We can grow two completely different crops in El Paso because of our moderate winter temperatures. We have a winter crop that we grow in our garden from about November to March, and a summer crop from April to about October.
Onions, radishes, carrots, and beets can grow year round; otherwise it’s either a winter crop or a summer crop. The winter crops are generally the kale, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, the green leafy vegetables. Squashes, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and all the melons are very sensitive to cold and so are summer crops.
Recently we set out mulch. The City of El Paso provided free mulch, so over the last six weeks I have been making trips and I have completely covered the soil with mulch for the winter.
It’s fun to grow in the winter time because it’s not as stressful. If you don’t water for a couple days, the plants will be okay. If you don’t water when it’s 110 degrees, they die pretty quickly. We enjoy growing year round, and it keeps our gardeners busy.
