The Winter Garden: It’s 97 Degrees and I’m Planting Kale

The Winter Garden: It’s 97 Degrees and I’m Planting Kale

Farmer confession: I haven’t even had a tomato-based meal yet—and I’m already starting seeds for winter.

I wish I were kidding, but this is what it means to farm in the high desert. The season up here doesn’t roll along at a leisurely pace. It sprints. You’re barely recovering from spring planting when summer slaps you in the face, and before you know it, you’re back in the seed trays, talking yourself into planting kale while it’s still hot enough to fry an egg on your wheelbarrow.

This week, I’m starting trays of fall and winter crops: kales, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, and cabbages. It always feels wrong to be doing this while you’re still sweating through your overalls, but that’s how it goes. These crops take time—somewhere around 60 to 80 days to mature—and up here, you’ve got to race the frost.

There’s a short, sweet window between “my seedlings are frying” and “my seedlings are freezing,” and that’s what we’re aiming for. It’s all about the art of season extension. Shade cloth goes up now to keep the young plants from keeling over in the midday heat, and by the end of September I’ll start prepping low tunnels and digging out the row cover to protect those same plants from our first frosts, which are never as far away as you think they are.

Planning a fall and winter garden up here feels a little like stocking firewood in August—it makes you sweat, but you’ll be real glad you did it when the cold rolls in. I’ve learned the hard way that every week I delay now is a week lost on the back end. There’s no buffer zone. No grace period. The garden doesn’t wait.

So if you’re thinking about doing a fall garden—even a small one—now’s your moment. Don’t overthink it. Pull out those seed trays. Get your hands in some soil. Talk sweetly to your broccoli starts and promise them row cover and cooler weather soon.

So here’s your friendly nudge from your local high-desert dirt digger:
Get those fall crops going. Grab your seed trays. Set up some shade.

Your future self, wrapped in a flannel and munching a roasted beet, will thank you.

P.S. Want to try it at home?
Start your fall seeds in the next week or two! Aim to transplant your seedlings in 5–6 weeks (mid-to-late August). If you're direct seeding carrots or beets, get those in the ground by early August at the latest. Use shade cloth to keep seedlings cool, and plan on adding row cover by late September to keep the frost at bay. Don’t wait for fall to feel like fall—it’ll be too late.