For most of my gardening life, gardening was a summer thing. I planted out in May and wrapped up my garden by mid-September and that was that! But now that I understand the growth cycle of plants and a little more about how to control the temperature using garden structures, why not do this all year? Let’s go!
Winter might seem like an unusual time to think about growing food, but for those of us in USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7, winter gardening is entirely possible with the right crops, methods, and mindset. plate even during the colder months!
The key to successful winter gardening is choosing crops that thrive in cooler temperatures. Here are some tried-and-true favorites that can survive and even thrive in winter conditions in zones 6 and 7:
- Leafy Greens: Kale, spinach, and Swiss chard can tolerate cold and frost, often improving in flavor with exposure to colder temperatures.
- Root Vegetables: Carrots, parsnips, radishes, and beets are resilient and can sweeten when exposed to light frost.
- Brassicas: Broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts grow slowly in winter but are very frost-resistant, particularly with some protection.
- Alliums: Garlic, onions, and leeks can be planted in fall and overwintered for early spring harvest.
- Legumes: Winter peas and fava beans are cold-hardy legumes that fix nitrogen in the soil while offering harvests in late winter or early spring.
- Herbs: cilantro, shockingly, loves the cold! Other herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley, and oregano will also survive a mild winter and can even take deep cold temps if they have a little cover over them.
The winter weather in Zones 6 and 7 can be unpredictable, offering sun and mild temps some years and sustained cold weather in others. Since we don’t know what to expect, building some cold frames or having a small greenhouse is an excellent insurance plan. If you would like to learn to build a raised bed, you can find step-by-step instructions here. If you’d like to shop affordable greenhouses, this is the greenhouse I have had for 12 years and it is still in excellent condition.
A simple cold frame will not cost you much to build, but will give your plants an excellent chance to survive a cold winter. A well constructed cold-frame can keep internal temps as much as 25 degrees warmer than outside. Don’t forget a thermometer! A $3 plastic thermometer is an excellent way to keep tabs on the interior temperature. On very warm days, you’ll need to life the lid a little so the plants don’t cook or burn.
There are so many benefits to growing vegetables in the winter. Obviously, it’s wonderful to have fresh spinach, carrots, and lettuce in January. But also consider that many root and leafy veggies get sweeter as the temps drop. They convert their stored carbohydrates to sugar to fuel themselves against the cold, thus making everything a little sweeter! Here is a link to my fav carrots – so many pretty colors!
Instead of packing up your garden tools and winterizing your raised beds in October, maybe try year round gardening this year? When you are eating that fresh salad with herbs and carrots in February, don’t forget to thank me!