How To Grow a Fall & Winter Garden in the Pacific Northwest

Just because the temperatures have dropped doesn’t mean you can’t still grow a garden. The Pacific Northwest is blessed with reasonably mild falls and winters with little to no snow, so if you have the know-how and the right tools, you can continue to grow vegetables and fruits during the fall and into the winter in some cases.

SS Equipment, with three Oregon locations and three Washington locations, is your PNW farm equipment dealer. Here are our top tips for growing fall and winter crops here in Cascadia.

1. Pick a Plot

When selecting a part of your property to garden, be smart about it and use your common sense. The south-facing side of your house or barn is excellent since it will get the most sun during winter. Having your house or barn abut your plot will also shield your crops from frigid northern winds, which can add up to 15° of warmth to your winter garden plot!

2. Prep the Soil

Now it’s time to make sure that your soil is in good condition with plenty of nutrients. Heavy rains like we have here in the winter can easily flood a plot that doesn’t have good drainage, so raising your beds is a wise choice to prevent this. Raised beds also tend to be warmer. You can use old tires, concrete or wood to build your beds.

If your soil is very sandy or full of clay, then you’ll need to add some organic matter to it to balance it out. Clay particles are small and make drainage poor, while sand particles are large and provide good drainage, but the soil can drain too fast if there is too high a percentage of sand. Use compost, manure or leaf mold to mix your soil into peak condition.

3. Schedule Planting

Knowing when you should plant will help you to avoid mishaps and failed crops. You’ll need to check with local garden experts to see what plants are best for your area, and you should also know when the first killing frost in your area occurs.

Good, hardy fall and winter crops include the Brassica family (Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli); root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, beets and parsnips; leeks; collard greens and mustard. You’ll want to plant crops that need longer to grow during mid-to-late summer, while plants that are quick to mature can be planted in mid-September. Certain salad greens and herbs can be cultivated through the winter, along with the root vegetables which are reasonably hardy.

4. Alternative Growing Methods

If your part of the Pacific Northwest gets more snow or frost, or you’re worried about too much rain doing damage to your crops, why not use an alternative growing method? Here are a few ways to shelter your plants and ensure you get a good harvest.

Cold Frames

This is a structure or wooden box that has no bottom to it. Old window frames, bricks and plastic can be used to construct a cold frame. Build your bricks up to about 18” at the back and 12” at the front so you get a nice, gentle slope. Anchor the window frames over the top of the brick structure so that natural light can get in without too much rain or cold. If your glass panes are broken, you can fill them in with fiberglass or clear plastic.

Hotbeds

This traditional growing structure provides warmth for your plants via the soil. You’ll need to dig into the dirt approximately eight to ten inches for both methods. You can choose between electric hotbeds or manure hotbeds.

Electric hotbeds use a thermostat-controlled heating cable that you can buy at a garden center. Loop the cable back and forth in your bed without touching it to itself and cover it with a few inches of sand before you place hardware cloth on top. Add four to six inches of good soil.

Manure hotbeds use horse manure mixed with straw in a layer of about eight inches at the bottom. Apply six inches of good soil over the top of this mixture once it’s laid.

Cloches

The word “cloche” is French for “bell.” You’ve probably seen cloche hats that are bell-shaped and cloche glass coverings, also known as “bell jars.” Garden cloches can take several forms, but they all form a protective cover over your plant. You can use plastic or glass bottles over each plant or build more of an A-frame cover out of hinged glass panels. You can also make a tunnel-shaped wire frame that you cover in fiberglass or clear plastic.

We hope this guide helps you to produce crops successfully over the winter months. Looking for farm equipment in the PNW? Visit our website to see the full stock of used farm equipment for sale at our six dealerships in Oregon and Washington. Talk to our staff about financing options if you’d like to make use of them. SS Equipment proudly serves all of our Pacific Northwestern customers.