I’m preparing for a fall & winter garden our the homestead. So, I’ve compiled a list of 20 plants. This should work in most zones but you’ll want to check yours’ to be sure. I live in zone 5 where we have 4 seasons. I will be planting according to the Farmer’s Almanac gardening calendar.
Fall plants:
- Spinach – prefers cooler temps of fall and winter. They can handle some light frost. A tip for planting spinach is to put the seeds in the refrigerator 2 weeks before planting to get them accustomed to the cooler weather. Don’t be surprised if seeds that don’t germinate in fall come up in spring. How cool is that?
- Other Leafy plants – such as kale, lettuce, collards, swiss chard and cabbage. Leafy vegetables enjoy the cooler fall temperatures.
- Mustard Greens – they tolerate light frost, which makes them sweeter. They grow fast and produce many leaves for harvest. Consider planting a few weeks apart for a longer harvest.
- Garlic – plant garlic bulbs in Oct-Nov, just after the first frost. Since I live in a snow region I will cover them with mulch or hay to protect them from the elements. The tops will peek out of the soil in the spring. Cut off any flower shoots. These may decrease bulb size. Harvest when the tops begin to yellow and die off.
- Root crops – such as carrots, turnips, and potatoes. Plant before the first frost. The plants will grow slowly over the winter. Make sure to deep mulch. They can be harvested in Feb or March, depends on your zone.
- Beets & Radish – grows quickly and can survive frost. Harvest before ground freezes.
- Broccoli – thrive in cooler temps and will last until Thanksgiving or Christmas. They will survive many hard frosts. They do not like a temp over 70 degrees.
- Brussel Sprouts – can survive freezing temps and even snow. Frost actually improves the flavor.
- Parsnips – thrive in cooler weather. Harvest after a hard frost. They can be left in the ground thru the winter under a deep mulch. Harvest in spring after the ground thaws.
- Peas – they are half-hardy and will tolerate a light frost.
- Green Beans – can be damaged by frost. Deep mulching can help. Most people agree that fall grown flavor exceeds spring plants.
- Onions – these are typically planted in January, 10 weeks before last frost. If you live in a zone that doesn’t get frost, you can plant in fall for a winter harvest. I generally plant onion sets. Sets don’t take as long to germinate.
- Broccoli – purple or italian can be planted in winter for a spring harvest.
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