Most Popular Cold Weather Plants
There are many plants that can thrive in cold weather. Many inexperienced gardeners leave their gardens untouched throughout the colder months, focusing entirely on the warmer seasons when it’s pleasant to be outdoors. Furthermore, growing in the winter has the advantage of keeping your soil fertile for the spring. Generally, root vegetables and leafy plants can be harvested through the cold months; in what follows, you’ll find out more about the specific plants you should focus on in your cold weather garden.
Broccoli is not only one of the healthiest vegetables you can grow, but it is further one of the most frost resistant. You can plant it about one month before the last expected spring frost. Try to keep as many leaves on the crop as you can, because it will increase your yield as the season goes on. Broccoli is high in Vitamin C and fiber, and also contains multiple compounds that can help fight cancer. Most varieties of cabbage can be used in cold weather too. You want to focus on so-called “early cabbages,” which can be planted for harvesting in the spring. You can also add a bit of color to your cold weather garden by planting red cabbage varieties, some of which resist cold successfully. Carrots make for a potent (and tasty!) spring harvest as well. Most carrot varieties increase in sweetness when harvested in colder months, and they also won’t have the long roots you likely associate with carrots. You’ll want to cover the roots with mulch to prevent freezing. While some varieties are more weather-resistant than others, Swiss chard makes for an amazing addition to any cold weather garden. The leaves taste something like spinach and come in a variety of colors, including purple, pink, orange, gold, red and white. They’re also a great source of Vitamin A, C and K!
