Believe or not, but when the first cherry tomatoes ripen in July it’s time to start planning the fall and winter vegetable garden in the Pacific Northwest. Beets, beans, kale and other cold hardy crops need to be sown in July or August so that they have a few weeks to bulk up before night time temperatures drop after the autumn equinox. The idea is to get the plants to almost harvestable size before the weather really turns cold, and then gardens acts as a kind of refrigerator, keeping the vegetables in stasis until we’re ready to eat them. If you miss the seed starting window there is still time to buy transplants from local nurseries until early September.
These two publications from Washington and Oregon State University Extensions have all the details to ensure success.