Growing Vegetables in Winter
Last updated September 7, 2023
Your vegetable garden doesn’t have to shut down in cold weather. There are many tasty vegetables and herbs that you can grow in cold climates with the right equipment.
Some vegetables from the late summer and fall garden will thrive for weeks after the first hard frost — you just have to know which to plant. Look to the sturdy vegetables called cole crops to last past frost in your garden. Cole crops include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale and kohlrabi. In many cases, when you harvest these vegetables after a frost, these crops will taste sweeter because the frost converts starches to sugars.
For winter crops, start seeds and seedlings in late summer. The vegetables started in warm soil will grow faster and become sweet and tender as the weather cools. The formula for success includes fertilizing the bed, mulching to maintain moisture, and protecting plants from pests.
Table of Contents
Plant Broccoli, Cabbage or Kale
Protect Your Garden from Pests
Protect Your Winter Garden from Weather
Plant Broccoli, Cabbage or Kale
Cole crops like broccoli, cabbage and kale can be easily grown in a winter garden. Before planting, check your area's hardiness zone and dates of first frost in autumn. Choose varieties that will thrive in your area and plant early enough so that plants are mature by the first frost.
How to plant broccoli, cabbage or kale:
- Prepare the garden bed by removing old plants and weeds.
- Loosen the soil with a spading fork.
- Mix in a slow release organic fertilizer. Follow directions for how much to apply.
- Dig holes 6 inches deep, 6 inches wide and 18 inches apart.
- Sprinkle 3 inches of compost in the bottom of each hole.
- Water seedlings before removing from containers.
- Plant seedlings, setting them slightly deeper than they grew in the container. Firmly press the plants into place.
- Water thoroughly.
- Mulch with organic material.
Tip: Caterpillars love cabbage. Treat veggies every 10 days with an organic pesticide like Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) to prevent damage.
Protect Your Garden from Pests
One of the challenges of growing a winter garden is pest management. In the early season, use organic pesticides like Bt or neem oil to treat for caterpillars and other pests that love winter vegetables.
Floating row covers and cold frames have the added benefit of protecting your plants from foraging deer as well.
Protect Your Winter Garden from Weather
Edibles like salad greens, broccoli and potatoes will keep their good looks and flavors longer if properly protected. Row covers and cold frames add more than a month to the fall growing season by taming the wind and reducing frost damage.
Row covers allow air, water and light to pass through. They’re also easy to install, provide excellent coverage and dry quickly. Plus, hungry deer and other pests seldom bother veggies hidden from view under row covers or in cold frames.
Cold frames work like mini greenhouses. You can use cold frames to extend the "shoulders" of the season in fall and spring, or you can keep the cold frame throughout the winter to protect tender plants.
Whether you need the right planters, seeds or potting soil, The Home Depot delivers online orders when and where you need them.
