Growing winter vegetable garden is one of the most overlooked ways to get more out of your vegetable garden .
plant life non - fruiting vegetables near the goal of summertime to make indisputable plants have clock time to uprise to a harvestable size before the first frost . Learning which winter vegetable to grow and when to plant them will depend on your maturate climate , but in general , these are the 20 best wintertime vegetables you’re able to grow to produce sweet craw of veggie all winter long
1 . Arugula2 . Bok Choy3 . Carrots4 . Cilantro5 . Corn Salad6 . Cress7 . Endive8 . Kale9 . Leeks10 . Lettuce11 . Mizuna12 . Onions13 . Peas14 . Radicchio15 . Radishes16 . Scallions17 . Spinach18 . Swiss Chard19 . Tatsoi20 . Brassica rapa
Winter veg are sweet-smelling and crisp , and they want far less maintenance than their midsummer counterparts .
wintertime veggie care is similar to summer vegetable care- except for timing . The farther in the south you live , the more tractability you have with how you plant your winter garden .
However , even climates with deep winter can support a winter harvest if the plot are prepared properly . And first dance step to achiever is to determining when and what to plant your wintertime veg garden .
And this ultimate scout my goal is to help oneself to learn about which winter vegetable to grow and when to plant them .
But before this , know how to organize your garden plot for a wintertime harvesting .
Want the ready version ? Jump to our guardianship pathfinder tolearn more about single wintertime crops .
When to Plant Vegetables for a Winter Harvest
Determining when to set your winter vegetables is the enigma of winner for winter gardens . Before you begin planning a winter plot , regain yourclimate ’s Persephone Period , or the full stop of time when you have less than 10 hr of daytime .
For object lesson , in Kansas City , MO , November 10th is the first day of the Persephone Period , because it is the first day that has less than 10 hours of daylight . The end of the period is January 24th , which is the first day of more than 10 time of day of daytime .
Active growth finish when the Persephone Period begin . During the Persephone Period , plants remain in stasis ; they do n’t develop and they do n’t die , as long as they are protect from frappe and wind .
If plants are a harvestable years before the first mean solar day of the Persephone Period , you may harvest them throughout the winter .
Timing , then , is simply a affair of calculating how many hebdomad each plant takes to reach maturity , and working backwards from your clime ’s first day of the Persephone Period :
wintertime veggie are not fruiting vegetables ( except for pea ) , so they can be harvest at any item as long as they have true leaves .
The earlier you plant , the more mature your plants will be . If you require babe wintertime veggies , industrial plant later .
Remember ; plants stop grow once the days are 10 hours or shorter . So , if you want to reap sister greens all winter , you will necessitate to plant 5x the amount of seeds as you would for mature salad greens .
Preparing Your Winter Vegetable Garden
Winter gardens are much less demanding than summer garden , but they do have a few unique challenge .
During the winter , pest are hibernate and most works diseases are unable to survive due to cold temperature . flora do n’t need much water once they stop fighting ontogenesis , at which point they break off using nutrients from the grease .
This means normal horticulture undertaking like lacrimation , fertilizing , and pest control are almost nonexistent in a winter garden .
However , wintertime veggies are prone to freeze .
industrial plant cells have a wooden-headed membrane called a cell rampart . When plant are turgid , or fully hydrated , the cells can collapse when temperatures dip below freezing because the water inside the cell turns into ice and expands .
light-colored frost is not a headache for most veggies , but a hard freezing will make leaves to turn into a green slime as the cells bust .
There are a few methods to foreclose freeze damage on winter veggies :
Straw is a sleazy mulch that can draw out the life sentence of any wintertime vegetable . Cover the entire plant with idle dozens of straw , but ensure there is plenty of space for airflow to foreclose buncombe . In breezy climates , you may need to reconstruct a modest fencing or coop to hold straw in place . Do not use straw until the Persephone Period has started .
Plants under plastic sheeting or cloches during the winter are at a high risk of molder and insect harm .
However , they also produce a much warmer environment for more sensitive winter crops . pesterer and rot should not be a job if covering are remove during the day to promote air circulation .
Plants under frost fabric have the most balanced environment . The textile protects the leaves from methamphetamine crystal , which will prevent most freeze damage .
The fabric also breathes , which means the betting odds of insect plague or decompose is much lower than plastic sheeting . Frost fabric is the best all - purpose option for sustain a winter crop .
plant with no protection may suffer during windy , ironical , or freezing conditions . Only the most stout cold - large-minded industrial plant can provide a reliable wintertime harvest with no protection .
Soil Preparation For Winter Vegetables
Winter vegetables are not heavy feeder , so soil preparation is more focussed on creating a soft seedbed and slay old plant life material .
1.Clear sections of garden plot of land that are done producing for the summer.2.Add a few inches of compost and mix in thoroughly.3.Rake the seedbed to prepare for engraft .
Although industrial plant wo n’t use much water or nutrients once the Persephone Period begins , most wintertime veggies benefit from a few inches of compost before imbed .
Compost render fertiliser for the first few week of maturation , and then once plants stop actively growing , the organic matter have wet and provide insularism from block temperatures .
Winter veggies must have a level-headed root system in spot before the first frost . Compost ensures grease is fertile , well - drained , and retains wet for winter growth .
Mulching A Winter Garden
Mulch is imperative for a successful winter harvest .
Mulch preclude the soil from freezing , which observe the roots from buy the farm . Spread mulch extra thick during the winter , and if it ’s light , you could even cover the first few inches of the stem for extra protection .
Some common mulch options are :
Irrigate thoroughly before you apply mulch so that the mulch can help hold back wet in the soil .
Winter Vegetable Care Guides
Once your veggie are plant , practice the following precaution pathfinder to ascertain a thriving winter harvest .
Cold boldness is rate on a plate of 1 - 3 , with 1 being the least cold - dauntless and 3 being the most dusty - hardy . Cold hardiness is not just a measurement of frigid tolerance ; rather it is a measurement of the flora ’s overall ability to make it wintertime production .
Each industrial plant will have a lowest temperature tolerated , which indicate the blue temperature flora can tolerate for less than 4 hour without severe leaf death .
Each level of frost fabric or plastic sheeting lower the tolerance another 10 ° F , so rocket salad can stick out 22 ° F unprotected , 12 ° F in a hoophouse , and 2 ° F in a hoophouse with a frost fabric natural covering .
Almost all winter veggie grow well in full or part sun . However , this wakeful recommendation is based on summer daylight 60 minutes . Part sun refer to 6 hours of unmediated sunshine per day ; preferably good afternoon sun .
works winter veggie in an region where they will get as much light as potential , even though some can tolerate a few hour of light shadiness .
20 Hardy Winter Vegetables To Grow
1. Arugula
This salad jet has a mild juicy flavor that intensifies as the flora matures . Eruca vesicaria sativa is also known as rocket , and it is a member of the brassica family . Do not plant Eruca sativa in the same plot where cabbage , broccoli , kale , or other brassicas were grown during the summertime .
Special Instructions : Arugula ’s spicy flavor is tempered by wintertime ’s dusty weather . Cooler temperatures give the green a odoriferous , snappy smack without being overpowering .
2. Bok Choy
Bok choy is also roll in the hay as Formosan cabbage , and it is also a appendage of the brassica family . Although it is holler a scratch , it does n’t forge a question like other lucre .
Instead , it grows a deep stalk with dark , crunchy leaves . Bok choy has a more soft cabbage flavor that is even less enunciate during winter production .
Special Instructions : Bok choy can go to seed , or dash , if it is bring out to temperatures below 50 degrees F before the Persephone Period start out . Once daylight hours have shortened , bok choy can bear light frost , but it may run off as soon as the days set out to lengthen .
3. Carrots
Carrots are a biennial that tolerates nerveless temperature , but the tops may die back if it gets too cold . Plant carrots in ecological succession , sowing a young words each calendar week until 4 weeks before the first frost .
reap ripe carrot during the winter , and leave the smaller cultivated carrot until spring . As soon as the sidereal day lengthen , the dormant flora will start to spring up again and allow for you with an early spring harvest .
Napoli and Mokum are the best varieties for wintertime production .
Special Instructions : Mulch carrots 3 ” – 4 ” abstruse to forestall soil from freeze . Use a cold-blooded material body or frost cloth to lengthen harvest time time of year .
4. Cilantro
Most herbs prefer warm growing condition , but Coriandrum sativum thrives in cooler weather . plant will be shorter and a lighter green semblance than during the summer , and they may not last the entire winter in northern climate .
Do n’t count on cilantro to make a return when it warms up ; industrial plant young seeds when the weather condition starts to warm up for a fresh spring crop .
Special Instructions : Cilantro absquatulate easily in warm weather condition , so it ’s best to take off the seeds later to avoid premature bolting .
5. Corn Salad
Corn salad , or mȃche , is a small , dark salad immature . It is part of the honeysuckle family , which makes it a groovy selection for planting in winter garden plots that have been used for brassicas during the summer .
corn whiskey salad will not be affect by the roundworm that attack the beginning of brassica flora , and it is an implausibly honest wintertime crop . Plants will not regrow in the bounce , so be disposed to plant an early spring craw when the sidereal day lengthen .
Special Instructions : Corn salad goes to germ cursorily in warm weather . Plant chronological succession crops until 4 week before the beginning of the Persephone Period to ensure a few month of wintertime crop .
6. Cress
cress plant is an herb that is in the brassica phratry . Its tone intimately resembles watercress and table mustard , although it is less acute and sugared , specially during the wintertime .
cress plant is an amazing microgreen or babe green , but it becomes tough and acerb as soon as it matures . establish a little later in the time of year to check that industrial plant are still young and lovesome before the first frost .
Special Instructions : Cress needs wet arise conditions , so keep it mulched in climates with ironical wintertime .
7. Endive
Endive , or chicories , are part of the chicory household . Endive are not related to brassicas , which make them another great option for plots that have had cabbage , broccoli , clams , or chard during the summertime .
Cut head off at the groundwork and mulch over the stay podium to prevent freeze damage .
Remove mulch as nighttime temperatures warm up up to promote new foliage growth . Endive may make off after the first hoarfrost of the season , but this second growth full stop could give you a few calendar week of spring leafy vegetable .
Special Instructions : Endive like to be dampish , so verify you mulch these plant and irrigate them well before the first frost .
8. Kale
Kale is a common winter salad special K that is full of vitamins and mineral . It ’s also part of the brassica family , which means you have to be strategic about where you imbed winter crops .
works kale in beds that have not been used for other brassicas during the summer . Kale likes full sun and rich stain , so mix in a few inches of compost before planting .
exceptional Instructions : Kale is prone to a nematode that attack brassicas , so do not plant shekels in the same plot of ground as broccoli , cauliflower , mustard , cabbage , bok choy , or turnips .
9. Leeks
Leeks are in the allium family , which construct them a tight relation of onions , chives , and garlic . Blanch the stalk to increase the harvestable portion of the works . When leeks are skinny to the mature sizing , pile 4 ” – 6 ” of land around the base of the bow to block sun .
This will cause the leaves to turn lily-white and elongate the edible portion of the plant . Harvest leeks as require ; the plants may go dormant during the winter , but they will start acquire again as the weather warms up .
Special instruction : Blanch leek 2 - 3 week before harvesting by piling soil or mulch around the stems . This will create an elongate white portion of the stem .
10. Lettuce
Lettuce is a popular choice for winter vegetable gardens for one important understanding : it ’s not a genus Brassica . While there are other non - brassica choice , lettuce has more varieties and it is more authentic for winter production .
Lettuce can tolerate soils gloomy in food , which makes it a good alternative for plot that grew heavy birdfeeder during the summertime , like tomatoes or melons .
However , this also makes lettuce one of the least nutritive salad greens .
Special Instructions : Use succession planting tohave a all-embracing varietyof mature and infant special K .
11. Mizuna
Mizuna is a spicy brassica with lacy leaves that can tolerate pitiable grease better than kale or lolly . Mizuna may regrow for a few week in the spring before go to seed . tot mizuna to salads , evoke - fry , and even soups to add a mild spicy tang .
Special program line : Mizuna is a good choice for corpse soils as long as there is enough constituent matter to create consistent drainage .
12. Onions
Onions are a various craw with a foresighted shelf life . For full onions , plant seeds early on to provide enough prison term for the bulb to forge .
Once the onion are mature , they will remain good in the land until you need them . distribute a layer of mulch over the onion plot to make certain the earth does n’t freeze so you could pull up the bulbs easily .
Special pedagogy : onion will have larger bulb if they are space farther apart , and smaller bulbs if they are packed together . Spacing- not timing- determines the size of the bulb .
13. Peas
wintertime peas are tender and nipping , but they may not last long . Peas are one of the only fruiting winter vegetable that handle cooler temperature , but theymust be embed in timeto bloom and produce cum fuel pod before the first frost .
Once the Persephone Period begins , prime will not acquire new seeded player fuel pod . For larger crops of winter peas , plant life winter varieties in succession until 8 weeks before the first hoar .
14. Radicchio
Radicchio sounds like it is related to radishes , but search like it ’s related to cabbage . Neither is on-key . In fact , radicchio is a very close cousin of endive .
Radicchio is a blood-red veggie with a spicy , acute , blistering savor that is slightly balmy during the wintertime . Radicchio is not a brassica and it tolerates pathetic soil , so you could plant it almost anywhere in the garden as long as it gets enough sparkle .
Special Instructions : Mulch around the base of harvested plants to preserve crest for an additional bound harvesting after the weather condition warms up .
15. Radishes
Radishes are one of theeasiest wintertime vegetables to grow . The seeds are large , the plant are problematic , and you could sprinkle them throughout the garden to fill in small desolate pip . Radishes are brassicas , so do n’t plant them in the same plot as other cole craw .
Once the weather warms up , radishes that were n’t harvested will bolt and produce large seed heads . essay adding the seed fuel pod to salads or raise fries for a spicy crunch .
Special instruction manual : Winterradish varietiesmay brook cool temperatures and have a sweeter flavour .
16. Scallions
leek are a diverseness of onion that grow low , livid bulbs and long , fleeceable leaves . Plant seeded player in small pockets around other plant to ward off pest .
Cut off leaf and leave the electric-light bulb in the ground for raw spring increment , or pull up the plant life to use the more flavorful electric-light bulb .
Special Instructions : Plant scallions close together and transplant deeper than onions to form an stretch , white fore .
17. Spinach
Spinach is a highly - nutritious brassica . Baby honey oil are sensitive and fresh , but they get stringy and bitter as they age .
industrial plant spinach plant in taking over until 4 week before the first frost to get a variety of leaf size . As with other genus Brassica , do not plant Spinacia oleracea in the same plot as borecole , cabbage , broccoli , etc .
Special Instructions : Plant spinach in taking over until 4 weeks before the first icing . This will ensure a variety of mature and babe greens .
18. Swiss Chard
Swiss chard is a colorful leafy park that packs a nutritive punch . Mix a few inches of compost into the seedbed before plant to increase wet retention and refill nutrients after summer output .
Chard may regrow in the spring after the atmospheric condition warms up , so leave the bases in the footing and cover with a few column inch of loose mulch to protect them from freezing .
especial command : Although chard is a cool - weather craw , seed may evolve faster with a estrus mat .
19. Tatsoi
Tatsoi is the new - and - meliorate bok choy . Chefs and cultivator say it is ranking in every way , which pretend it difficult to chance .
Tatsoi is an excellent wintertime crop , and it provides a unique relish to salad and other dishes . This Asiatic green is becoming more popular , so you’re able to order tatsoi seeds from a few major seed party .
Special Instructions : Plant in succession for a variety of ripe and child greens . Tatsoi benefit from a coldframe or hoophouse .
20. Turnips
Turnips are close congener of radish , and they are just as well-fixed to develop . As with other winter root crops , verify the top infantry of soil is light , and mix in a few inch of compost before planting .
Turnips are brassicas , so do n’t plant them with radishes or other cole harvest . Sprinkle white turnip seeds among lettuce or Allium cepa and displume them up as you need them .
Special instruction : Till soil 6 ” – 12 ” deep before planting turnips to insure good source evolution .
Tips For Harvesting Winter Vegetables
wintertime veggies are more hard to harvest than summertime veg , although there are a few simple steps that can make it an easier outgrowth .
Root Crops Can Be Difficult To Harvest If The Soil Freezes
If the soil around a bulb or root freeze , the plant may molder from invariant wet , or become stuck inside the fixed topsoil .
Avoid frozen topsoil by using a few inches of heavy mulch before the first frost . Wait until a warm fall afternoon when the plot of land has had a few hour of direct sunlight , and put 3”-4 ” of straw , sliced paper , or leaf litter onto the plant .
you could break the rule of mulching with wintertime garden and mulch properly up to the stems , as long as the mulch is n’t too moist . You may need to make a small fencing or roadblock to keep mulch from muff away .
Mulch will provide insulation against freezing temperatures , and it will help the roots absorb moisture and food longer than unprotected plants .
Winter Greens Do Not Grow Back, So Harvest Wisely
Most leafy crops will reform new folio after a light harvest , which keeps the plants in yield and prevents premature bolt out . However , wintertime greens will not regenerate , so engraft a few extra leafy crops and be heedful about how much you harvest at one metre .
Remember- wintertime greens will not regrow , but they also do n’t run out or become bitter , so you only require to harvest as much as you will use in a few days .
Treat Winter Veggies As Though They Are Growing In Nature’s Refrigerator
Winter vegetables- peculiarly vegetables with a thick layer of mulch- are in stasis during the Persephone Period . As long as they have salutary air circulation and sight of unmediated light , plants should outride in a harvestable state for the intact wintertime .
Many Winter Veggies Are Biennial, And Some May Regrow As Days Begin To Lengthen
Some leafy greens , like kale and Swiss chard , may put forth a burst of new growing as the Persephone Period ends and the temperatures warm up .
Be quick , though- these same plants are prone to premature bolting , and you may only have a few weeks of harvest before the plants become bad and produce flower chaff . wintertime veg gardens are an splendid way to gainsay your gardening know - how while increase the efficiency of your annual veggie secret plan . For a fun winding , flora colorful edibles , like purple kale or rainbow chard , into your landscape painting to provide some wintertime interest .
Happy planting !
Written By
Amber Noyes was bear and raised in a suburban California town , San Mateo . She throw a master ’s level in horticulture from the University of California as well as a BS in Biology from the University of San Francisco . With experience working on an organic farm , water preservation research , farmers ’ markets , and plant nursery , she realise what makes plants thrive and how we can intimately realise the connectedness between microclimate and plant health . When she ’s not on the realm , Amber loves informing people of young ideas / things refer to gardening , particularly constitutional gardening , houseplants , and growing plants in a humble space .
