yet, find or make room for cool-season vegetables like garlic, fava beans, peas, cauliflower, and broccoli in your vegetable garden. , cabbage and carrots. Spinach, beets, leeks and onions deserve a place in winter and make very tasty additions to midwinter salads, soups and stews. With proper planning and succession planting, these cold-tolerant plants will last into early spring and produce delicious, nutritious, homegrown vegetables that will keep you nourished for months!

Compared to growing a summer vegetable garden (watering, weeding, combating summer pests and heat-related fungal problems), growing a fall and winter garden in Northern California is positively easy!

As the temperatures cool and the days get shorter, pests and diseases almost disappear. Fall and winter rains take care of watering for you, and the soil is often wet after heavy rains. Most winter vegetables don't need fertilizing and tomato, pepper or squash plants should provide the abundance that most hopeful gardeners expect, although they are often much higher in nutritional value than their summer counterparts.

So in late summer and early fall, when your squash plants are still going strong and your tomato plants haven't stopped producing yet, find or make room for cool-season vegetables like garlic, fava beans, peas, cauliflower, and broccoli in your vegetable garden. , cabbage and carrots. Spinach, beets, leeks and onions deserve a place in winter and make very tasty additions to midwinter salads, soups and stews. With proper planning and succession planting, these cold-tolerant plants will last into early spring and produce delicious, nutritious, homegrown vegetables that will keep you nourished for months!

1. 'Purple of Sicily' Cauliflower,

My favorite vegetables to grow in my own winter garden? I love red and purple vegetables—they're as pretty as they are on a garden plate, and they're high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that can help fight colds and flu. Winter temperature. I always start by making room for 'Purple of Sicily' cauliflower, a stunning magenta-purple heirloom cauliflower (from, you guessed it, Sicily) that comes in 2- to 3-lb. Heads full of those beneficial minerals and antioxidants. Sweet, savory, and everything you love about cauliflower, it's naturally disease-resistant, making it a great choice for the beginner gardener.

2. 'Colibri' kohlrabi

Purple-skinned 'Colibri' kohlrabi is an easy-to-grow, non-bomb purple vegetable. Sweet, round, savory and with a hint of broccoli with a flavor combination of jicama, radish and potato, 'Colibri' is loved by kids for its "difference". It holds up well when sitting on top of the soil in your garden. Harvest this crisp and delicious oddball when you're ready to snack on it in the garden or add it to a favorite winter meal.

3. ‘Santee’ broccoli

High-yielding, long-growing, sprouting 'Sandee' broccoli is my favorite winter pro for its deep purple color (though turns green when cooked) and generous, sweet, and generous production. coli is Nutritious little flowers. This gourmet, purple-colored broccolini cools well in most of Northern California, producing its most impressive yields after weeks of cool temperatures.

4. ‘Kalibos’ cabbage

'Kalibos' cabbage is a decorative highlight in my winter veggie patch. I like to grow this delicious beauty for its unique shape and color, excellent storage capabilities, and sweet, delicious taste. Fine cone, 2-lb. The deep purple heads are covered with swirling green outer leaves that look more like a giant rose than a nutrient-dense cabbage. It's great served fresh in a kosla or lightly sauteed in olive oil with a little sea salt and garlic.

5. Crimson-flowered favas

Finally, I won't let October pass without planting crimson-flowered favas. An elusive heirloom dating back to 1778, the stocky (and highly ornamental) small broad bean plants not only produce deliciously flavorful beans, but the flowers and young leaves are edible and can be added to your favorite winter salads. The immature, tender pods are delicious steamed or roasted, and the small, almost square fava beans can be enjoyed as a fresh bean when young and tender, or dried for later use after maturity.