SF bay area winter vegetables: suggestions please

15 years ago

Hello All,

Can any of you recommend specific vigorous and tasty vegetable varieties for an outdoor winter garden in Sunset zone "Northern California Coastal"?

My wife and I live in Burlingame, about 15 miles south of San Francisco. We have four 3' x 6' vegetable bins, which grow tomatoes, beans, squash, and peas, like crazy through the summer. It's November, and I just pulled up the last of our cherry tomatoes, which still had a few ripening fruits. Now we would like to plant a winter vegetable garden. Your help please?

Many Thanks,

Andrei and Sophia

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Comments (5)

wanda
15 years ago
Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kale, cabbage, spinach, lettuces, radishes, onions are all cool weather veggies.
lemonwater
15 years ago
I'm in Mountain View, about an hour south of SF. I've found artichoke and asparagus are doing well in the cooler weather here as well (I started seeds not too long ago) so I've added those to the list of regular cool season veggies.

Artichoke, asparagus, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cilantro, chard, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, bunching onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, turnips, and leeks.
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deep___roots
15 years ago
My buddy lives in Belmont (great microclimate). Me, I'm in Los Altos.
Well, onions for sure. Buy sets from the big boxes and you will be in onions in the Spring. Great for dinner every night. Let's see, I paid ~ 6 bucks for 180 onion bulbs. 3 cents an onion? Can't beat that.
Potatoes go in in February (cause that's when nurseries get them in...Wegman's in Redwood City).
Ornamental Kale is good for color and form (better than good actually).
Peas, yes.
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awkonradi
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions! We just planted kale, red cabbage, Swiss chard, and Romaine lettuce. Just for fun, I included a link below, for a picture of our recent plantings.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:565334}}
habitat_gardener
15 years ago
I got huge onions from onion seedlings ("bare root" from Wegman's last Dec. or Jan.) -- much better success than from sets. Supposedly this is because to create the sets, the growth is interrupted, so you get the biggest onions from seeds or seedlings. This is the ideal time to plant garlic, too. I originally got some at a farmers' market, and ever since I've been planting my own.

It's a little late for most other crops because the soil is cold, but you can put them in, protect them from birds, and watch them take off in early spring.

Bare-root strawberries should also be available in the next month or so.

SF bay area winter vegetables: suggestions please

Comments (5)

wanda

lemonwater

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SF bay area winter vegetables: suggestions please

Comments (5)

wanda

lemonwater

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deep___roots

awkonradiOriginal Author

habitat_gardener

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awkonradi
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