One Last Veggie Planting For Winter

Is a bit later than I would usually sow from seed, but after reading an article that had some well known Zone 5 gardeners/growers sowing fall and winter veggie seeds in early October, I decided to give it a go, too.

The biggest difference between our Zone 7 and most Zone 5's is the amount of sunshine they get, that we do not. On the wet, west coast, our winters bring grey skies and rain, whereas the rest of the country is sunny and bright, though snowy and cold.

With any luck, we get a few weeks of fantastic sunshine after this fall storm blows over. A girl can hope.

Either way, radishes and turnips are sure to thrive, so decided to go ahead and plant an assortment of fall and winter veggie to see how they fare. 

This is what the beds looked like just a few short weeks ago...

First emptied out the faded summer blooms from the beds ... sigh, good-bye summer. 

Weeded and amended with manure, bloodmeal, and bonemeal. Raked it over the surface of the beds.  

  

Then seeded a few different cool weather crops, two rows of each.  

Covered the seeds, tamped them down, waited for the rain to come... and boy did it ever. First autumn storm of the year ; ) 

Moving over these low frame hoops... minus the dog ; )  

Hubby is going to cover my new seed bed with these hoops and some white Reemay fabric to make a covered low-frame. The fabric lets in the light and the rain, keeps off the snow load (should we have some), and adds two degrees of warmth.

Ready for the Reemay cloth cover

Here is  the list of seeds that I tossed in today... 

Cottage Gardener Seeds... 

- Broad beans aka Fava beans 'Broad Windsor' (will also plant a few rows in the potager)

- Collards 'Champion'

- Lettuce 'Tango' 

- Lettuce 'Rouge D'Hiver'

- Onion 'Evergreen Bunching'

- Radish 'Pink Beauty'     

- Spinach 'Long Standing Bloomsdale' 

- Turnip 'Purple Top'

Renee's Garden Seeds

- Broccoli 'All Season Blend' (let's see what happens)

- Broccoli Raab 'Super Rapini'