- Author: Pamela M. Geisel
Of the varieties that I recommend, for kale, I love the “Winterbor” curled varieties. You do have to watch the curled types carefully though for any aphids. Once they get inside the curly leaves, it is really tough to get them under control. I also love the smooth Georgia-type hybrid with savoyed leaf called “Top Bunch”.
Of the spinach varieties, while each seed company might each have their own name, I think the best for the Northern California area is a slow bolting savoy type. Johnnies Selected Seeds has several but “Tyee” is the one that I buy. I am going to plant extra of this because one of my friends husband has cancer. He feels that spinach greens with their high level of antioxidant helps to support his immune system and fights the cancer in his body.
Of the chards, “Rainbow” is just beautiful both in the garden and on the table. The color will generally cook out of them but while in the garden they are just lovely.
I have the best luck with mixed lettuces harvested as baby leaves rather than head lettuce. All types do well if harvested often. I also like to plant some radicchio because it is so darn expensive to buy and is great to use in salads for color and taste.
I am going to plant a variety of carrot good for overwintering in the ground called “Napoli”. The beet variety for me is “Merlin” (a dark red) and a Chioggia type that has the beautiful interior striping.
So, if you want a low work garden this winter into spring-start now! Remember, you don’t need an official vegetable “garden” to grow edibles. You can incorporate many of these crops into your annual flower beds, a garden box on the balcony, or in a sunny spot off of the patio. For more ideas on growing vegetables visit with your local Master Gardener Volunteers. To find the Master Gardeners in your county go to: http://camastergardeners.ucdavis.edu/
And for more vegetable growing information go to the California Garden Web