winter vegetable garden

What is everyone planting now for harvesting through the fall and winter? I am new to gardening and need ideas. Zone 8 Portland Oregon. Thanks!
Judi

I have cukes, zukes and yellow squash planted a week ago. I have seedlings sprouted in pots last week of onions, scallions, leeks, cabbage, broccoli and cilantro. Today I'm planting snap beans, lettuce, radishes, carrots and beets. Most of this will grow through the winter here and I'll start some more to stretch them out.

I paid $.55 for one medium onion at the grocery store Friday and I'm outraged. In the past I've enjoyed a fall garden but this year it's more than fun and games.

Thank you - you have given me some ideas. It sounds like you have a large garden and mine is quite small so I have to choose what to plant. Radishes and lettuce for sure.
You are right about a garden being more than fun and games now days. A lot of people here in Portland have turned even their front yards into vegetable gardens and are feeding their families form these plots. Community gardens are also popular here. I find it very satisfying to go out to the garden, pick some things, and come into the kitchen and make a meal out of what I have grown. I live alone so that is pretty easy to do! I almost wish I could raise chickens but I wouldn't be able to kill them.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/gogreen/all/

Portland1, you would enjoy the sustainable forum. You would be a welcome addition since all those things you mentioned are often discussed there.

I have plenty of space but can't use it because I'm handicapped. I've learned that I can grow almost everything in pots but I sure do miss my corn on the cob.

I had fun one season with my Mom's garden in zone 7 virginia.

I had friend with a commercial chicken house. I unthinkingly got them to deliver a pickup load of poo. Golly, and whew!

I dug a row, one shovel deep, putting the soil to the side, dig by dig. I dug a second shovel full deep, using that soil elsewhere. In the trench, I put a solid layer of the chicken manure, about shovel wide and deep. Yes, a hot brew!

I put back the original layer of soil. Then planted Bloomsdale Longstanging spinach right down the middle of the row. I think the month was early October, I don't remember being miserably hot digging.

The spinach came up, and formed little ground-hugging plants that just stayed a few inches big all winter. In the early spring? haha, some of those spinach leave were near three feet long! Looked like rhubarb! Too long ago, don't have a photo, fooey.

Just one way to do it.

That chicken stuff is powerful. I used to kill plants because I couldn't seem to get it right. I've read that it's best to work it in and let it sit a couple weeks before planting. I was an out with the old and in with the new type gardener and cleaning the chicken house first wasn't any fun.

twiggybuds - I saw something a while ago about growing corn in big buckets. Would that work for you? Maybe you could harvest it with one of those grabbers. I don't know the nature of your handicap but I was just wondering.....
I have recently retired but I am a LEED certified architect and very interested in sustainable topics. I will look into the sustainable forum. I am actually renovating my house right now and will move in the end of September but I am there every day to tend the garden. Today I was looking at the front yard and I think I will take out some shrubs that are past their time and looking pretty scruffy. I am thinking about a few raised beds with roses on the border. I can do all the work over the winter and be ready for spring planting. Exciting to think about!
molamola - Did the spinach with the giant leaves taste good? I can't imagine spinach that big! I wonder what would happen if you planted tomatoes there.

Probably too much nitrogen for tomatoes. Yes, the spinach was much enjoyed by all.

Molamola are you getting hit by hurricanes? Stay safe.

Portland1, I have started some fall/winter seeds for transplanting for the first time this year. I went with kale, romaine lettuce, red onions, arugula and baby bok choi. I hear brussels sprouts are a good winter crop as well and have some seeds coming. Now I have to wait for the summer crops to finish so I can clear space for the new crops.

I would avoid really leafy lettuce here due to the amount of rain we get. You will likely end up with a soggy rotting mess of leaves in the mud.

There is also an article here today on planting perennials in the fall: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1474/

Good luck and let me know how it turns out. I've been trying to convince myself that every first try is an experiment and that the second will be a success.

Z

Portland1,

Basic geography.

No storms yet this year.

Thaankyou!

Mm

I started many of my vegetables already, although we are having a last blast of summer heat and so summer veg are still productive.

I have:
Da Ping heading & thai mustard greens. Will also have more variety.
White and rhubarb swiss chard
Redbor, dwarf and Lacinato kale
Fong San, ching chang, boc choi, pac choi, tatsoi, komatsuna and late dutch all in cabbage family
calabrese, rapini and purple sprouting broccoli
purple cauliflower
granex onion
green bunching onion
fennel (hopeful)
red brussel sprouts
purple kohlrabi
and edible flowers: pink calendula and three types of violas

Hope this gives you some ideas, there is so much choice out there!!!

I am just north of you near Seattle, also zone 8, but probably with a slightly shorter growing season and cooler summer temps, though about the same number of freezes and cold snaps in the winter. I am within mile and a half of the water (Puget Sound) so I don't get as cold as places further inland. Plenty of rain, though not as much as Olympia and Shelton which are in a rain belt (I used to live there). I have some experience with overwintering vegetables, but haven't been able to keep it up as well as I'd like.

Some things that have worked for keeping lettuce going even with the rain is to put a cloche, or mini-greenhouse over it. This helps with spinach and other greens as well. Lessens the chance of freezing as well as rot. Kale makes it through just about anything. Broccoli is pretty tough too depending on variety and will rebound many cold snaps, but not necessarily an extended deep freeze with ice storm complicating the odds. I had a large calendula plant do very well through last winter because it was in a sheltered spot near a south facing concrete wall. It bloomed all the way from September to June on and off, and went to seed in July.

I have never tried squash or cukes over the winter, and think you would need a heated greenhouse for those in our region. The Northwest zone 8 is different from the Southern zone 8 I guess. Sure would be nice to have them.

over the passed two months,I have sewn:
2 types of cauliflower
brussel sprouts
2 types of turnips
collard
cabbage
3 types of spinach
2 types of mustard
5-6 radishes
5-6 var. of carrots
purple sprouting broccoli

I still need to sew kale,more cabbages, lettuce and if I can find onion sets,I'll be planting some. I planted about a dz. bunching onion plants a couple weeks ago.

P

I'm in zone 5, so I started late July, but I planted broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, carrots and peas. I have to wait a little while to plant garlic, but that'll go in, too.

I love hearing what people are planting in the garden.
I am planting:
Pacman Broccoli
Chedder Cheese califlower
True Blue Cabbage
carrots
Parsnips
radishes
trunips
corn
Tomatoes...white cherry, marvel stripe, golden jubilee, yellow pear, beefsteak
little marvel peas..
I am not sure what else I might try...but It will be alot of fun come harvest time.

It's fascinating to read the list of winter veg you are all able to grow - most of which would be considered summer crops here. Ive come to the end of my planting season and am expecting my so called garden to become marshland over the winter so there's nothing much I can sow now. When I did have a productive garden I would already have planted purple sprouting broccoli - not the type you in the States call broccoli which is in fact calabrese, but the much smaller, hardier and far more tastier type.
I would also have various cabbage, turnips, swede and kale on the go. Yep, some folk think that kale is only fit for cattle but I love it. Last but not least would be brussel sprouts and with a bit of luck they would be ready for Christmas - the flavour of these veggies improve with a bit of frost.
Ahh those were the days. Never mind, raised beds are in the planning stages and I'll have a decent garden next year.

Since its still in the low to mid 80's in the day here, I'm still just starting the what I consider fall/winter season in earnest here. Ike didn't help at all--no fall tomatoes this year. Some of the peppers made it through fine--basically anything low to the ground did fine. I will continue planting most things other than broccoli and b. sprouts until late December. We generally only have about 4-5 freezes out here per winter and seldom below 30F so most things are fine--maybe a floating row cover now and then if its predicted to be really bad.

I've got broccoli and brussel sprouts (those were in the seedling trays--I was running late with them and now glad I was because I was able to bring them in), radichio, arugala, spinich (for salads), pak choi (toi choi), turnips, kohlrabi, 3 kinds of edible podded peas, 3 varieties of romaine lettuces, 8 kinds of leaf lettuces, 4 varieties of carrots, onions, radishes, and kale. Winter herbs like cilantro, dill, parsley, fennel, etc. too.

Basically I live on salads any way. I hear you twiggybuds about those onions--potatoes are also outrageously priced. Glad I stocked up on rice last spring. I've been doing this a long time but now it seems more important with all the produce from stores suspect for various reasons.

dmj, I'm very pleased with my efforts. I've been eating squash for at least 2 weeks, the beans are loaded, the cukes are blooming and I'm diligently searching for babies every day. Everything is coming on strong. The tomatoes are still setting fruit that can't possibly mature, the peppers are slowing their blooming. I'm praying for a late frost. It's sooooo satisfying. I've put in some potatoes but have never grown them in the fall before. That will be a learning experience.

I can't see where my grocery bill has gone down any but I'm eating better and may God have mercy on those that can't grow any.

Well I am jealous of all the things you guys can plant for the winter. It is pretty cold here and since I don't have a green house I am limited. I do have broccoli and even some bok choy but I plan to harvest the bok choy soon as it will freeze.
Enjoy your harvests!

We don't get alot of freezing weather til after Jan. Just off and on.
Its kinda late, but I wanted to grow some turnip greens.
Can I grow them If I have a little row cover for nights that get below 40?
I have never paid much attention to how long the greens survive winter temps.

The row cover is 4 feet wide just like the raised beds and 2 ft tall. It is made of Reinforcement wire (fencing bent into an arch ) covered with poly and clothes pins hold the poly to wire.

Hi Portland1,

I only just now saw this thread. A lot of the winter veggies actually need to be started mid-July - August. As mentioned above, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts are great, as is of course greens like Swiss Chard, Collards and Kale - all of which you can harvest all through winter.

Right now I am busy planting out onion starts. If you want to start your own, that needs to be done around the beginning of August. You can also buy really good quality starts from "Peaceful Valley". I usually start my own, but this year my starts failed so I ended up buying from Peaceful Valley.

Anytime from now through mid november you can also plant garlic, shallots and multiplier onions.

Thanks Essentialplanet. I guess my winter vegetables will have to wait until next year. i just bought this house and this is my first garden that I will be taking care of by myself so I am learning! My tomatoes were hugely successful - about 40 from 3 plants and lots from a gold cherry tom plant. My cucumbers were also prolific but they were a funny shape. I am ready to harvest the bok choy this weekend. I also want to get bulbs in the ground so I have some work to do!

If you get starts of Swiss Chard right now at a nursery, you can transplant them into the garden now. What part of Portland are you in?

I am in the SE area - near Hawthorne & 34th. I am going to the nursery today and I will see if they have swiss chard. Thank you for the suggestion! The next few days will be nice weather so it will be fun to be in the garden.

I'm in NC, Zone 7. Is there anything I can plant for a winter garden at this stage. I assume I cannot plant seeds. The temps are donw in the 30's at night and highs are around 60 during daytime. Just thought I'd ask.