Vegetables for Fall and Winter Harvest

Two readers have recently asked me what vegetable seeds could be planted now for fall and winter harvest. I wrote a blog in mid July about fall vegetable planting. Many leaf and root vegetable seeds can still be planted.

Carrots planted now will be ready in early November. Carrots can be wintered over in the ground for harvest all winter long. Turnips, rutabagas and parsnips can be planted now for fall harvest. I make repeat sowings of radishes and green onions or scallions at about 3 week intervals. They can be harvested until well into November.

Lettuce and spinach can be planted now to give you fresh greens for fall harvest. You can begin picking leaf lettuce and spinach in about 30 to 40 days after seeding. Other leaf vegetables which can be harvested in 30 to 40 days include Swiss chard, mustard, collards and kale. All of these leaf vegetables can be cut leaving one inch of stem and will grow new leaves for repeat harvesting.

About 25 vegetables can be planted from mid-summer to fall for winter harvest. Most root and leaf vegetables are frost hardy. Territorial Seed Company (territorialseed.com)link text has a separate list of vegetables especially for winter gardens. Included is a list of planting times. They have selected varieties which are specially suited for winter gardening in the Pacific Northwest.