Vegetables rich in colour and vitamins are able to withstand the cold well and will bring a little cheerfulness to your plate during those long months of snow and frost. Although a bit more patience than usual will be required, you will easily get a good harvest. Just follow these few tips and you will be able to eat something other than the usual “stew” dishes.

We always tend to think that all vegetables will struggle to grow in a climate as harsh as that of winter. However, you’d be amazed to see that with a little more care, caution and patience, we can achieve the same result or better, regardless of the season. Let’s now enter the heart of the matter by first seeing the kind of vegetables that can be planted during this period.

What are the vegetables that grow in winter?

Given the significant drop in temperature during this season, you cannot plant vegetables that do not withstand a temperature below 50 °F (10 ° C) such as zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, etc.. This is the first selection criterion; the plant must be able to survive beyond this limit. Then, choose those that can withstand frequent frost and thaw, such as cabbage, beets, and carrots. Finally, there are plants that prefer the cold over the heat as is the case of spinach or lamb’s lettuce. Moreover, they manage to hold up well even at temperatures down to 14 ° F (-10 ° C). Without being exhaustive, we can also include tasty vegetables like Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, leeks, sugar loaves, cauliflower, lettuce cut, radishes, etc..

Important tips and advice

We know that the newer varieties have been designed to withstand very low temperatures and are thus able to resist to extreme conditions. If you are not too picky about the variety to take, you should choose the newer ones. However, remember that regardless of the chosen variety, you will need to be patient because in this kind of climate, plants take much longer to reach a normal size. And in areas where temperature drops are the lowest, it is better to take precautions by covering the plant with a fleece protection or directly opt ??for protected cultivation (in greenhouses or uner a cold frame). The most important thing to know are the right times for sowing or planting.

How to proceed depending on the vegetable?

For the sugar loaf, one must begin between mid-July and mid-August so that harvesting can take place in early January. Remember that it does not keep very long and it tastes better if picked after a frost. For cauliflower, the perfect time to sow is between mid-August and mid September. If you have the means, the best option is to cover them with winter protection, so you can harvest them around April and May. The different varieties of lamb’s lettuce, such as ‘Verte de Cambrai’, Medallion or Dante, can be planted until mid-September, in rows spaced out 8 inches (20 cm) apart, or on the fly at your convenience. But the soil will need to be kept damp by watering it regularly if necessary. Concerning radishes, you can plant them until mid-October and, just like lamb’s lettuce, they should be watered.

Related posts:

  1. Winter vegetables
  2. Fall vegetables
  3. Preserving your vegetables in the freezer
  4. Summer vegetables
  5. Green vegetables

Published in Creating a vegetable garden by Alexander on 14 Sep 2011