Fall, Mid-winter & Over-wintering crops for the S. Willamette Valley
v.3.45 July 2009
Corrections and feedback please, to Nick Routledge, fellowservant@yahoo.com
Crop	Sow	Eat	Variety, Sources and Comments
Arugula	Late July - Sept 15	F, W, ES	A mainstay. One of the easiest crops to grow and consistently one of the most popular greens in the winter garden. Most seed companies offer one unnamed 'Arugula' though very recently, we have seen a pick-up in diversity made available. Most of the newer offerings are less lobed, strappier, and milder. Fedco has a couple of less orthodox lines. Arugula can be grown with or without protection, though outside, hereabouts, it will look ragged as the cold and rains deepen. Sylvetta (Terr), a perennial arugula and a different species, is hardier, half the height of the annual forms and much slower-growing - for winter eating it should be started in the spring. The earlier you sow the annuals, the larger the plant. Grown under cover, arugula weathers the harshest temperatures flawlessly. One of the very first plants to bolt in early spring. Easy to save seed from.
Asian Greens and Vegetables		F, W, ES	Scores of winter hardy Asian vegetables and greens remain unknown/untested hereabouts. PNW Asian gardeners have a story to tell. Kitazawa Seed Company (KT) with a remarkably well-designed website, specializes.
Beets	Jun 15 - Jul 15	F, W, ES	Feuer Kugel, Rote Kugel and Lutz Greenleaf aka Winterkeeper, are hardier than traditional summer varieties such as Chioggia (Terr), Red Ace (Terr) and others which will nevertheless hold through mild winters. All beets we have trialed will succumb to top damage from the weather by early- to mid-spring in a typical year. Where we have snow on the ground, the foliage will often 'melt' - as with chards, in the same family. You can start beets on the early side - they will be larger but will tend to get a little woody - cylindrical beets tend to stay tender longer but we have not yet encountered a variety that weathers snow on the ground. Golden beets can be slower to germ. Major beet breeders apparently don't overwinter their crops in the ground in climates as harsh as ours - we are finding that locally selected/adapted beets therefore do noticeably better at holding up through winters. If seeking a spring crop, sow in flats through the end of September, then transplant into a greenhouse in February to harvest in mid- to late-April.
Broccoli, Fall	Jun 15 - Jul 15	F	Broccolis don't handle the ravages of mid-winter well. Broccoli excels as a fall crop, however, sown in June through mid-July, transplanted by end-August, producing huge heads with lots of side-shoot action, through to December and, of course, it will be sweetened somewhat by the cooler weather where spring-sown broccoli, growing into warming temperatures, is not. Fall broccolis seem only ever to be unreliable if they are planted out a little early and then we have hot temperatures in September, say in the 90s, when aphids will hit the stressed plants hard. We have been reduced to the merest handful of reliable OP broccolis - the economic drift toward hybrids has hit broccoli hard. Romanesco, a tasty contribution to the fall diet, succumbs quickly to winter weather. Sow by mid June for harvest by mid-November. We have not yet experimented with growing broccoli under cover to carry the plants past November-December in good condition. Worth a try.
Broccoli, Overwintering or Sprouting	Jun - Jul 25	Jan - May	The British refer to what we call 'broccoli' (summer and fall varieties) as 'calabrese.' Instead, 'broccoli' has always been the name they reserve for sprouting/overwintering varieties, a very different type of broccoli, and almost completely overlooked hereabouts, which has long been been a mainstay of European winter gardens - maturing during the 'hungriest' period of the winter season, from the New Year into late Spring. Plants produce a multitude of heads on long stems over a couple of months with the heads becoming smaller over time. The only varieties commonly available in the US are Rudolph Extra Early Sprouting (Terr) which will crop around early in the new year, Purple Sprouting (Terr) and White Sprouting (BG). But many others exist to fill the harvest gaps throughout the Dec - late May timeframe. Available from local seesavers. The Territorial Sprouting Broccoli Blend offers a spectrum of maturities. All are out of the UK. These are big plants in the ground for the better part of a year, even without taking them to seed: prepare your garden plans accordingly. If seeding on the later side (mid-July) to carry small plants through the rigors of mid-winter, you will need to side-dress in early Feb. Sow Rudolph, the earliest maturing, in May or June, the rest by mid-July.
Brussels Sprouts	May - Jun	F, W	One of the very hardiest winter brassicas. All varieties we have trialed weather the harshest weather where other Brassicas take damage. Varieties are usually categorized according to the part of the winter in which they mature sprouts - early, mid and late. Long Island Improved Brussels Sprout (SOC) and Roodnerf are the most readily available OP varieties we currently have to hand. A great array is available from european, especially British sources. The plants will often attract intense aphid pressure in the warm dampness of our early rains. Don't worry, the plants bounce back regardless. For good-sized sprouts, grow in fertile soil. Avoid Rubine. Can be sown as early as April or May for large plants by fall. Early July sowings will still produce sprouts but the plants will be smaller.
Bucks Horn Plantain	Jun - Aug	F, W, S	(Plantago coronopus) Super winter hardy salad green with mild nutty flavor. Poppular in Itally. Also known as Minutina and Erba Stella.
Burdock	Spring	F, W, S	Takinogawa Long (TT) and others (KT). Sow in Spring, then again in late June for a round of smaller roots that are easier to dig.
Cabbage, Fall	May - Jul 15	F	Stein's Late Flat Dutch (Terr), Danish Ballhead (Terr) and others. A Jun 15 sowing guarantees sized-up, fast-maturing cabbages headed into fall, though gardens in tip-top shape will readily handle sowings through mid-July. Depending on the variety and size sought, some sow as early as early to mid-May, with enormous cabbages by Fall.
Cabbage, Overwintering	May - Jul 15	W, S	A very important winter crop even as we have only scraped the surface of the wide variety available to us. Almost all the material is sourced out of Europe - far, far fewer OP than hybrid varieties make it over, even as a great deal of OP diversity is still available there. In most climates colder than ours, 'storage' cabbages are traditionally 'lifted' in October and stored in high humidity, for up to six months. Hereabouts, we can leave them in the ground. Savoy cabbages are recognized by their curly often bluish leaves and tend to be the hardiest varieties. Winter-hardy red cabbages are difficult to find though Kalibos (from Thompson and Morgan) a pointy-headed purple cabbage, advertised as a fall variety, has proven a solid find in recent years, holding well into the winter; and we are beginning to trial more varieties in depth, especially out of Italy and Germany. Sowings on the earlier side of the window will result in larger cabbages headed into the winter. Of the 60 or so varieties we have trialed in recent years, the vast majority will nevertheless hold well through early- to thelate part of mid-winter if started on the earlyish side. Varieties well suited to overwintering such as January King will do well from a sowing thru Jul 15. Some very experienced growers have finished sowing by end May. Others go much later. Maturity length, harvest timing, soil fertility, and size of the cabbage at harvest are factors to experiment with in your unique microclimate.
Carrot	June 15 - Jul 15	F, W, S	Sow in mid- to late-June for fall harvest and by mid-July to have overwintering carrots sized up going into the winter. Carrots are content outside through the winter without protection, as are most root crops hereabouts. Where predation from nutrea or other critters is an issue, they and other root crops will need to be dug and stored. All varieties will decline as Spring progresses, less hardy varieties faster than others. Before this happens, dig and store in sealed plastic bags in the refridgerator - they will keep for months. Keeping germinating carrot seed moist in the middle of the summer heat wave can prove challenging. Sow 1/4" deep, water, then cover with cardboard, keeping the ground moist, removing the cardboard as soon as the carrots germinate, within about a week. Rodelika, a carrot which holds its taste well through winters , likes to be seeded July 1 rather than July 15 when most others are seeded. There is much room for breeding work in winter-hardy carrots - the vast majority of material currently available will stagger on through winters rather than thrive. Fresh carrot and red cabbage 'slaw in the midst of winter is a very fine reason to be alive.
Cauliflower	Jun - Jul 25	W, LS	Cauliflowers are a very happy winter crop, even as they can be fussy to establish - this is a young plant you never want to stress either in flats or in the ground. Sow fall varieties to harvest by end-Oct-begin-Nov around Jul 1, overwintering varieties no later than Jul 25. Be careful to make the distinction between fall and overwintering types - they are very different creatures. The advantage of taking smaller plants through mid-winter is that they have less of a tendency to succumb to the weather - caulis have an especially spreading habit making their leaves particularly susceptible to the weight of heavy snow-on-the-ground. But, if seeding on the later side of the July seeding window, you will need to side-dress in early Feb. Either way, plan to transplant no later than Aug 22. Many varieties are not made available to gardeners, but roundabout ways do exist for intrepid hunters to secure them. To hand, we have the excellent Galleon (Terr), Maystar (Terr), Purple Cape (BG) (Terr) and OP varieties carried by local seed stewards, sourced out of Europe and grown on locally.
Celeriac and Celery	Spring	F, W, S	Celeriac is a tasty, root, generally cooked but also eaten raw, uncommon in local diets but which holds great promise for us as a winter mainstay. Harvested early autumn for smaller sizes. 'Leaf' or 'cutting' celery is hardy, typically used in soups, and the stalk celery we are most familiar with is less hardy.
Chicory & Radicchio	Jul - Aug	F, W, S	A much-underrated winter crop. One of the hardiest salad greens which will continue to grow throughout the winter and will hold all the way through to mid-spring. Disease-resistant and slugs avoid it. Leaves are much milder in the winter than summer. Adds spectacular color to a winter salad. Many varieties will bolt if seeded on the early side. Not these: Early Treviso (WG), Palla Rossa (WG), and the impressively diverse Wild Garden mix (WG) (Terr). Raddichios appear less hardy. Italian seed catalogs are particularly strong in this crop. See Gourmet Seed International.
Cilantro	Jul - Aug	W	A contribution to the winter diet that is raved about by those who include it. Smaller plants will weather the harshest conditions, including snow on the ground. Seeded mid- to late-July, then again in mid-Aug, is a recommended tactic for having cilantro available in both early- and late-winter.
Collards	Jul	F, W, ES	Cascade Glaze (PS), a restored Oregon heirloom, iis one of the tastiest leaf brassicas yet developed. Champion (WG) is locally reselected from the original Vates strain. Depending on the combination of weather conditions, some years collards are hardier than kales. Collard raab (the flowering stalks which appear as plants begin running to flower in the spring) is regarded as the sweetest of the Brassica raabs. Collards are regaining popularity as a winter crop among experienced hands who appreciate the size and hardiness of the plant.
Corn Salad	Sept	W	Also known as Mache or Lamb's Lettuce, it is an extremely hardy annual, an excellent substitute for lettuce in winter salads, producing a low-growing rosette, up to 6" wide that will grow right on through a winter. Slugs avoid it. Takes a long time to germ and appears to enjoy the shade of a nurse crop - such as a squash plant you will be pulling in the Fall. Succession sowings late August through April will gift a harvest November through Spring. Sow thickly and harvest whole plants, taking the largest plants each time below the crown so that the rosette of leaves stays together. Vit (Terr) and Verte de Cambrai (FC) are readily available, though larger-leaved varieties can be found. In Europe, this small, low-growing plant is traditionally grown under cover where it avoids mud-splash.
Cress - Upland	Jul - Aug	W	Belle Isle Upland Cress (WG). Not watercress, but upland cress. Never freezes and a super-nutritious self-sower.
Endive/Escarole	Jun - Aug	F, W, S	A salad green that weathers outside weather and slug predation surprisingly well. Try Eros and Great Batavian (WG). They are surprisingly slow to run to seed, bolting in late spring and therefore helping fill the hunger gap.
Favas	Sep - Oct	LS	This bioregion, until recently a world center for independent fava breeding and research has lost all major commerical lines it was stewarding. Prairie Garden Seeds has significant fava diversity on offer in N. America. The UK has 'broad bean' material in depth - see the Thompson & Morgan catalog. A nitrogen-fixer, favas are traditionally sown in mid-October. An early-October sowing will provide you with larger plants going into the winter, therefore offering the ground noticeably more protection from the beginning winter rains. However, early-Oct seeded favas have a far greater tendency to sucumb to weather damage in December/January when the additional height afforded by a two-week headstart makes them extremely susceptible to heavy snowfall. A workaround? Try mulching your beds with leaves AND sowing favas into them in mid-October. That way you get unparalleled ground coverage and good fava survivability. Favas will mature beans by early June. Sowing favas in February provides a harvest about a month after fall-sown favas. A Jan thru Feb sowing of favas can provide a fast, impressive cover-crop in time for turning in by mid- to late- May with a summer food crop to follow. Bell-bean or horse-bean small-seeded favas (more seeds per lb) are typically promoted as a hardier cover crop than the large-seeded eating favas, but in our experience, large-seeded favas are indeed hardier or, more precisely stated, locally-adapted large-seeded favas are noticeably hardier than those available commercially, we find.
Fennel - bulbing	15-Jul		Harvest in early November. Full size bulbs have a tendency to rot going into the winter, but if they surivive they will winter over and size up further in the spring.
Garlic	Sep 15 - Nov 15	Jul	Traditionally sown in October but some sow in mid-September for larger heads. If you miss the window, sow Jan - Feb. Some experienced growers locally sow only in the spring. Typically side-dressed in February. When harvesting garlic, do not remove the dried stems before storing - the heads will keep for an additional two months. A great array of garlic diversity is readily available. Some will size up well when grown in low-to-intermediate fertility, without side-dressing.
Hamburg Parsley Root	Apr - mid-May	F, W, S	Root Parsley, grow it like leaf parsley. Use like parsnips
Jerusalem Artichoke		F, W, S	Sunchokes 'grow' during the summer months. Foliage will die to the ground with the arrival of winter but the tubers are happy to remain in the ground to be lifted, as needed, throughout the course of the year. An extremely drought-toleant crop, they thrive on neglect and may indeed be the easiest food crop we are able to grow hereabouts. A caveat: plant them only where you intend to have them for life. Though they will not travel, they are well nigh impossible to remove from a location once planted. Growing 8'-12' each season, they make a quick, dense, screen. Watering in Sept and Oct helps tubers form more prolifically. We tend to grow just the one variety locally, passed hand-to-hand, but there is enormous diversity in Sunchokes - in taste, storageability, color, etc. - most available through the Seed Savers Exchange.
Kale - European and Scotch	Jun - Aug 15	F, W, ES	Lacinato Rainbow (WG), Lacinato/Dinosaur/Nero Di Toscana/Palm Tree (Terr) (WG), Pentland Brig (BG), Oregreen Curled (PS), Redbor (Terr), Winterbor (Terr) are readily available from commercial sources, but a vast array of impressive genetic diversity is held by non-mainstream sources locally. Kales can be started later than the other brassicas but won't get big from an August sowing. Err on an earlier seeding, especially because kale does not like early setbacks such as heavy slug pressure not unknown in home gardens on planting out, and the possibility of an earlier arrival of winter. Remember to 'overplant' numbers so that you have plenty to eat during the refridgerator months of Nov-Jan when growth slows/stops. Expect a bonanza in the Spring. Solid advice: try sowing a variety of kales: there exist a whole range of tastes/colors/textures/bolting times etc. and different varieties perform better from year-to-year. Lacinato appears hardier than many others. Eat the feast of flowering sprouts (kale raab) as the plants bolt in the Spring. Beware commerical vendors advertising colorful 'ornamental kales' as 'tasty' and/or not clearly advertising varieties as F1 (hybrid). F1 varieties, though very hardy, are reliably poor in taste and texture.
Kale - Russian and Siberian	Jun - Aug 15	F, W, ES	In very recent years, due to the efforts of locally-based, public domain plant stewards, the Southern Willamette Valley has emerged as the heartland of kale diversity, globally. A good thing, because this most space-efficient of food crops, highly nutritious and allowing repeated harvests, is the backbone of our winter gardens. It is the easiest winter brassica to grow, far more forgiving of fertility requirements than cabbage and cauliflower, for example - and better suited to montane soils off the valley floor than any other Brassica. Western Front (BG), White Russian (WG), Red Russian (PS), Winter Red (Terr), True Siberian (PS), Red Ursa (WG), Improved Dwarf Siberian (Terr), Wild Garden Mix (WG) are well proven in this class, locally. The taste of kale sweetens markedly as the weather 'worsens' - plants 'defend' themselves from the cold with sugars. 'Gulag Stars' an interspecific kale-mustard cross, originally from Peters Seed and Research and available from local seed-savers, is proving popular as a hardy salad green or 'saladier kale'. Other non-commercially available, but impressively locally-stewarded mixes are available from public domain plant breeders at local seedswaps.
Kohlrabi	Jun 15 - Jul	F, W, ES	Gigante aka Superschmelz (Terr), Kolibri (Terr), White Vienna, Purple Vienna. Avoid Kongo. A crop many people don't know how to eat but, among afficionados, commonly regarded as 'the candy of the garden'. Eat it raw as an appetizer or in salads or in stir-fries. Of varieties readily available locally, White Vienna is fast, sweet and crisp; Superschmeltz juicy but a little slower, and Purple Vienna has the most flavor but is also the most savory. For winter crops, sowing Superschmeltz June 15 is optimal for having the impressively large plants size up. Sow the others no later than the early side of July, otherwise the plants have a tendency to be undersized going into winter. An early February seeding, transplanted in mid-March, will be ready mid-April through the beginning of May. The leaves can be harvested as 'kale' when the plant is pulled - tending to be sweeter and more tender than kales harvested at that time of year.
Leeks	Mar - May 15	F, W, LS	An essential winter crop. Incredibly space-efficient, extremely hardy and, importantly, still palatable after many crops have succumbed to the tendency to bolt in mid-Spring. They will hold until June. Varieties of 'Summer leeks' will do, in a pinch, if you have no other seed to hand, but they will suffer rather than thrive in winter weather and are prone to rotting. We are, however, rich in winter-hardy varieties of this food crop. Plants can be seeded densely so that one container contains hundreds of seedlings. Transplant before the seedlings get too crowded ('pruning' and feeding them will help them bulk up in the start container) at about 8" spacing. They like rich soil. It is a myth that leeks have to be blanched by planting them in trenches that are filled in as the plants grow. Simply plant them at a normal depth like oion seedlings and hey will grow long, straight, white stalks. By late winter, many leeks will have a ragged outer layer - pull it off and the leeks are perfect underneath. Even once the plants begin to bolt in late Spring, they are edible once the tough center stalk is removed.
Lettuce	Aug - Nov depending on variety and harvest-timing	F, W, S	Contrary to received opinion, lettuce is extremely cold-hardy and many varieties will shake off extended hard freezes without blinking. However, the rains and associated rot will do them in, so growing them outside through winters is unreliable - especially if we have a wet November. Growing under protection makes the most sense. The darkest red lettuces seem to fend off the cold and disease better than other varieties (the anthocyanins covering both bases?). Experiment with different varieties and timing, making succession sowings early August through November, then January onwards (growth stops by Thanksgiving). A beginner's rule: for outdoor varieties, sow early August; for greenhouses, succession sow late August through beginning October. Names can be misleading: many varieties have been bred for cold-hardiness, but not damp-hardiness - Arctic King may handle the cold well, but it succumbs quickly to disease in our bioregion. In the greenhouse, lettuce is more susceptible to attack from Botrytis fungus than any other type of green, and although the dryness of a greenhouse helps keep slugs at bay, lettuce is more susceptible to slug attack than other greens. Lettuces do far better in open-ended greenhouses with air circulation than in closed greenhouses. Picking leaf by leaf and not letting any leaves get too old and root prone can extend the life of lettuce deeper into the winter, possibly by increasing airflow. Continuity aka Merveille des 4 Saisons (Terr), Red Sails (Terr), Esmeralda (Terr), Merlot aka Galactic (WG), Hyper Red Rumple Waved (WG), Outredgeous (WG), Reine de Glaces (WG), Redder Ruffles Oak (WG), Winter Density (WG), North Pole (TT), Red Tinged Winter (TT) Brune d'Hiver (FC) Rouge d'Hiver (FC).
Miner's Lettuce	Aug	W, S	A North-American native. Very cold tolerant. Regrows for repeated harvest.
Mustards (Brassica juncea)	Aug	F, W, ES	Less attacked by pests and slugs than B. rapa, good in salad but best cooked. In the winter, mustards lose much of the 'heat' that typifies their summer taste and, of course, lose it with cooking, too. Most are hardy with some being less hardy. Garnet Giant, Ruby Streaks, Southern Giant, Pizzo, Red Giant, Osaka Purple, Green Wave, Magma, Purple Wave, Golden streaks, Green In Snow/Shi-Li-Hon, Oak Fire, Spicy Curls. Many of these mustards will be broken by 3'-4' snow, especially the larger forms such as Southern Giant, though Osaka Purple shows the best tendency to bounce back. It is also the most prolific self-sower among mustards. Although seed catalogs differ confusingly in their classifications of mustards and greens, there is no doubt that much winter hardiness is to be found here. Sow at the beginning of August for a Fall crop, then every two weeks through the Equinox and you'll have food October through March. With a little protection, even the tender mustards will make it through. Green Wave is very hardy but occasionally, unpredictably, bolts with an August sowing.
Mustards (Brassica rapa)	Aug	F, W, ES	Are milder than the B. juncea mustards, excellent for salad and light cooking. Very hardy and damp resistant. Mizuna, Tatsoi, Tokyo Bekana, Yukina Savoy, Komatsuna, Mibuna, Mizpoona, Pink Petiole Mix, Purple Rapa Pop Mix. Start Tatsoi/Tah Tsaiin mid-Aug; and Kyoto Mizuna by end-August. Tatsoi handles outside weather, including snow, just fine. Mizuna will begin to look ragged by mid-winter, though looks fine under cover.
Onions, Green	Jun 15 - Beg Jul	F, W, LS	Scallions can be overwintered under cover, but have a tendency to turn to slime outside and seem to be vulnerable to damage by snow on the ground. Some varieties such as Evergreen Hardy (TT), are hardier than others. As with all alliums, they are slow-growing.
Onions, Overwintering	Aug 25 - Sep 5	LS	Transplant by end Sept - early Oct , eat as "spring onions" from April-June. Will dry down for short term storage in late Jun-Jul. Sweet onions are extra sweet when overwintered. Although many onion varieties will successfully overwinter and bulb up in the spring thru early summer, maturing a month or so before spring-sown onions, the tendency to bolt in the spring is a risk - educated opinion is that harsh weather in the past two springs is largely responsible for an unprecedented percentage of onions and onion varieties bolting where they have not before. Is this weather pattern a trend? Which varieties will handle such trends best? The Japanese have traditionally placed a big focus on overwintering crops for early eating in the spring and their onions (all 'hot' onions) reflect this focus, having less of a tendency to bolt than others. We are not sure whether or how much of an emphasis is being placed on non-bolting in our main OP sweet onions - Walla Walla (a day-neutral, popular onion globally) and Siskyou Sweet. We are trying to secure breeding accessions of Walla Walla suited to overwintering.
Pac Choi and Chinese Cabbage	Aug	F, W, ES	Brassica rapa. Sow Joi Choi Pac Choi (Terr) beg-August; Openapa (PS) is a locally-bred OP chinese cabbage. Local efforts are being made to de-hybridize Joi Choi, one of the fastest spring-sown crops to maturity. Sow in early February under cover for eating in May. Bok chois have a particular susceptibility to late spring hailstorms. Otherwise, they handle the outside elements just dandily.
Parsley	Apr - mid-May	F, W, S	Very slow growing. Incredibly cold-hardy. Will readily self-sow.
Parsnip	May - Jun	F, W, S	Cobham Improved Marrow (Terr) and others. Sow again in mid-July for a round of smaller roots that are easier to dig. Parsnips taste better with repeated frosts. Among those who grow them, a highly popular addition to the roasted winter vegetable diet.
Perennial collards/kales	Feb - Jul	F, W, ES	Two varieties of perennial collard/kale exist locally. Seed is not commerically available. Find seed or cuttings at local Eugene-Springfield Permaculture Guild seedswaps.
Radish	Jul - Sept 15	F, W	Winter radishes, popular in european and northern asian winter diets, can provide lots of food and are very hardy. Try Round Black Winter, Black Spanish, Daikon types, and Watermelon/Beautyheart types. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Gourmet Seeds International have strong winter selections.
Romanesco	Jun - Jul	F	Highly popular among afficionados who are familiar with this crop, Romanesco is often classed as a broccoli, but in culture, habit and cooking, resemble caulis. Treat fall Romanescos as you would fall caulis, overwintering Romanescos as you would overwintering caulis. Check Italian-import seed catalogs such as Italian Seed and Tool (under the cauliflower listing). Great varietal depth exists in Europe but has not made it to these shores. As with broccoli, these plants excel as a fall crop but, by December, have typically succumbed to the weather.
Rutabaga	July - Aug 15	W, ES	An extremely underrated winter crop which holds in the ground better than any other root crop, thriving, continuing to grow and keeping their looks where other root crops will be staggering by the time spring fully arrives. Laurentian Rutabaga (BC), Marian, Joan and others available from sources out of Europe. Used in soups or mashed with potatoes, a spectacular addition to the winter diet. There appears to be distinct difference in varietal vigor in this crop. Sowing in July ensures plants sizeable by mid-winter, though later sowings for later eating works because the plants will continue to put on size where many other winter crops slow.
Scorzonera and Salsify	Spring	W, S	Scorzonera is a perennial, big, long, black-skinned root, a mainstay of Northern European winter cropping for many a year, and used like other roots in soups and baked. Most seed catalogs offer a variety. We lack diversity Stateside but most seed catalogs offer a (same) variety. Grow like parsnips. Salsify, a biennial white root, sometimes called Oyster Root, is closely related to Scorzonera botanically and in the way it is grown. We have little experience with it locally. A winter-hardy root crop.
Sorrel	Year round	F, W, S	Many different species exist and catalogs tend not to list appropriately. But consistently very hardy and very perennial. A sour green used in soups and salads.
Spinach	Aug - Sept 15	F, W, S	Bloomsdale Savoy (Terr). Spinach does very well as a Fall crop but getting it through to the other side of winter, outside, hereabouts, unsmashed, is difficult. Greenhoused spinach does well where air circulation keeps disease at bay and the dryness lessens slug pressure. Giant Winter Spinach (AL) aka Giant Invierno (GS) is perhaps your best outside bet even as, for now, this crop does better under cover. Sow outside crops by mid-August and greenhoused crops by mid-September. Spinach sown Aug 1 will mature mid-Sept thru end October. Sown Sept 1st, harvest Mar 1 thru May 1. Spinach overwintered outside, looking tired and yellow after the rigors of mid-winter, will pick up and thrive with sidedressing Feb 1.
Swiss Chard	Jun - Aug 15	W, S	If you want big plants for the winter, sow in Spring/Summer, not in the Fall. Chard takes longer to size up than kale. Red chards seem hardiest, with white, then golden types more susceptible to the ravages of winter. However, red types have a greater tendency to bolt from a May/June sowing. Chards and beet greens will, in general, struggle with the summer heat. Though red chards have appeal, they will fall to harsh weather outside, where Fordhook Giant, a thick white-stemmed variety is consistently our hardiest chard and will march on through and/or bounce back where all others will go down. Consider devoting greenhouse space to chard to guarantee overwintering. It is highly susceptible to snow on the ground which will 'melt' plants. If there is one plant in your garden to remove snow from, make it chard. Chard is space-efficient and, crucially, a key late-Spring crop, when all your Brassicas have already bolted. Bright Lights (Terr) creates a colorful splash but the mix needs to be grown under cover to weather the winter.
Turnip	Aug	W, S	Purple Top White Globe (AL) , Golden Ball (Terr) and Three Root Grex (PS). A traditional mainstay of northern European winter cropping. Again, a crop that has been grown and 'lifted' for winter storage, like cabbages. Sowing in August will give you large turnips from mid-winter on (Europeans may sow earlier to lift and store). Some say large turnips going into the Fall have a tendency to rot. Others insist otherwise. The Asians have done much work with turnips to make them milder in taste (KT), though all are mild when grown into Fall weather. We know very little about the wealth of varieties still available in Europe. Peel turnips before eating: it makes all the difference. Easy to grow, reliable, and will put on size throughout the winter. Although the foliage appears somewhat fragile, it will nevertheless handle snow on the ground without damage. A Brassica napa, its leaves tend to be highly suscpetible to the onslaught of flea beetles we often encounter in the Fall, but the plants will bounce back from a thrashing. Emerging as a backbone winter crop among experienced local winter gardeners.
Weeds and others			Dandelion, wild and cultivated (Terr), Nettles, Bittercress, and Chickweed (WG) especially, are primary consitutents in the very early Spring-and-onwards diets of local deep gardeners. The best monograph on Chickweed is to be found in Susun Weed's 'Healing Wise'. Harvest the tops of baby nettles; they will regrow. Bittercress (Cardamine oligosperma) is a small plant, but grows in clusters, allowing harvest in edible quantities. "Cultivated dandelion" is actually a chicory with dandelion-shaped leaves and similar bitterness.
Key			F = Fall, W = Mid-winter, ES = Early Spring, LS = thru Late Spring, S = Spring
Sources			Ordering in the USA: AL = Abundant Life, BC = Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, BG = Bountiful Gardens, GG = Gourmet Gardener, GS = Gourmet Seed International, HM = HIgh Mowing, HB = Horus Botanicals, J = JohnnyÔøΩs, KT = Kitazawa Seed Company, KG = Kitchen Garden Seeds, OS = Osborne Seed International, PS = Peace Seeds Corvallis, PSR = Peters Seed & Research, PGS = Prairie Garden Seeds, SPC = Sandhill Preservation Center, SOC = Seeds of Change, Terr = Territorial Seed, TT = Turtle Tree Seed, WG = Wild Garden Seed, WP = Wood Prairie Farm.