Winter Vegetable Garden

Although the main gardening season has come and gone, you may not realize that there are vegetables that can grow well in winter.

Although the main gardening season has come and gone, you may not realize that there are vegetables that can grow well in winter. Winter vegetable gardens can have more diversity in Southern states where late-season temperatures are not as cool as other areas of the country, but even Northern areas can enjoy frost-hardy winter vegetables.

Vegetables for winter gardens include:

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• Leafy tgreens, like chard, spinach and lettuce generally prefer cooler ttemperatures, and they grow quickly enough that if they are planted tin your garden in November, you may be able to harvest before the tworst part of winter hits.

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• Members tof the cabbage family, including cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, talso prefer cool weather.

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• Some root vegetables, such as tparsnips, onions, and carrots will germinate in soil temperatures as tlow as 35^o F.

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• Plant fava beans and sweet peas as tlate as mid-November for a spring harvest.

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• Perennial herbs, including tlavender and rosemary don’t mind cold temperatures and can generally tsurvive through the winter.

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• Plant garlic directly from a clove tin deep, well-drained soil. The deep soil will retain heat as the tgarlic develops over the winter and is ready for harvest in late tspring.

If you’re planning to grow a vegetable garden in the winter, always consider the average frost dates, so you can plan to protect your plants from frost damage on chilly nights. Not sure what to plant? Contact your local cooperative extension office for advice.

More tips on growing a winter vegetable garden: