How the winter crop is shaping up for California vegetable growers

When snow blankets much of the country’s farmland and temperatures drop to single digits, growers in California’s desert regions shift into high gear with their winter vegetable crops.

Imperial County grows more than 65 commodities, with head and leaf lettuces, broccoli, spinach and carrots among its top crops. Similarly, Coachella Valley grows everything from cabbage to carrots to cauliflower.

Because of mild temperatures in these Colorado Desert regions, along with Central Coast locations such as Salinas and Oxnard, U.S. consumers have access throughout winter to fresh produce including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, lettuces and celery.

It’s a good thing, too; according to Circana Integrated Fresh data for the 52 weeks ending Oct. 8, 2023, consumer demand for winter vegetables is on the rise. Dollar sales for broccoli rose 4.5% during the past year, while cabbage sales grew 6% and celery increased 7%.

With winter just around the corner, The Packer recently checked in with growers to see how this year’s California desert vegetable crop is shaping up for the 2023 season.

Growing in the desert

When cooler temperatures hit Northern California and the weather becomes wetter in the winter months, many growers head south for the season to Yuma, Ariz., or Mexico. However, some prefer to farm certain commodities in California’s desert regions.

Ocean Mist Farms in Castroville, Calif., grows a small percentage of its winter crops in Yuma, as well as Salinas Valley and Oxnard, yet the company reserves Coachella Valley as its primary winter growing region due to its abundant resources and ideal winter climate. The company’s winter crops grown in Southern California include artichokes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, fennel, lettuces and spinach.

“Coachella is a strategic differentiator in our ability to produce the same premium crops during the winter months that we produce in the spring and summer in our Northern California growing regions,” said Joe Angelo, director of sales. “Coachella has abundant water resources via four sources: groundwater, recycled water, water imported from the State Water Project, and the Colorado River, which delivers water to the region by way of the Coachella Canal. This resource, combined with the prime land we farm there, is a game-changer for us.”

Thomas Cox, board president of the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association and first vice president at Lawrence Cox Ranches in Brawley, Calif., the parent company of Coastline Family Farms in Salinas, acknowledged that growing crops in the desert also has its challenges, such as the tightening of access to water from the Colorado River.

“Water restrictions are something that every farmer has to factor in,” he said. However, climate change doesn’t appear to be having a major impact on winter crops.  

“In the desert, every year is different, so we generally end up around our normal average temperature per month,” Cox said. “But it definitely seems like we're having higher highs and lower lows.”

Warm season, healthy crops

The 2023 growing season is shaping up to be a good one, growers said, despite some potential difficulties earlier in the year.

“The weather has been fairly temperate in our southern growing regions so far this year, so cold weather hasn’t been an issue,” Angelo said. “The big rains that occurred as part of a seasonal monsoon pattern in early September did not create any major disruption for us, thankfully. It was early enough in the season and mild enough in its aftermath that we recovered quickly. We don’t expect any major disruptions as a result.”

Cox noted that the season has been hotter than normal in the Imperial Valley, where his family grows romaine and iceberg lettuces.

“We’ve seen above-normal temperatures for the month of October, and it’s bringing crops on a little quicker than anticipated,” he said, adding that the heat has continued into November. “We were forecasted to have a pretty good cool-down coming this week, but it looks like we’re going to stay in the high 80s and low 90s for a while.”

The higher temperatures will likely lead to an earlier-than-normal harvest for some crops and may cause issues with seed stems in the romaine and iceberg lettuces.

“If you cut the romaine head in half from stem to stern, the core of it gets elongated,” Cox explained. “That’s one major concern right now.”

To help mitigate the issue, growers will often harvest the lettuce a bit earlier, which leads to smaller sizing and lower weight.

Otherwise, he said, “The romaine crop looks good, and the growing conditions have been very nice. There haven’t been too many wind events, so germination has been very good.”

Michael Boskovich, head of organic sales at Boskovich Farms in Oxnard, noted some minor, short-term effects of the recent Santa Ana winds on the spinach and cilantro crops. The company also grows parsley, cabbage, celery and bok choy on its Oxnard farmland.

“We’ve seen no major weather issues, currently,” he said. “Celery is looking strong this season.”

For Ocean Mist, the 2023 winter crop is faring well across commodities.

“Everything in the ground is looking healthy with no issues,” Angelo said. “The growing conditions are looking very favorable, and right now everything is on schedule.”

Although nature may throw curveballs as the season progresses, he added, “We are always prepared and stand ready to adjust to any inclement weather that might occur.”

Angelo said he is confident that Ocean Mist will be able to provide a strong supply of winter vegetables to customers this season, and he expects to be in full production for Coachella Valley crops by Nov. 27.

Desert greenhouse growing

For companies that cultivate vegetables in greenhouses, the growing season is always a good one — even in the dead of winter. 

“Here at North Shore Greenhouses, we have consistent, year-round, beautiful products thanks to our state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse growing system,” said Suzette Overgaag, vice president at North Shore Greenhouses, which grows living herbs and greens in the Coachella Valley. “Monitoring heat, light and other critical elements, we are able to have consistent availability through the winter.”

In the winter months, Overgaag sees a big sales bump for rosemary, sage and thyme, as well as for its Roasting Mix herb blend.

“These are, by far, our most popular varieties during Thanksgiving and Christmas, because they complement roasting vegetables and roasting meats for those special holiday meals,” she said.

North Shore’s potted living herbs are seeing steady sales increases over the previous year, with thyme as the leading variety. The company’s newest offering, Counter Culture, is also proving popular with consumers. Launched at the International Fresh Produce Association’s 2023 Global Produce and Floral Show, the potted living herb trio was designed to sit on the kitchen counter for easy accessibility.

“It’s front and center in your kitchen, so you can’t ignore the fact you should eat them. There is nothing fresher than that,” Overgaag said. The company’s inaugural blend, The Original Trio, includes basil, mint and thyme.

“We are looking forward to our busiest time of year during the winter holidays and then leaning into New Year’s resolutions with a ‘Healthier for You’ campaign,” she said.