The Basics of Winter Vegetable Gardening

By Pauline Go

When it comes to winter vegetable gardening, remember that it involves more harvesting than growing. Basically you should be looking to grow vegetables in late summer so that you can harvest them in winter. Make sure that you protect the vegetables from the cold and do not water them. The water in the plant cells freezes during winter and ends up killing the plants. That is why stop watering your plants the moment the first frost falls.

However, the vegetables that you can harvest in winter should be hardy ones. That is why you should be looking to harvest kohlrabi, broccoli or cabbage. Vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and squash cannot grow in winter as they are summer vegetables.

Some hardy vegetables that can tolerate cold are leek, kale and vit, which is a salad green. Asian greens like Bok Choy can also tolerate the cold well. Other vegetables that can tolerate cold are lettuce, radishes, turnips, peas, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. In fact, lettuce can survive even at temperatures below freezing point.

When thinking about winter vegetable gardening, make sure that you protect your vegetables. What you require are row covers, unheated greenhouses, cloches and garden tunnels. Of course, if the winter is mild, you do not need them. However, if the winter is particularly severe, just double the covering. You can also use a cold frame with an extra plastic covering. But if you ware looking to work in your vegetable garden, you should opt for a greenhouse or hoop house.

The plastic covers that you use will not only protect the plants from the winter winds but will also help to capture sunlight to heat the area. Raised beds are not ideal for winter vegetable gardening as the heat from the beds will dissipate very easily and quickly into the surroundings.

Your aim in winter gardening should be to capture the natural heat from the ground and keep it trapped around the growing area using layers of clear plastic. That is why root vegetables or those that grow close to the ground are ideal vegetables to grow in winter.

About Author:
Pauline Go is an online leading expert in the gardening. She also offers top quality articles like:
Weeds in Flower Garden, Growing Organic Vegetables

For more information on Winter Vegetable Gardening, see www.bestguidetogardening.com.