15 Vegetables You Can Grow This Winter
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While this might not be the season for green thumb flexing, there are still many vegetables that do best in cooler weather. Cold-weather gardening can be just as rewarding as spring and summer planting, believe it or not. Even when it’s frosty outside, you can enjoy fresh, homegrown veggies, whether you’re using a small backyard garden or a few containers on your porch.
The trick is picking the right vegetables — ones that can put up with the cold but that are worth the trouble. If you’re ready to jump on board the winter garden bandwagon, these are 15 veggies that not only survive but thrive in colder temperatures.
Spinach
Spinach is a superhero in the winter garden. It’s hardy and tolerates cold, and in fact, seems to get sweeter as the temperature goes down. Sow it in late fall and you’ll have fresh, tender leaves to harvest through the winter. When everything else seems frozen solid, it’s perfect for tossing into soups, salads, or a quick stir fry.
Kale
Kale is a cold loving plant and, like spinach, gets tastier after a little frost. Chilly weather makes the leaves sweeter. Cold-season gardening with kale is a great choice, whether you prefer the trendy kale chips or a hearty winter salad. Just give it lots of room to grow and it will provide lots of room to grow.
Brussels Sprouts
These little cabbage cousins are slow growers, but they are made for the cold. Frost doesn’t hurt Brussels sprouts, they actually improve in flavor after being hit by frost, making them a perfect veggie to harvest in winter. If you plant them in mid to late summer you will have a bumper crop of sprouts when winter arrives.
Carrots
One of those vegetables that don’t mind sitting in the ground when it gets cold is the carrot. In fact, they’re sweeter when cold. Plant in the fall to harvest throughout the winter. All you need to do is mulch the tops to protect them from freezing, and you’ll be pulling fresh carrots all season long.
Beets
Another root vegetable that loves cold weather is beets. They can be planted in the fall and you will continue to harvest through the winter. Not only are they super healthy, but their earthy, sweet flavor makes a welcome addition to winter soups, salads and roasts.
Leeks
Leeks are a hardy vegetable, which does not suffer from the cold in any way. If you plant them in the fall, you can eat their mild onion flavor right through the winter. Perfect for soups, stews, and casseroles (aka all the cozy comfort food you want when it’s cold outside).
Garlic
If you have never grown garlic before, winter is the time to begin. Plant garlic cloves in the fall, and they’ll sit and slowly grow over the winter, coming up to harvest next summer. Garlic is one of those crops that just about takes care of itself—plant, mulch, and wait for the magic to happen. Plus.
Swiss Chard
A cold tolerant green for your winter garden, Swiss chard adds a pop of color with its rainbow colored stems. Light frosts won’t hurt it and it continues to produce through the winter months. It can be used like spinach in salads or sautés and is a great, colorful, nutritious addition to meals.
Cabbage
Cabbage is one tough veggie. This thing can take frosty weather like a champ, and the heads will keep growing as the temperature drops. Cabbage is a great addition to a winter garden whether you like making slaw or fermenting your own sauerkraut. Patience is key here though, it can take a while for cabbage to mature, but it’s worth it.
Turnips
Turnip is a cold hardy root vegetable that grows well in winter. It has edible roots and edible greens, so you get two harvests from one plant. Turnips are fast growing, and the sweeter they are the cooler the weather is. You can roast them, mash them or throw them in soups, they’re delicious and versatile.
Radishes
Radishes grow quickly, so they’re a good choice for a winter garden. In cool weather they thrive and can be ready to harvest in a few weeks. They have a nice peppery bite to them, and while they’re not the most exciting things to eat raw, you can add them to winter salads or slaws, or even pickle them for a crunchy, tangy snack.
Broccoli
Broccoli likes cool temperatures and thrives in winter, producing heads that are chock full of flavor and nutrients. It can be planted in the fall and you can enjoy fresh broccoli throughout the cold months. Broccoli is also full of vitamins and is a great way to boost your immune system during winter.
Collard Greens
A staple of Southern cooking, collard greens are tough as nails in cold weather. They get sweeter after a frost, like kale. Collards produce large plants, so provide lots of room, and they’ll repay you with a constant source of nutrient dense leaves for soups, stews, and sautéed vegetable dishes.
Mustard Greens
Mustard greens are the way to go if you like a little spice in your greens. They like cooler temperatures and grow quickly. It’s also great in salads, stir frys or as a side dish with a little garlic and olive oil. They are also packed with nutrients, so they make a great healthy winter veggie.
Parsnips
The cold loving parsnip is kind of like the sweeter, more robust cousin to the carrot. In fact, they even need frost to achieve their best flavor. Plant them in late summer and by winter you’ll have a ready supply of sweet, nutty parsnips to roast, mash, or add to soups.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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