›› Kayla Siefried

Just a week ago, I harvested 11 different varieties of greens from the gardens at the Compost Education Centre. It was incredible to take in the variety and beauty of the greens freshly harvested and consumed in mid-January! We live in a particularly unique climate, where it is very possible to have many a fresh salad in the winter.

But, not all greens are well suited to wintertime temperatures. That’s where seed variety and selection comes in. With Seedy Saturday events happening all over the region in the coming month, it’s a great time to plan all the way to next winter’s harvest! Victoria’s is on February 15th and if you can’t make that one check seeds.ca for others in the region.

Some fun winter greens to look for when you’re attending your local Seedy Saturdays are: mache (also know as corn salad), kales of many varieties are usually a safe bet, as are winter varieties of lettuce and spinach. When you are looking for cold hardy varieties of greens, read the seed packages or ask the seed farmer you are buying from. Usually the seed will have an indicative name or description like ‘Winter Density Lettuce’ or ‘Siberian Kale’. Both of these are varieties of greens that will ­sustain cold temperatures easily. Remember, while these plants will persist through cold ­winters and grow quickly and abundantly come spring. They won’t necessarily put on much growth in the winter as they do not have enough day light. You need to plant enough of these plants in July and August so they are large enough—and abundant enough—to be harvested all through the winter. So, get planning your summer garden for all the tomatoes and cucumbers you’d like and don’t forget to also plan for your 2021 winter garden

Photo caption: My winter greens harvested from the Compost Education Centre gardens. (Top left to right) 2 types of kale, parsley, mizuna. (Centre left to right) ‘Giant Red’ mustard, ‘Red Russian’ kale, chickweed, mustard. (Bottom left to right) Corn salad, ‘Tokyo Bekana’ mustard, miner’s lettuce. Photo: Kayla Siefried