Planning for Fall/Winter Gardening

Plant what you enjoy eating. Try to plan a variety of colors to encourage a wide range of vitamins and minerals – carrots, broccoli, brussel sprouts, leafy greens such as kale, collards, or swiss chard, beetroot, cabbage, leeks, and cauliflower. If you select foods that match well with your specific growing conditions, you will be more likely to have a plentiful harvest.

For example, did you know leafy vegetables and root vegetables are better at tolerating shade? This includes lettuce, collards, kale, cabbage, spinach, carrots, beets, radishes, and more.

Consider timing before you begin to plant. Use Poe’s Vegetable Planting Guide for Central NC, or the Cooperative Extension Planting Guide for NC for details on what to plant and when.

• You may prefer to start seeds indoors to get a start on fall crops while your summer crops are still producing. This overlap can also help ensure your frost-sensitive crops will reach maturity before the freezing temperatures arrive. Be sure to check the seed packet for when to start seeds indoors for your area.
• If you’re looking for particularly hardy crops that will continue to produce food through the winter, a few favorites include: collards, mustard greens, kale, root veggies, and cilantro.
• You may think we forgot to mention some fall favorites like pumpkin and sweet potatoes. They are delicious in fall recipes and ready to harvest in the fall, however, need to be planted in the summer.

Time for planting. Make a map of your garden and mark off where you planted everything. This is not necessary, but it is a fun visual to keep as a reminder of plants that need your attention.

• Before planting your fall crops, it is often helpful to incorporate organic compost into the top 4 inches of soil. Leaving the deeper soil intact helps preserve a healthy soil structure that beneficial earthworms, bacteria, and fungi have worked hard to establish.
• You can incorporate compost in stages or all at once depending on your gardening style. By gently stirring compost in between late summer crops that are still producing, you can overlap the growing seasons and increase yield. If your summer crops are spent, you can remove them all and incorporate your compost all at once.

Try this Poe Center recipe for a Grain Bowl packed with fall favorites.

(pdf download)

Directions for the Bowl:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
2. Transfer chickpeas and broccoli to the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until chickpeas are crispy and broccoli is browned and tender, being sure to stir the broccoli mixture half way through.
4. While the veggies are roasting, make the quinoa. Add quinoa to a medium-sized pot over high heat with 2 cups of water or stock. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and let quinoa cook until all the water is absorbed, about 12 minutes. If using brown rice, cook according to package instructions.
5. Remove from heat and let quinoa or rice cool slightly.

Directions for the Dressing:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, maple syrup, vinegar, mustard, salt and dill (if using) until smooth and consistent.

Assembling the Bowl:

1. Set aside a small amount of the dressing.
2. Fold the slightly cooled quinoa into the dressing in the large mixing bowl. Add in about 1/3 of the roasted broccoli and chickpea mixture along with the chopped parsley and mix until well combined.
3. For serving, portion quinoa or rice into about 4 portions and top each portion with remaining roasted broccoli and chickpeas. Garnish with sliced green onion, more parsley, dried cranberries or raw pumpkin seeds. Drizzle remaining dressing on top.