A few hardy veggies can make it through winter

IF THE SPINACH and kale you planted for a late harvest is looking pretty puny, it's because you didn't plant it early enough. Winter crops need to go in the ground by mid-August to develop a strong root system before the soil cools down, according to Colin McCrate of Seattle Urban Farm Co.

McCrate is steeped in growing good veg. His company designs, plants and maintains organic-vegetable gardens for clients across the city. "It's really all I want to do," he says of working all day in gardens, then going home to tend his own urban farm in the Greenwood neighborhood.

Last year, McCrate was charged with growing enough greens on a Ballard rooftop to furnish Bastille restaurant with fresh salads every day of the year. So how did he fare in the first year of such a challenge?

"There's always something available from the roof, but not a full salad every day of the year . . . There's just not enough square footage," he says. The restaurant started out in the summer of '09 with six raised beds and six wading pools planted in herbs and lettuces. By the end of last summer, 40 tomato plants ('Black Prince,' 'Cherokee Purple' and 'Sungold') were trellised up screens around the deck's perimeter; 10 additional pools hold more herbs, vegetables and greens. Bay laurel, fruit trees and mint grow in barrels and pots; radishes and beets, basil and beans flourish well into autumn.

Bastille chef Shannon Galusha says that 75 percent of the arugula served in the restaurant comes from the roof garden. "It takes less than a month from seed to harvest; we thin it, and it grows right back," explains Galusha of his favorite variety, 'Surrey.' It's more like an artichoke leaf than the familiar roquette type. Because they grow so much more slowly than arugula, Galusha estimates only about 35 to 40 percent of the lettuces in the restaurant's salads are supplied by the roof garden.

How about winter rooftop harvests? The lids on the raised beds work like hoop houses or cold frames to protect crops from bad freezes. But even with such protection, McCrate's found that very few greens stay productive all winter long. His shortlist for dependable winter greens includes kale, spinach and miner's lettuce or winter purslane (Claytonia perfoliata), which is tough enough to grow through the snow. He advises that red and white Russian kale are ideal in our climate, and appreciate being covered during the coldest weather.

How about overwintering vegetables? "Broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower are questionable," says McCrate. "They really can't handle extreme cold."

Good organic-gardening practices are especially important for winter gardening when plants are most stressed. McCrate recommends using locally produced Cedar Grove potting soil, with compost and a balanced, organic fertilizer worked into the soil several times during the year between plantings.

But how can gardeners possibly find time and space to plant for winter when the summer garden is at its peak? Especially in a cool summer like our last one, gardens have only just kicked in by August. McCrate suggests gardeners be less reluctant to pull out plants past their prime, mildewed squashes and sorry tomatoes that aren't producing. He advises a realistic garden cleanup in August so there's room to get going on winter crops.

McCrate starts seeds of broccoli, cabbage, kale and chard in July to harvest before our first hard frost. Green cabbage holds up even in snow, but beets and carrots are hit-or-miss as fall plants. "If you get them in the ground at the beginning of August you can harvest before we get a hard freeze," McCrate advises.

"It's all about timing, the soil and fertilizer; every crop needs something specific," he adds. "I've been doing this for 10 years, and every year I learn so much more."

Valerie Easton is a Seattle freelance writer and author of "The New Low-Maintenance Garden." Check out her blog at www.valeaston.com.