Winter gardening in Washington State...

[oceanfamily]

My only question to you is....is this possible? I REALLY just want to grow some vegies like lettuce, carrots, peppers, cucumbers, and some squash.

[Rosemary]

Yes! It should be possible. I'm currently researching winter gardening in Minnesota. Look for Eliot Coleman's books & website on 4-season gardening - he lives in Maine and gardens commercially all year, using an unheated greenhouse. Depending on what part of Washington you're in, you may not need to provide much frost protection - even floating row covers might be enough if you're close to the coast.

[Rosemary]

Here are some lists of cold-hardy vegetables:
http://www.hortmag.com/plants/fruits-veggies/hardy_vegetables
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/fallgarden.html
http://www.echters.com/Reference/FrostHardiness.htm

It also depends on how long a low temperature is present, and the microclimate of your yard. When we lived in Tucson, I had an eggplant that survived 2 winters before being killed on a record-cold 19-degree night - despite having about a week of frosty mornings each of those winters. My chile peppers often survived winter there as well.

And here's an article by Eliot Coleman, as mentioned above:
http://www.greenhousecanada.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2067&Itemid=153

[herbgeek]

no on the peppers, squash and cucumbers, yes on many many other vegetables. Peppers, cukes and the like just aren't going to produce with cold temperatures and shorter day lengths. Carrots, kale, lettuce, spinach, radishes, turnips etc will do fine. With a short day they don't so much grow as stay alive, so you have to have them almost to full maturity before the day falls below 10 hours.

I grew spinach and other greens through the winter here in chilly New England, and you are in a warmer climate (depending on where in WA you are), so its definitely possible.
I use lowcovers in the late fall to protect the plants from bitter winds and snow.

[KayLR]

I live in WA State and herbgeek is correct--the peppers, squash, cukes and the like will not germinate or live through winter. Too wet, anyway.
I have grown greens through the fall (not lettuce for too long) and carrots I remember digging out of the snow. I covered the rows with straw to insulate them from the cold. Start growing brassicas in August for a fall crop.

Disclaimer: I'm in western Washington--not sure about growing stuff east of the Cascades.