Winter hasn’t even officially started but, believe it or not, it’s time to begin thinking about buying seeds for the spring! Not only can getting your seeds early allow for a jump-start on your spring planting, but onion and leeks actually need to be seeded as transplants in January so they have enough time to size up before being planted out in the garden in the early spring. Crops that can be started early for spring harvests are: broccoli, kale, cabbage, chard, celeriac, celery, collards, scallions, parsley, peas.
Read MorePlanting Beans
Beans, one of the oldest domesticated crops, are a fantastically versatile, easy to grow, and can be highly productive in small spaces. Some beans are eaten fresh in their shell (your everyday snap bean), and some are removed from their shells and dried for long-term storage (shelling beans). Despite the difference in how we eat them, most beans are closely related and have similar growth habits. In our Seattle gardens, we tend to only plant the snap bean type because the shelling beans usually require a longer growing season.
Read MorePlant Spacing: Brassicas
Brassicas are the succulent green bones of every vegetable garden. They are loaded with nutrients and fiber and almost everyone can think of at least one Brassica that they like to eat. Some of the most popular members of the Brassica family are: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards and kale.
Read MoreHow to Plant Onions
Onions, part of the Allium family, are a long-season crop, taking up to 8 months to mature from seed. We started our onion transplants two months ago, and they wont be ready to harvest until late-July or August. If you haven’t already started onions from seed we highly recommended that you buy transplants from your local nursery.
Read MoreStoring Root Vegetables
If properly managed, storage crops can last through the entire winter and even into the following spring, allowing you to eat from your garden even when you don't feel like going outside in the cold to pick salad greens. Below are the very basic rules for storage of a few different common storage crops, check out our book for more in depth information...
Read MoreMustard Greens
Mustard greens, Brassica juncea, are easy to grow, mature relatively quickly, and produce high yields in small areas. They like cooler temperatures and grow best when direct seeded in the late summer to produce a fall and winter crop. They are also a great crop to seed early in the spring!
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