Vegetables To Grow in The Winter
Introduction
Unlike popular opinion, winter is a great season for growing vegetables. However, it needs organization, and careful planning so that you can sow early benefits during the frosty season. To get the most out of your crops, you need good quality soil that you can get by searching “topsoil near me”. With that out of the way let’s check out some vegetables to grow in the winter:
The Vegetables
- Garlic – Garlic is a fundamental aromatic that is used for many dishes from various cuisines. You’d be glad to know that growing it is very easy and you can choose from plenty of varieties according to your climate and soil condition. Another great thing about garlic is its long growing season that lets you harvest the crop during the summer season. If you want to use garlic in most of your dishes, you should go with “Wight Cristo”. On the other hand, if you love to bake, you better stick with the “Chesnok Red” variety that gives off a wonderful aroma after coming out of the oven.
- Onions and Shallots – Onions are some of the best plants to sow during the fall season. They also have a long growing season like garlic and are virtually maintenance-free during the winter. You can harvest them next summer. While they grow themselves during the winter, you do need to plan out for the long-growing season since they will still be under the ground when you’re going to plant spring crops. Moreover, you get to choose from a lot of varieties. If you want a potent kick and pungency instead of the familiar sweetness, you should grow varieties of red onion instead of yellow onions.
- Spring Onions – They are often used in Asian cuisines and can also be added to some of the best salads. Since they grow fairly quickly, you can harvest the autumn-sown crops during early spring. Moreover, you can get all sorts of flavors from the different varieties of this crop. They can be sweet and mild or have a very strong flavor.
- Broccoli – Broccoli is just the right crop for the winter season. It is very sensitive to heat and hence can’t be grown in warm climates. On the other hand, it can resist light freezing as well as frosts during the harsh winter. The crop isn’t just good for you but can also be categorized as a superfood. Apart from its high protein and fiber content, broccoli also gives you a lot of essential minerals like calcium, potassium, iron, and magnesium. The crop is also hassle-free and gives you harvests in cycles. Don’t allow it to flower and harvest the central head once it has grown to a substantial size. Leave the outshoots and fertilize the soil so that you can get multiple harvests from the same plant.
- Beets – Beets are another cool-weather crop that thrives within the range of 50 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure that you sow the seeds at least a couple of weeks before the last frost during the spring season. After that, you should keep planting new seeds every 3 weeks till the temperature rises to around 80 degrees so that you can harvest them in succession. They are a super crop that has swollen roots and comes in all sorts of colorful varieties from red and orange to yellow and white. Apart from the swollen roots, the leaves are also edible. You can even plant them in the late summer season since they are bi-annual plants.
- Spinach – Spinach is another wonderful leafy green that’s perfect for growing during the winter season. It yields lush leafy and tasty greens that can be used in salads, made into a puree, and can also be incorporated in all sorts of dishes. Sow them in early autumn in batches every week so that you have a perpetual supply of the tasty crop during the harvest season. However, make sure to remove the flowers.
- Broad Beans – Plant broad beans during the autumn season and you can harvest them in the spring, long before you need to harvest the spring crops. They are hardy crops that are easy to grow and absolutely delicious. Make sure that you plant them in well-drained soil as early as November so that you can harvest them as early as May. If you live in a frigid climate, you need to protect the crops with some form of temperature protection. Cloche and fleece are good materials for trapping heat and can be easily cut into shape to cover the crops.
- Asparagus – If you have a lot of spare space in your garden, consider planting a permanent bed of asparagus. Choose an autumn variety like pacific Purple or Mondeo and they will thrive through harsh conditions. While you need to invest several years in establishing an asparagus bed, once it’s done, you’ll get an unlimited reward. Each crown of asparagus will produce as many as 25 spears every year and coincidentally, you’ll keep harvesting those spears for as many as 25 years. However, you need to keep two years of patience before the first harvest.
- Pak Choi – It’s an interesting crop that doesn’t grow during the frosty season but allows for perpetual winter harvest. You can either pick the leaves to add to salads or allow the crop to ripen and mature so that you can get those juicy succulent stems. You can add those stems to soups, stir-fries, and even pickle them along with the leaves. Having pak choi in your diet is great since it provides you tons of vitamins and is full of folic acid, iron, and calcium.
Conclusion
With this comprehensive list of winter vegetables, you are all set to prepare during the fall season. If you’re smart with your garden, you can grow a lot of delicious homegrown vegetables, reduce the grocery bill and also reduce your carbon footprint. If you need to change the composition of your garden soil, then you can search for “topsoil near me”.