Fall gardening tips: What to plant to eat all year in BC

The autumn rain is a sign for many green thumbs that it’s time to prepare their garden soil for the spring.

For other gardeners, however, the change in season means it’s time to make the switch to those winter vegetables that thrive in cold weather.

Bardia Khaledi designs gardens and helped build the Steveston Educational Garden. He says you can have a profusion of vegetables throughout the winter.

Khaledi says the great thing about fall gardening is you don’t have to keep watering your plants. If you can stand a little rain, you can enjoy garden-to-plate meals all year round. 

Here’s his winter gardening advice:  

• Make sure your garden plot has good drainage, particularly if your beds are in the ground and not raised.
• If you are putting your garden to bed, you can grow a cover crop to put nitrogen back in the soil, such as rye or clover or legumes (different kinds of peas). 
• You can also collect seeds for next year, including nasturtiums, soy beans, peas, and broad beans, as well as tomatoes. 

Here are five vegetables that do well when the weather gets chilly:

• Garlic (should be planted in October) 
• Brassicas — broccoli, turnips, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts
• Leafy greens — kale, Swiss chard
• Fava beans