When to Begin Fall/Winter Planting - Specifically for Zone 9

Getting started on your fall and winter planting can be difficult. Rather than covering seedlings or starting them in a greenhouse as you would growing warm-weather plants in the winter, growing cooler weather plants while it's still hot outside can be very confusing for many gardeners. The thing is, plants like cilantro and lettuces if planted in the heat will bolt before temperatures even cool down, if they even sprout at all. That is a concern for sure. Here's a little guide to help you convert from summer to fall/winter gardening.

The best things to plant right now in August in zone 9 would be rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, parsley, marjoram, lavender, and lemongrass. While these are all things that love the heat, they are perfect to plant right now while the temps are still high even though autumn is inching closer, and yes, they will overwinter. Many of these are perennials and will tolerate the frost very well, in fact, all of them did well in our frost last year. Also, it's still a great time to plant sunflowers, especially for autumn blooms.

The things you want to avoid planting now would be cilantro, lettuces, cress, and peas- basically anything that grows extremely fast. Plants that have short lives such as these plants and are fully grown in just a matter of a month or two are more often to bolt and seed quickly and will not be enjoyable until planted later on when day temperatures are under 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Looking at the 'days until harvest' on your seed packets are especially crucial right now. Some of these plants say to plant in August for our zone, but now is not the best time. Wait until LATE August to begin these seeds, or maybe even until early September. Your cool-weather garden will thank you later, and trust me, you do not want to eat bolted cilantro as it does not taste good!

Don't be intimidated to start fall and winter seeds so 'late.' Most of them will still be producing through late spring while the temperatures are still not in extremes! You could also try to start seedlings indoors, but just be aware that fast-growing plants may already be producing or ready for harvest by the time autumn even comes along. We started a few mustard greens indoors in a south-facing window, and while they have sprouted, we are aware that by the time it cools down here in California, the greens will most likely be already be at their harvesting point. The goal is to only plant indoors if the plant is slow growing enough to harden off and put outdoors later on when temperatures cool, or to keep the plant indoors permanently if it grows too quickly before cool temperatures even come close.

Good luck with your fall and winter gardening! Have fun; more updates soon to come, so you can all follow along with us and our cool-weather gardening!