Growing a Fall and Winter Vegetable Garden

As the season’s first frost date approaches, most gardeners are busy harvesting the last of their summer tomatoes and squashes. But cool winter doesn’t have to mean the end of the vegetable growing season‚Äîin fact, there are many hardy vegetable plants whose flavor is actually enhanced by cold temperatures. These fall and winter vegetables are easy to grow and will help you make the most of your vegetable garden while you wait for spring.

Lettuce

Lettuce will turn bitter and go to seed in the heat of the summer, making fall and winter the perfect times to grow this salad bowl filler. Try loose-leaf types like ‘Black-seeded Simpson,’ ‘Oak Leaf’ or, for some extra color, ‘Merlot’ lettuce, which grows to a deep purple. Lettuces are fast growers, and mature in just 45-65 days depending on the variety.

Radishes

Radishes mature quickly, some in just 24 days, and add a crunchy contrast to fresh salads. Try growing the well-known variety ‘Sparkler,’ or the gourmet type ‘French Breakfast,’ which is milder and has a more cylindrical root. Adventurous gardeners may want to make space for growing the daikon radish, a radish originating in East Asia. These pure white radishes are much larger than regular radishes, and resemble a carrot in size and shape. They are more resistant to cold weather, and take from 70-120 days to mature.

Root Vegetables

Beets, turnips, rutabagas, and carrots are all root vegetables that can be grown in the fall. There are many kinds of beets to choose from, including deep red, yellow, white, and the bulls-eye patterned ‘Chioggia’ beet with alternating red and white rings. Beets mature in 60-70 days, and are noticeably sweeter when harvested after the first frost. Turnips are a wonderfully versatile plant for the fall garden, as both the leaves and the roots are edible. ‘Purple Top White Globe’ is the most popular variety to grow for roots, while ‘Seven Top’ is a better choice for greens, as its root is very fibrous. Turnip greens can be harvested in as little as 40 days, while roots may need up to 65. Rutabagas are a type of Swedish turnip with yellow flesh and a mild flavor that are good boiled, baked, mashed, or roasted and take up to 90 days to reach maturity.

Carrots are another vegetable perfect for that extra space in your fall garden. Choose from varieties in a rainbow of colors including red, orange, yellow, white or even purple. Carrots mature between 60 and 70 days, but can be left in the ground all winter and harvested as needed if loosely mulched with straw.

Leafy Greens

Many traditional Southern dishes rely on greens like collards, mustards, and turnips, which grow well in the cooler months of fall and winter and can withstand light frost. Kale and cabbage are similar vegetables, which, like the other ‘leafy greens,’ actually get sweeter as the weather gets colder. These vegetables are ready to harvest in 45-80 days depending on the variety, and are a great source of vitamins and minerals during the fall and winter months when fresh vegetables are scarce.

A Tip on Growing Winter Vegetables in Northern Climates

Most of the vegetable varieties listed here won’t need extra protection in milder climates, but vegetable gardens in the north may need extra protection from the cold. Low tunnels, hoop houses, or cold frames can all be used to keep your vegetable plants productive through the winter.

This year, don’t let your garden sit empty until spring. Make use of it by growing some of these vegetables and have an abundant harvest of fresh, healthy food throughout the colder months.

Resources

University of Illinois Urban Extension: Lettuce

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

Territorial Seed Company