Yum- fermented food good for you;)

Well cukes are out the picture, otherwise you're looking at napa cabbge for kimchee. Have you tried cuke kimchee? yummy.You still should be able to get some plants in now. Daikon is good in fall/winter- though you have a warmer inland than my coastal effected garden, should be good. I usually plant in aug /sept and harvest around jan/feb. Turnip is another you an try.

Its too late for cabaage now I would think, but definately for fall.

I was considering favas for this fall also. don't have much room for grains, but then again I do want to try some cover crops.

Are you saying Napa is not good during the fall? Will be planting daikon for sure. Probably turnips also. I think most cole crops are supposed to be OK.

Do you plant for growth during the winter of just maturity?

Phil:

I'm in Santee -- here's what I use as an all around guide for planting dates.

One thing that I have found to be so much easier is to start almost everything inside under shoplights. This way I can control things. So, if you go this way, you'll want to start your seeds in July for September plantings. The heat of our summer/fall just doesn't lend itself that well for direct sowing. Water isn't cheap. ;)

Funny -- just 5 mins ago I harvested some Napa cabbage seeds.

Kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: vegetable planting guide San Diego

This post was edited by woohooman on Thu, May 23, 13 at 19:02

I have never had much success direct seeding in late summer although many sources suggest it. I think I will try doing it indoors. At least the water is easier to control.

For planting times I have gone by the rule of leaves and roots during the cool months (except peas and favas.) Fruits during the warm months. The piece you linked is very good. Thanks.

Do you grow a lot of stuff during the winter? Have you tried potatoes?

Phil,
Napa is good for fall- its a hardy crop.

Good guide Kevin, I fall back on it alot.
But I like this one for easy graphic.

http://digitalseed.com/gardener/schedule/vegetable.html

I WISH I lived in the SD growing area! Nancy

Tonio: I use that one also, but the other is a lot more microclimate specific with the map.

Phil: That's a good general rule. By the way, notice the different dates for seeds or PLANTS for all the brassicas.

What's kind of bogus is if you want to go down to Home Depot and pick up some fall/winter seedlings, they won't carry them until xmas or so -- not really a good time to stick a small seedling in the ground with the lack of sunlight, but Armstrong starts carrying them in late August.

Yep. I grow quite a bit. Broccoli, Cauli, Bok Choy, Collards, kale, Leeks, Red Onions, Napa(first time this year -- planted seedlings in Dec -- produced real well, though for the longest time, I didn't think they were going to head; Snow Peas were awesome this year -- started in early November; Spinach, Leaf Lettuces, Swiss chard.

What I've noticed is most of the Brassicas like to be planted early on in the fall or the mid-late winter -- once again, because of the lack of sunlight. Bok Choy's a hit or miss thing with me though -- I either get some decent plants or the heat or cold(what I've read recently) causes them to bolt.

Potatoes -- I tried some reds one year and got some small ones, but since then I've found out that they like a pretty acidic soil and we're a bit on the basic side here in the west. So, before i try again, I'll have to add some sulfur to bring the ph down some. That... and the fact that I'm somewhat of a chile fanatic and since they're both in the nightshade family, it doesn't lend itself to crop rotation very easily.

Nancy: Sometimes, just SOME TIMES, I wish I was more North for certain crops.

Kevin

The Garden Betty blog talks about gardening in the LA area--might be helpful since I assume they have about the same climate. (Link below.) I think she's grown fava beans over the winter, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, peas, and the usual root veg. Just about anyone's fall garden list would work, though I think peas would be easier starting in November or so than starting in the heat. But, the bonus is that you'd have the "fall" garden for two seasons, fall and winter. I'd imagine your winters would be perfect for the cool-weather Asian greens like Chinese or Napa cabbage (perfect for kimchi) and pak choi too. Regular cabbage, too, of course, for the kraut.

The most interesting thing I've seen her grow over the winter is cold-tolerant Siberian tomatoes, which produce reliably down into the 40s and 30s, I hear. Since it doesn't freeze where she is (or you, I presume) it gives her a winter tomato crop. Dwarf citrus trees might be an option.

I'm super jealous of y'all's weather, by the way. Here in Texas, our winters are colder, precluding (for example) winter tomatoes, but our summers seem way hotter too. The last couple of years we've had long 100+-day streaks in which little produces. Sigh. And the weather is so variable and inconsistent. Maybe one day ...

Here is a link that might be useful: GardenBetty.com

I am looking to do brussel sprouts, peas, fava and daikon this fall/winter. I have some fava that I started late coming in right now. Hope to get a decent crop before it gets to hot, but I'll be happy as long as I have seed for my fall/winter crop of favas.

I have some white russian kale currently planted that has been slow to get going, hopefully they will survive the heat and kick into high gear when the cooler weather comes.