Vegetables
Planting & growing broccoli: it's that easy
What, you can also garden in winter? It's hard to believe, but you can also plant and harvest vegetables during the cold season. Especially if you want to be self-sufficient, it's a good idea to use the winter to grow your own vegetables. In this article, you can find out which varieties you can grow and what you need to consider in the open field, on the balcony or in raised beds in winter.
There are various ways to grow your own vegetables in winter. Below we show you how winter vegetable growing can work.
Protected cultivation means that you want to "protect" your crops from environmental influences such as the cold. You can do this with foil tunnels, fleece or in a greenhouse, for example. This allows you to extend the harvest season so that you can still harvest in winter. In Central Europe, crops such as tomatoes are produced almost exclusively in protected cultivation. The risk of disease would be far too great outdoors, so they are grown in greenhouses all year round. You can find out how to winterize your greenhouse and a planting plan for the greenhouse in winter in this article.
A few crops can also be grown outdoors in winter. Some frost-hardy varieties can withstand the cold or only become tasty at low temperatures. This is mainly due to the starch in the plants, which is converted into sugar by the cold. Outdoors, you can also protect your plants with a layer of mulch. Cabbages, root vegetables and winter lettuces are well-known representatives of winter vegetables. You can find out which varieties are suitable for outdoor cultivation in winter below.
You can simply leave some vegetables in the field, even though it is already getting cold. This does not harm these vegetables, but keeps them nice and fresh throughout the winter. This allows your garden to provide you with important vitamins and nutrients even in the cold.
Some hardy vegetables need enough time to grow large enough to cope with the first frosts. These slow-growing varieties include many varieties of cabbage such as Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage and savoy cabbage. Root vegetables such as Jerusalem artichokes, beet, parsnips and salsify also need sufficient time (approx. 100 days) to grow. Medium-fast vegetables include butter cabbage, Chinese cabbage, kale and sugar loaf. They need an average of 55 - 70 days to develop. Fast vegetables, on the other hand, only need an average of 40 - 50 days until they are big enough to withstand the first frosts. These include spinach, lamb's lettuce, winter purslane, winter cress and swiss chard. You can still sow these in September, some even until October.
When we are still totally focused on sun, tomatoes and peppers in summer, we start planning for winter vegetables. Winter vegetables are therefore sown directly into the bed between July and September or grown in advance, as the plants need some time to grow big enough to survive the cold winter. The growth phase therefore mainly takes place in the months before winter sets in, as the lack of light in winter means that the plants stop growing or grow very little. Some plants even stop growing as soon as the first frosts start and then continue growing in spring. However, if they are planted in the late fall of the previous year, they have a head start over plants sown in the spring and can be harvested very early. This is the case with some field bean varieties, for example. Winter onions or garlic can also be sown late in the year and harvested accordingly early in the year. You can find an overview of the best times for sowing, planting and harvesting winter vegetables in our downloadable PDF.
There are numerous crops that you can also grow in winter in a protected greenhouse. Crops that are not frost-resistant can also be grown here. In contrast, you should only plant crops outdoors that are hardy and frost-resistant. Leeks, for example, are a crop that you can leave in the field throughout the winter, provided you choose a hardy variety. The onion crop copes well with frost and can be kept in the field for a long time. However, leeks are sown in April/May so that they can develop throughout the summer. We list below which other plants grow well outdoors.
Winter lettuces are a great way to harvest fresh lettuce from your garden over the cold months. Winter purslane or lamb's lettuce, for example, are suitable for this. It is often mistakenly assumed that the plants can withstand frost better when fully grown, but it has been scientifically proven that lettuce can cope better with frost when young than when fully grown. You can find more information about growing lettuce in winter, including varieties and sowing tips, in this article.
For cabbage vegetables, varieties that do not form a dense rosette, e.g. pak choi or leafy chinese cabbage, are particularly suitable. The better the leaves are aerated, the less moisture can accumulate there, which then freezes. One of the most cold-resistant varieties is kale, which is available in many different varieties. Perennial cabbage, also known as tree kale, is also particularly stable, even for several years. Brussels sprouts, which are grown in the fall, can also survive the winter well if they are covered a little. A special variety of broccoli, which is unfortunately rarely found in local markets, is sprouting broccoli - one more reason to grow it in your own garden, as it can withstand temperatures as low as -12 ° C/ -54 ° F and is therefore a perfect winter vegetable. You can find more growing tips on planting, caring for and harvesting cabbage in this article.
When growing root vegetables, varieties that are designed for the fall and also have a short cultivation period are particularly suitable. Beetroot is more cold-tolerant than carrots, but these can also be harvested in an unheated greenhouse into the winter. However, the most frost-hardy root varieties are parsnips and root parsley, which is also due to the fact that they are native to Central Europe. Below you will find examples of root vegetables that can overwinter and be grown in the field.
If you want to grow winter vegetables on your balcony, you should insulate your pots and containers really well. These cool down much faster than the garden soil, which is why even the hardiest winter vegetables often succumb. Even if the plant can cope with the frost on its own, it cannot absorb frozen soil water. As a result, it will eventually die of thirst during prolonged frosts. You can use polystyrene sheets around your pots as insulation material or place them in jute bags filled with leaves. Coconut mats also work well as protection against the cold. Cover the soil in the container with fleece or brushwood. It is best to place your pots close to the wall of the house, as it is much more sheltered and warmer there in winter than on the balustrade of the balcony.
For inspiration, you will find mixed cultivation bed plans from experienced gardeners such as Wolfgang Palme, Charles Dowding and Patrick Kaiser.
In summer, raised beds have the advantage that they warm up much faster than normal soil due to their elevated position, but they also cool down more quickly in the fall. That's why you should also provide adequate protection against the cold here:
It's not just the raised bed that needs to be prepared for winter. There are also a few things to do in the garden before the cold months set in. You can find out how to winterize your garden in this article.
I hope you now have a good overview of growing winter vegetables. I wish you lots of successful harvests in the cold winter months too! If you have any questions or comments, please write to us at [email protected].
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Isabell studies agricultural sciences and loves to be surprised by nature and its complexity again and again. Herbs - whether gathered wild or in the garden - are her passion.
Learn moreIn a heated greenhouse, you can actually grow all crops in winter. In the open, you can only plant frost-hardy crops. These include, for example, stem cabbage, chard, winter lettuce, cabbage and some root vegetables such as parsnip and salsify.
Which vegetables can you plant in the fall?
In the fall, you can sow and plant winter cress, chard, garlic, winter onions, field beans, many cabbages and spinach, for example. These crops can also be left in the field and harvested over the winter.
What should I bear in mind when growing winter vegetables on the balcony?
When growing vegetables in pots, it is important to insulate the pots well in winter and place them in a sheltered location. This is because the soil freezes more quickly in pots, causing frost damage to the plants. Even the most frost-hardy plants will die.
Is it possible to grow vegetables in raised beds in winter?
You can grow vegetables in raised beds in winter, but you should also ensure that they are well insulated. The best way to do this is to wrap the bed in fleece, for example, and add a layer of mulch.