Fall & Winter Vegetables
Pacific Northwest gardeners are lucky to be able to grow vegetables all winter long. Early planning and planting are essential though!
Plant care & info
Timing is the biggest challenge for winter veggie gardeners. Many seeds must be planted when our summer gardens are at their fullest, and our minds are furthest from winter.
The average first and last frost dates in Portland are October 15 and April 15. Between these dates, plants will grow slowly. Vegetables you grow in this period will need to be established enough to survive the cold and shorter day length.
There are three main ways to extend your season of harvesting:
- Plant a second crop of squash, beans, lettuce, etc. in June for a fall harvest.
- Plant fall crops so that they ripen by November 1 to harvest through March.
- Get overwintering varieties planted so that you get a head-start in spring!
We recommend that you start planting seeds in July for your fall & winter harvest. However, this can sometimes be easier said than done. Often, there isn’t space in the garden to plant your seeds in July. Consider either setting aside space when first planning the garden and seed directly, or starting seeds indoors that can be planted after summer crops are gone. Starting seeds indoors also makes it easier to keep the seedbed moist for germination, which can be difficult outside in July.
If you choose not to direct seed, using starts that you bought or grew allows you to transplant outside four to six weeks later.
In the northwest, abundant rain can drown winter crops. Make sure your planting area is well-amended and drains thoroughly—no crops succeed in waterlogged soil. Consider “mulching” around your crops with a cover crop that will help absorb the abundant moisture, but wait until October to plant it, or else it may outgrow your crops.
Carefully consider where to plant your winter garden based on sun, protection from wind, and convenient access. You are unlikely to make a long, dark, muddy hike out to your plants—and your summer vegetable patch may not receive any of the low rays of winter sun.
Surprisingly, winter veggies can also suffer from too little water. Plants need to be well-hydrated before cold weather, since our cold snaps are usually dry. In the event of a forecasted cold front, make sure the ground is moist, and water if it is not.
Many gardeners enhance their winter growing capabilities with plant protection. Cold frames, cloches and frost blankets all provide some protection; greenhouses provide a lot. For best results, plan on using one of these methods. You may enjoy the increased growth rates that come with these tools, or you may prefer seeing what succeeds without any protection at all.
Happily, cold weather kills most pests. Aphids can sometimes be a problem, but there are many treatment options. Keep in mind that many summer-time solutions are unavailable in winter. Ladybugs and other beneficial insects are dormant, and many chemicals require a certain air temperature to be effective.
Many summer crops can be stored for winter consumption, most notably winter squash and potatoes. Root vegetables can be grown in winter or summer, and stored in the ground or in another cool location.
Many crops do well in cooler weather, or even prefer it. Spinach, lettuce, kale, broccoli, carrots and garlic are among the most common vegetables that succeed in Portland-area winters. Arugula, collards, leeks, mizuna, and radishes are among the less-common vegetables that thrive in cooler weather.
The crops that do not succeed in winter are the traditional summer garden crops: beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. Anyone trying to grow those in cold weather would quickly conclude that “winter gardening” is impossible.
Within crops, there are varieties that prefer heat and those that like it cool. Read seed packets and catalogs, choosing cold-season varieties. “Fall Blend” mixes are usually a good choice, offering diversity and an extended harvest.
Overwintering varieties are crops that you plant in fall and then harvest in early spring. If the weather stays warm enough before the first frost, you can often harvest a little bit before the plant goes dormant for the winter.
The information on this page is for the Portland metropolitan area, at levels below 500 feet. Growing in areas that are above 500 feet or exposed to cold winds requires additional protection. Even within cities, neighborhoods, and yards, subtle climate differences exist based upon how trees and buildings block wind and sun.
For estimates of planting times on a wide variety of crops, please visit our Veggie Planting Calendar.
More excellent resources:
- Maritime Northwest Gardening Guide by Seattle Tilth.
- Four Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from your Garden all Year Long by Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch
- Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest: Cool-Season Crops for the Year-Round Gardener by Binda Colebrook
This article will go over some basic guidelines, but the most important is to remember that gardening should be fun. With a little bit of planning, you can have a great winter garden and be eating home-grown veggies all year long!
Keep in mind that each winter is different, so every winter harvest can vary.
Saving space when planting in spring is one way to ensure space is available when it is time to plant your fall and winter crops. Oftentimes, you can harvest one crop and then use that space for something else—but many fall crops will need to be planted when your summer garden is in full abundance. When you start thinking about your garden as a year-round space, it may change what you choose to plant and when.
For example, many gardeners wait and plant their broccoli and Brussels sprouts in fall, rather than spring, because the starches turn to sugar after a hard frost (which makes veggies taste better).
