While fall may seem like the time to begin winding down in the garden, there are still crops that you can plant now for a spring harvest! These 10 fall vegetables to plant for a spring harvest are perfect for a hands off winter garden.
What is overwintering?
Overwintering plants pertains to plants that can survive cold harsh winter weather. You plant them in late summer and fall before the cold weather sets in. This gives them time to get established.
The garden growth slows down during the winter because the daylight hours are shorter and/or the soil temperatures are much lower. Once your daylight hours drop below ten hours a day, growth slows down dramatically. For most crops, they come to an almost standstill.
Colder soil temperatures slow the growth of a plant in many ways. Plants can not absorb water as well, seeds have a much harder time germinating and they have a harder time absorbing nutrients.
You want your crops to be fairly mature before temperatures drop. Because of this, you need to plant in the fall, allowing for about six weeks of growth before your first frost.
10 Fall vegetables to plant for a spring harvest
There are several crops that can survive very cold temperatures. While some of these crops will vary based on where you live, these veggies will generally grow slowly through the winter for you to enjoy abundantly come spring. Some of them you can even harvest throughout the winter.
1. Kale
Kale is a very cold hardy green Many varieties can handle a few degrees below 0 with no problems. Not only that, but kale gets sweeter in the cold weather! This is because the plant concentrates it’s sugars as a means of survival in cold weather. This goes for other greens and root veggies too!
2. Brussel Sprouts
Brussel sprouts are one of my favorites and the one crop I have not successfully overwintered. Not because they couldn’t handle the cold, but because I haven’t given them the care they really need in the winter.
Any light or heavy frost we have had here has yet to damage my brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts can handle temps down to 20 degrees. My problem has been some sort of rot on the plants that I haven’t quite figured out. However, I am not giving up and I’m giving brussel sprouts another go this fall in hopes of a good harvest this next spring!
3. Garlic
Garlic might just be my favorite crop to plant in the fall. They take up very little space and can handle whatever weather we get here with our mild winters. Come spring their growth takes off and I get to enjoy fresh garlic bulbs for months!
Garlic is very cold hardy as well. It can handle up to 30 degrees below zero. Although I live in a mild climate, I would assume you need to heavily mulch garlic for the winter in colder growing zones. I add about 2-3 inches of mulch such as hay or leaves and then walk away. I don’t have to think about them much until springtime after I get them established.
4. Carrots
Carrots are probably my kids’ favorite crop in the garden. Come spring, they love to come and pull up fresh carrots. My oldest enjoys eating them right there in the garden. If you have kiddos, I highly suggest letting them help plant and grow carrots. You can even find fun red, yellow and purple varieties for them to grow. There’s not much as satisfying as the pop you feel pulling a fresh carrot out of the ground.
Carrots love cold weather too. Once they get some root growth, they can handle temps as low as 20 degrees. I usually plant carrots from the middle of September through the middle of October and harvest sometime in March-April. While they may take awhile to grow this way, I don’t have to do much to maintain them other than making sure the are getting enough water.
5. Beets
One of my biggest gardening fails happened a couple of years ago when I thought I was growing beets. Turns out I was actually growing rutabagas and didn’t realize until I had harvested them. You’d think I had learned my lesson about not labeling when I plant, but I haven’t. Oops!
I have recently fallen in love with golden beets. Fermented golden beets have turned out to be a treat! Beets make an excellent crop to sow in the fall because not only do you get to eat the root, but you can harvest the greens throughout the winter as well! If your temps are not too hot or cold, you can actually leave beets in the ground throughout the winter, even when full grown to harvest as you want them.
6. Spinach
Just like with kale, spinach gets so much sweeter in the winter. Spinach is also a great crop to plant if you don’t have a lot of space. It’s nutritionally dense and you can harvest throughout the winter. You can get more production from your spinach this way since it bolts really easy from heat.
7. Turnips
Turnip greens and roots are both sweeter in the fall and winter. Turnips and their greens were a staple for my family growing up. While it’s probably cultural here in the South, it was also a crop that was easy to grow and my Papaw always had it in the garden.
While turnips aren’t super cold hardy, they can still handle temps down to about 25 degrees. We have had no problems keeping them alive by simply throwing a light cover on during light freezes.
8. Asparagus
I have only planted asparagus in the spring, but if it gets established before the winter, asparagus is very cold hardy. The roots that is. Asparagus spears will likely be damaged during a frost, but if the plant was given a few weeks to get established and mulched, you can get a beautiful crop come spring and it’s a perennial!
9. Cabbage
I have yet to have my cabbage damaged during the winter. While the heads stay small all winter, come spring they grow fairly quickly and I have plenty to make all of the sauerkraut I want. While it may not overwinter in all climates, it does great here in zone 8b. Typically cabbage can handle a moderate frost, or a few degrees below 32 fahrenheit.
10. Lettuce
While this differs based on zone and variety, lettuce can be grown through the winter with some protection. One idea is to place a clear plastic tub on top of your lettuce as a sort of mini greenhouse. You can harvest it all winter long if your climate is mild enough.
How to protect plants through the winter weather
There are many products on the market today that make protecting your plants in the winter easy. However, there are low cost, frugal solutions as well.
- The first solution if you live in a milder climate would be frost cloth. This is fairly inexpensive and can be draped over entire rows when you know a frost is coming. An even cheaper solution would be to use old sheets instead. Place the cloth or sheets over your plants in the evening, and once the temperature has risen the next morning, it can be removed.
- For those living in colder climates, you don’t necessarily need a green house or heated high tunnel. Cold frames are great solutions for small areas. They heat up like a green house to keep your plants warm.
- Mulch! Mulch is just as important in the winter as it is in the spring. Soil does not like to be bare, but mulch can also keep root veggies safe from freezing. You can see below that we are covering all of our soil with thick layer of hay this winter to protect it and the plants.
I am so thankful for the rest that God gives us in the winter. It’s such a contrast from the super busy seasons of spring and summer. But your garden doesn’t have to fully rest during the winter like you do. Try growing a few of these crops to eat on throughout the winter and to enjoy a beautiful harvest come spring. If you would like tips on how to start a garden from seed, check out this post here!
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