A winter garden in Austin can be a wonderland of good food

In Central Texas, winter is the most wonderful (and easiest) time of the year to grow food. Most of the cool weather crops — mustard greens, kale, broccoli, Swiss chard, carrots, potatoes, fennel, leaf lettuces, onions, beets, asparagus, spinach and so on — love our mild winters.

So while most gardeners up north are taking a break about now, Central Texas gardeners (especially the obsessive overachieving ones) are busy outside planting seeds for cool weather crops, harvesting cool weather vegetables from seeds that were sown in the fall, and starting seeds for warm weather crops indoors in tiny pots under grow lights. (Note: Now is the time to start tomato seeds indoors if you want to set out your own transplants in the spring.)

If you’re new to vegetable gardening, you’re probably going to want to spend a little time studying a planting guide for Central Texas. (Some vegetable seeds are quite picky when it comes to growing conditions.) These guides, which are based on average soil temperatures and sunlight requirements needed for optimum seed germination and fruit production, can take some of the guesswork (and head-scratching and foot stomping) out of creating a productive vegetable garden. Among the most useful guides are the chart created by Travis County Extension Director Skip Richter and Master Gardener Patty Leander (available online and at most nurseries around town); The Travis County Planting Guide, and the Austin Organic Gardeners’ Planting Calendar.

Here are some additional winter gardening tips you might find useful

SOIL PREP

— Most of the soil in our area is either deep black clay or shallow rocky clay. Both are alkaline and neither can sustain the growth of vegetables. So before you even think about planting anything, be sure to dig in plenty of organic materials, especially compost. If your soil isn’t deep, build a raised bed or plant in containers. Also, dig in some decomposed granite and greensand to elevate the mineral content of your soil (your vegetables will thank you) and improve drainage and moisture retention.

— One of my favorite ways to get started on a new planting bed is to layer a bunch of organic materials right on the ground, a gardening method that is known as sheet composting: First, cover the ground with overlapping pieces of cardboard or sheets of newspaper (about 10 sheets deep). Then top the paper with about 3 inches of chopped dry leaves, decayed straw, or partially composted lawn and shrub trimmings. Wet thoroughly. Then spread about 2 inches of good compost topped with a sprinkling of greensand and well composted manure. Next comes a thin layer of decomposed granite, and then 2-3 inches of bagged garden soil (or soil dug from some other part of your yard) mixed with compost. And finally, top with about 2 inches of mulch (I like to use pine straw or chopped leaves). If you like, you can make it look tidy by edging it with stones, bricks, metal or cedar boards.

— In the last few years Mel Bartholomew’s “Square Foot Gardening” (and its many variations) has caught on in a big way among beginning urban gardeners: Build a square out of 4 feet long, 1-inch x 6-inch cedar boards (or strips of metal for a more permanent bed), set it on top of a weed barrier (thick cardboard or newspapers) and fill with good quality garden soil mixed with plenty of compost. (Bartholomew calls for a soil mix that contains peat moss, but a lot of gardeners prefer to use leaf mould or other more earth-friendly alternatives.)

PLANTING

— Seeds germinate best in fine-textured soil that contains humus (the stuff that’s left after organic matter has decayed). Try topping your planting area with a 1-inch layer of sifted compost. (You can build your own sifting device out of scrap lumber and hardware cloth, or purchase one for around $25.) Make narrow, shallow (1x1 inch) trenches in your bed and then fill with sifted compost. Plant your seeds in the trench at depth recommended on seed package. (When in doubt, plant shallower.) After planting, water seeds gently with a weak solution of liquid seaweed.

— Another good way to start seeds in the garden during dry spells is to fill the planting trench with straight vermiculite (available by the bag at most nurseries). Vermiculite holds moisture well, but whether you use sifted compost or vermiculite, during really dry weather you may need to moisten your seed bed twice a day — once in the morning and again in the evening.

— Check your seed bed regularly to make sure the soil stays moist, but not soggy, until the seeds sprout. When your seedlings are about 3 inches tall, thin according to the seed packet instructions. When your plants are about 3 inches tall, mulch with 1-2 inches of chopped dry leaves, pine needles or straw.

— Consider planting seeds for winter greens and lettuces in small batches, staggered a few weeks apart, so you don’t have to harvest and eat everything all at once.

— If you’re sowing seeds directly into a mulched garden bed, be sure to push the mulch aside to plant seeds. After seeds germinate and seedlngs are a few inches tall, you can replace the mulch.

— To get a jump on a winter garden, start with transplants of greens, broccoli, lettuce, etc., from your favorite nursery. Water your transplants in with a weak seaweed solution to help stimulate root growth, and keep a close watch so they don’t dry out.

WATERING

—During a dry winter, keep your vegetable garden soil adequately moist, especially before freezes. In general, vegetables grow and produce best when the soil they’re growing in is not allowed to dry out completely. Soil that contains plenty of organic matter plus, some decomposed granite, holds moisture longer. Mulch will also help the soil retain moisure.

— The dry, dry winter we’re having this year has been hard on all our plants, even the trees, shrubs, and perennials. Our landscapes usually get adequate rainwater during winter and early spring, but when that doesn’t happen, trees and shrubs can become stressed. Sometimes that stress can cause enough damage that they have trouble bouncing back in the spring. So give all but your most drought tolerant plants a deep drink at least once every 2 weeks during dry spells. Plants that need more water to thrive (including vegetables) will be happier with a deep soaking once a week if no rain has fallen.

— Also, since plants with dry root zones are more likely to suffer freeze damage, be sure to water tender perennials and recently planted shrubs right before a freeze. But don’t go overboard and create a soggy bog. Overwatering in the winter can lead to root rot, especially if your soil is heavy.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT ONE OF MY FAVORITE WINTER VEGETABLES:

— I love fennel. I love how it looks in the garden. I love how it attracts beneficial insects and butterflies. And I especially love how it flavors some of my favorite dishes. All that said, it isn’t one of the easiest vegetables to grow in our climate. It needs about 70-80 days to produce a good size bulb and it grows best in cool (50s and 60s) weather. Once a bulb has formed, a few days of temperatures in the high 70s can cause the plant to bolt (start producing seed instead of bulbs and stems), so good timing is key. After a few years of experimenting with different approaches to growing fennel, here’s what I’ve decided works (at least some of the time):

—If planting from seed, sow seeds in late fall. Be sure to keep them moist until they germinate and watch that soil doesn’t dry out completely during hot spells. Regular moisture and lots of compost are key to getting good bulb production from fall-planted fennel seeds.

— Fennel transplants set out in late October have a good chance of producing decent bulbs. Well established fennel plants can withstand freezing temperatures, usually down to the 20s. On the rare occasions when our temps dip into the low 20s or below, it’s a good idea to cover your plants with row cover. During last winter’s hard freezes, I didn’t cover my fennel, and some of my mature plants were damaged. I peeled away the damaged outer bulb layers and trimmed the droopy fronds and the plants started putting on new growth and looking good again. It could be that I was just lucky, but I’m thinking these frilly plants are much sturdier than they look.

— I’ve also started fennel seeds in December and January during mild winters. But one hard freeze will kill baby seedlings, so if you decide to try this, be ready with row cover or other warming devices.

— When your fennel plants flower and start producing seed in warm weather, some of those seeds may plant themselves for your next winter garden. Keep an eye out for volunteers seedlings in the fall.

— Sometimes well established, well cared for fennel plants will act like perennials, which technically, they are. After your plants have flowered and gone to seed in summer, try this: Cut the stems to a few inches above the ground, water enough through the hot months to keep plants alive, and then come fall, look for new baby plants to shoot up from the base. When the shoots appear, side dress the plant with compost and/or organic fertilizer, mulch, and water regularly.

— And finally, fennel is a host plant for swallowtail butterflies, so don’t kill the larvae chowing down on the leafy fronds. The leaves will grow back.

Roasted Fennel and Potato Soup

Ingredients

1-2 Tbsps butter

3 Tbsps olive oil

3 small yukon gold potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced

3 large fennel bulbs, fronds and core removed, sliced, and any bruised outer layers peeled away

3 Tbsps shallot, chopped

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

3 cups chicken stock (homemade is best)

1/4 cup cream

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup grated white cheddar cheese (sharp)

Salt and pepper to taste

Filtered water, if needed to thin soup

Small fennel fronds for garnish
To a hot heavy skillet add 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add potatoes, generous pinch of salt and pepper, and stir to coat potato pieces with oil. Cook over medium low heat until potatoes are tender and begin to caramelize. Add more butter or oil if potatoes seem too dry. (Aim for some browned potato bits on bottom of pan, but don’t allow to burn.) Pour wine (or a bit of stock) into pan, and stir to loosen brown bits. Then pour mixture into a soup pot.

Meanwhile, lightly salt fennel and toss with remaining olive oil. Spread out in a single layer on baking sheet so that pieces are not overlapping. Roast at 375 for about 15 minutes, or until fennel is brown around edges and tender. Add cooked fennel and stock to pot of potatoes and cook over low heat. Meanwhile, sautee onion and shallot in remaining olive oil over medium low heat until edges start to brown, then stir in garlic and sautee a few minutes more.

Pour onion garlic mixture into soup pot. Add milk, cream, cheese and continue cooking over medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Remove from heat and puree in small batches in a processor or simply puree in pot using an immersion blender (my most favorite kitchen tool!). Thin soup to your liking by adding water or additional stock. Serve hot, garnished with fresh fennel.

Variations: Top each bowl of soup with a Tbsp. of cooked, crumbled spicy Italian sausage. Or top with a chiffonade of baby kale leaves instead of fennel. For vegan soup, omit milk, cheese and butter.