Fall and Winter Vegetable Gardening West of the Cascades

Most of the country puts the garden to bed in October. West of the Cascades you don't have to. Portland's typical first fall frost isn't until November 19, Seattle's is around November 23, and winters are usually mild enough that hardy crops keep growing slowly or simply hold in the ground until you're ready to pick them.

The catch is timing. Fall and winter crops have to be planted in mid to late summer, while it still feels like the middle of the growing season.

The key idea: grow it before the light goes

Plants grow very little once days get short in November. A winter garden isn't really growing in winter; it's a garden that grew to full size by early fall and then stands in the cold like a refrigerator you can walk out to. So the planting dates count back from fall, not forward from spring.

What to plant, and when

• July: start broccoli, cabbage and kale from seed in trays or a shaded nursery bed, and sow carrots and beets directly in the garden.
• August: set out those starts in the garden, and sow spinach, lettuce and radishes.
• Early September: a last sowing of spinach and hardy lettuce like Winter Density.
• October to mid-November: plant garlic for next summer.

Your exact dates depend on where you are. For example, see kale in Portland or carrots in Seattle, which include a fall window.

The most dependable winter crops

• Kale. The champion. Frost actually sweetens the leaves, and plants often produce from fall into spring.
• Carrots and beets. Leave them in the ground and dig as needed. Fall carrots are noticeably sweeter.
• Leeks. Stand all winter without fuss.
• Spinach. Slow in December, then one of the first things to take off in February.
• Purple sprouting broccoli and overwintering cauliflower. Planted in summer, they sit through winter and crop in early spring when little else is ready.
• Garlic. Planted in fall, harvested the next July.

Protecting the garden through winter

A layer of floating row cover adds a few degrees of protection on nights in the low 20s, and it keeps heavy rain from battering leaves. Mulch root crops with straw or leaves. Most important of all, make sure beds drain. Plants handle cold far better than they handle sitting in waterlogged soil, which is why raised beds shine in Northwest winters.

See what's in season this month on the monthly chores page.