Having vegetables year-round is something Southerners like me take for granted. However, we do occasionally get a colder-than-average winter. When it happens, it is necessary to make adjustments as to what we plant in the garden.
Here are the 14 vegetables that I recommend giving a try in the winter or during colder weather. I’ll also provide a planting schedule to help get you on the right track.
1. Broccoli
Broccoli is an edible green vegetable that is a member of the cabbage family. It has a large flowering head, a stalk, and small leaves, all of which can be eaten. Each plant generally produces one large head, but if the plant is left intact after the head is harvested, the plant will continue producing smaller broccoli heads that are equally tasty.
Growing Conditions: Broccoli needs full sun and well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0 for maximum growth, and the young broccoli plants need 1 to 2 inches of water per week.
Seeds Or Seedlings: Broccoli can be grown from seeds or seedlings, and plants should be spaced 18 to 24 inches apart.
Growing Season: Even though broccoli is a cool-season crop, it can be planted in early spring for a late spring or early summer harvest and can also be planted in late summer for a fall harvest.
- For spring planting, there is a heat-resistant variety that matures 50 to 60 days from planting.
- Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost date.
- Sow seeds outdoors 2-3 weeks before the last frost date.
- For fall planting, a variety with a longer growth cycle of 60 to 85 days will allow the heads to form in cooler weather, which will significantly improve the flavor.
- Sow seeds in the fall 85-100 days before the first frost date.
Harvesting: Broccoli that is harvested in the morning while the soil is still cool has a better flavor than that harvested later in the day. Simply use a knife or scissors to remove the stalk, but leave 2 to 3 inches of the stalk on the main plant. The smaller heads will continue to grow after the main head has been harvested.
Serving Options: Broccoli can be served raw as part of a salad or with dips, or it can be boiled, sauteed, roasted, or steamed. It is best when cooked just to the fork-tender stage and not overcooked. If overcooked, it becomes mushy and loses its flavor.
Broccoli Storage
- Broccoli begins to age rapidly once harvested and can only be kept unrefrigerated for 1 to 2 days. The head begins to turn yellow within about 2 days.
- It will last 5 to 6 days if refrigerated.
- Broccoli can also be blanched and frozen for long-term use.
- Canning, however, is not an option when it comes to broccoli because heating the broccoli to the high temperature required to kill the bacteria would reduce broccoli to a tasteless mush.
2. Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts are an edible green vegetable that is a member of the cabbage family. In fact, the Brussels sprout looks like a tiny version of the cabbage but with a flavor that is stronger than cabbage. The Brussels sprout is an interesting little vegetable that grows along a common stem or stalk, with a sprout growing just above the juncture called the axil, where each leaf grows from the stem.
The picture above is growing in a raised bed in my garden and is one of two plants that were my first experience with growing Brussels sprouts and are the first Brussels sprout plants that I have ever seen. These plants were a surprise and a definite learning experience for me.
Growing Conditions: Brussels Sprouts need full sun and rich, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0 for maximum growth, and the young plants should be watered thoroughly once a week with at least 1 inch of water.
Seeds Or Seedlings: Brussels sprouts can be grown from seeds or seedlings, and plants should be spaced 18 inches apart.
Growing Season: Even though Brussels sprouts are a winter crop, they can also be planted in the early spring. However, the heads mature much better when the weather is cool and even frosty. Brussels sprouts have a long growing season taking 80 to 100 days from seed to maturity.
Harvesting: Harvesting Brussels sprouts is an interesting process. The heads grow all along the main stem from bottom to top.
- When the largest sprouts are an inch in diameter, cut off one or two inches from the top of the stem, which will encourage the sprouts at the top to grow larger.
- Once the outside temperatures are down into the 20s, cut the stems off at ground level and either hang the stems or stack them in a cool, dry area.
- You can harvest the sprouts as you need them over the next few weeks. Or, you can remove all the sprouts from the stem at once and store them in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.
Serving Options: Brussels sprouts can be boiled, sauteed, roasted, or steamed and served on their own as a side dish, or they can be added to soups or stews. It is best when cooked just to the fork-tender stage and not overcooked since Brussels sprouts become mushy when cooked too long. I like to add a few of the fresh sprouts to beef stew within the last 20 minutes or so of its cooking time for an added zip to an otherwise standard beef stew recipe.
Brussels Sprouts Storage
- Brussels sprouts can be kept on the stem for several weeks.
- They can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
- They can also be blanched and frozen for up to 6 months. If spread on a baking sheet to freeze individually, they can be placed in a freezer bag or other freezer-safe container and removed for use in whatever quantity you need at a time.
- Brussels sprouts can be pickled for long-term storage.
3. Cabbage
Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable that is a member of the same family as kale and broccoli. It is chock full of nutrients and is very low in calories at 17 per half cup of cooked cabbage. Some varieties have smooth leaves, while others have a crinkled texture, and they range in color from green to red to purple. There are many varieties of cabbages, and they can grow almost anywhere and thrive in USDA growing zones 1 through 10, depending on the variety.
Growing Conditions: Cabbage needs full sun and well-drained soil with a pH of 6.5 to 6.8 for maximum growth, and the cabbage plants require regular, even watering.
Seeds Or Seedlings: Cabbage can be grown from seeds or seedlings, and plants should be spaced 18 to 24 inches apart to allow each head plenty of room for growth.
Growing Season: Even though cabbage is a cool-season crop, it can be planted in early spring for a late spring or early summer harvest and can also be planted in late summer for a fall harvest. Cabbage, when grown from seeds, mature in 80 to 180 days, depending on the variety; when grown from transplants, they mature in 65 to 105 days, again depending on the variety.
Harvesting: Cabbage should be harvested by using a sharp knife to remove the cabbage below the head, but by leaving most of the outer leaves, the plant will produce between 2 and 6 small heads for a tasty 2nd crop after the main head has been harvested.
Serving Options: Cabbage is another versatile vegetable that can be served raw as part of a salad or made into slaw, or it can be boiled, sauteed, roasted, or steamed. It can be added to soups and stews, and the leaves can be boiled and stuffed, and my favorite is to use it as an ingredient in a stir fry.
Cabbage Storage
- Cabbage can be stored in a cool, dry area with conditions similar to a root cellar or unheated basement for months, as long as they are intact and have not been cut into. Even after the outer leaves turn dark and look moldy, just remove the outer leaves, and part of the inner head will still be good.
- Cabbage, when stored unwashed in a plastic vegetable bag in the refrigerator, will last up to 2 months.
- Cabbage can be blanched and stored in the freezer for up to 1 year and even longer but the quality will begin to degrade over time.
- Cabbages can also be pickled and made into sauerkraut and can be pressure canned for long-term storage.
4. Collard Greens
Collard greens are an edible green vegetable that is a member of the cabbage family. It can be identified by its large dark green leaves and thick, tough stems, which are discarded before cooking unless the leaves are harvested when they are young and tender. Collards are especially rich in vitamins A and C and are quite high in vitamin K, fiber, calcium, and iron.
A few years back, in my raised bed garden in Central Florida, I planted collards from seedlings in October, and they kept making until the following July. They were between 4 and 5 feet tall and had to be supported by a trellis. Once or twice a week, I would pick about 15 leaves and cook them, put a pint freezer box of them in the freezer, and we would eat the rest. We ate them boiled, stir-fried, in salads, as slaw, and in many pots of soup. Plus, I gave away all the neighbors would take. I’ve never seen collards grow like that before.
Growing Conditions: Collard green plants need full sun and well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0 for maximum growth and must have an adequate water supply.
Seeds Or Seedlings: Collard greens can be grown from seeds or seedlings, and plants should be spaced 18 to 24 inches apart. If started from seeds, plant the seeds in rows 3 feet apart and thin to 18 inches apart to give plants the space they need to grow properly. The small plants that are being pulled when thinning can be added to salads or cooked if there is a sufficient amount of them.
Growing Season: Even though collards are a cool-season crop, it can be grown almost year-round as long as the weather doesn’t get too hot because hot weather causes collards to bolt or “go to seed,” at which time the plants are still edible but can have a bitter taste. They have the best flavor after they have been through a light frost. Collards mature 60 to 75 days from planting.
Harvesting: Collard greens can be harvested as soon as the leaves are large enough. The largest leaves can simply be cut or snapped off from the bottom of the stalk, and the plants will continue to produce new leaves.
Serving Options: Collard greens are delicious when boiled alone as a side dish or cooked with bacon or ham hocks as a seasoning. They are also good when added to soups and stews, stir-fried, made into slaw, or added to salad greens.
Collar Greens Storage
- Collard green leaves can be stored unwashed in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
- They can be blanched and stored in the freezer for at least 1 to 2 years.
- Collards can be pressure canned for long-term storage.
5. Kale
Kale is one of those green, leafy vegetables that are grown for their leaves. It is a member of the cruciferous family that also includes mustard. Kale, like all of the vegetables known as greens, are loaded with nutrients that provide health benefits for the entire body.
Growing Conditions: Kale grows best in areas that have the benefit of full sun in well-drained soil with a pH of 6.5 to 6.8. When growing kale, the best conditions include providing them 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week.
Seeds Or Seedlings: Kale can be planted from seeds or from seedlings and can be planted in rows that are 18 to 24 inches wide with plants spaced 18 to 24 inches apart. It can also be planted by broadcasting seeds, and the young plants thinned as it is harvested.
Growing Season: Plant kale in the spring, and it will grow until the weather becomes too hot. Kale planted in the fall can be harvested into the winter until the weather reaches 20℉. Kale seeds germinate in a matter of days and will be ready