Winter Garden: Cold Hardy Winter Vegetables

Each January and February, through our frigid Chicago winters, my only real plan is to sit by the space heater. Until recently, when I saw a photograph of a snow covered cold frame filled with healthy green vegetables inside. I figured they must be in a more temperate zone and went on with business until I started waking up from dreams of harvesting carrots (this is true). So I began to research winter vegetables to find out just how cold tolerant they are. I figured, with a little ingenuity, it might be possible to grow winter vegetables in our sub zero climate. Vegetable seeds are cheap so I began another experiment.

Here’s the research. This has yet to be tested, but by spring I should know just how far you can go in a zone 5 winter garden.

Winter Garden Vegetables Chart

Cold Hardy Vegetables Light Frost Tolerant (26-31 degrees) Plant in garden 2 to 4 weeks BEFORE last frost Beets Carrot Cabbage Cauliflower Celery Chard Endive Lettuce Mustard Greens Onion Parsnip Peas Potato Swiss Chard

VERY Cold Hardy Vegetables Hard Frost Tolerant (26-28 degrees) Plant in garden 6 weeks BEFORE last frost Asparagus Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Chives Cilantro Collards Garlic Horseradish Kale 10 Kohlrabi Leek Parsley Radish Rutabaga Sage Shallot Spinach Turnip Sorrel

I started to experiment with heat retention in the video below. If we can start flats of vegetable seeds indoors in late January and get them out into a cold frame by February, that would really increase my plant production. Not sure its possible just yet, but its totally worth the effort to find out.

Winter Garden: Cold Hardy Winter Vegetables