Seasons
This article is centered on Portland and the Northwest Coast, but applies more generally to the entire Pacific Northwest.
Clockwise from the top left: spring, summer, fall, and winter in the Willamette Valley.
Spring
Spring is an active growing season. One of the characteristics of this season is the lack of fruit and large vegetables, and an abundance of leafy greens, new shoots, and flowers. Many shoots and greens, especially foraged ones (such as ferns, thimbleberry shoots, nettles, etc.), are only palatable or edible when young. Root vegetables stored over winter are often available. Certain cool-weather crops hit their stride in spring. Towards late spring, fruit crops, in particular berries, start to hit the market.
Summer
In our region, summer is the dry season: although many crops (especially those which originate from tropical regions, such as corn, tomatoes, summer squash, etc.) are grown during summer, these generally rely on irrigation. Native plants often go into dormancy over summer; in mediterranean climates, summer is not a growing season for many plants due to the lack of precipitation. The best adapted crops in mediterranean climates tend to include a lot of fruit from perennials and trees that have sturdy enough root systems to persevere through the dry season (olives, figs, grapes, blackberries, mulberries, etc.).
Fall
In fall, the rains return and plants go through another growing season, even as many deciduous plants drop their leaves to prepare for winter. The rains and cooler temperatures bring mushrooms, and allow for cool-season crops to be planted.
This is a major harvest period - late-season crops that grew over summer are finally ready in fall, including many originating from warmer climates (red peppers, kiwis, pineapple guavas, eggplants, persimmons, yuzus, mandarins, etc). Many nuts are ready in the fall as well, such as chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc. Pomme fruits generally ripen at this time, too (apples, pears, quince, medlars, rosehips, etc.).
Winter
Winter brings cold temperatures, rain, and sometimes ice and snow. That said, thanks to the region's overall mild temperatures, winter is a productive time for cool-season crops, in particular leafy plants (radicchio, kale, cabbage, leeks, spinach, etc.) and root vegetables (kohlrabi, parsnips, beets, etc.). Fruit is generally absent at this time of the year, other than storage fruit, such as apples and pears. Occasional extreme cold weather does limit the crops that can be grown in our region, but abundant precipitation and mild temperatures create a highly productive environment that is often overlooked.
