Home Grown: Winter vegetable season underway

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - In Tuesday's homegrown report, Yuma County's famous winter vegetable season is back.

The Yuma area is known as the winter salad bowl, feeding the nation leafy greens from November through March.

“We’re seeding and transplanting all of our fields to get ready for the harvest that happens between November and March of every year,” said U of A Agricultural Extension Agent Robert Masson.

And it all starts with a seed.

“We basically make sure the seed is not too seep in the ground so it will grow fast, and it can’t be too high off the ground so the sun won’t burn it,” said the Gila Valley Farms tractor driver.

Castaneda said this is the busiest time of year for ag workers

“We’ve done romaine, there’s another machine that’s doing spring mix, we’ve got other machines doing broccoli,” said Castaneda.

However, some crops like cabbage and celery grow better when transplanted.

And those are grown in greenhouses from seed to their 45th day of life.

“They’re started in a greenhouse somewhere then we move them out to the field in these seedling trays and put them out typically at night when it’s cooler," said Masson.

The crops then grow in the fields for three months until harvest.

Yuma County produces over 80 percent of winter leafy greens and vegetables consumed in North America from November through March. 

So, stay tuned to homegrown as the season continues.