Winter Vegetable Gardening: 24 Best Varieties 

24 Best winter vegetable gardening varieties to plant in backyard edible gardens. Best idea, tips & planting calendar to grow your own food.

For all us garden lovers, winter doesn’t have to mean the end of your happy gardening season. In fact, there are many hardy, delicious, and nutritious vegetables that thrive in cooler temperatures.

With the right tips and techniques, you can turn your garden into a bountiful winter wonderland. Imagine stepping outside on a crisp winter morning to harvest your own fresh greens, colorful root vegetables, and flavorful herbs. It’s not only possible but also super rewarding!

In this guide, we’ll explore our favorite easy-to-grow vegetables that are perfect for winter gardening. From the peppery zest of arugula to the sweet crunch of carrots and the earthy richness of kale, you’ll discover how to grow and enjoy these hardy crops. With a little preparation and care, you can enjoy fresh, homegrown produce all winter long!

Winter vegetable gardening calendar

Here‘s a great winter vegetable planting calendar. Use it as a guide and fine tune it to best suit your growing climate. Now let’s explore all the veggies!

Arugula

Arugula, with its peppery bite, is a fantastic addition to winter salads and sandwiches. This leafy green thrives in the cooler months and adds a delightful zest to your meals. Plus, it grows quickly, so you’ll have fresh greens in no time! Plant seeds directly in the soil and use row covers to protect from hard frost.

Want simple ways to extend your growing season? Try these 45 best DIY greenhouse ideas from easy row covers, cold frames to pallet greenhouses!

Beets

Beets are beautiful, nutritious, and among the easiest vegetables to grow in our garden! Their earthy sweetness shines in roasted dishes, salads, and soups. Plus, you can enjoy both the roots and the greens! ‘Detroit Dark Red’ is a productive and tasty variety we have grown each year. Mulch heavily to keep the soil warm and prevent freezing. 

Fava Beans

Fava beans are a hardy legume that thrives in cooler weather. Sow in late fall for spring harvest. Their tender, buttery beans are a wonderful addition to soups, stews, and salads. We also like to each them raw. Like most legumes, they enrich the soil with nitrogen, making them a great companion plant.

Broccoli and Sprouting Broccoli

Broccoli is a great choice for winter vegetable gardening, offering a wealth of nutrients and a satisfying crunch. Sprouting varieties produce multiple smaller heads for months. Great steamed, roasted, or in stir-fries! We grow ‘Calabrese’ for the broccoli head followed by side sprouts, and ‘Purple Sprouting’ for its beauty and productivity. Via A Cultivated Nest

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts develop their sweetest flavor after a frost. These mini-cabbages are perfect for roasting, frying, or sautéing, offering a delicious, nutty taste. They’re a must-have for winter gardens! ‘Long Island Improved’ is a reliable variety for winter growing. Source

Cabbage

Cabbage is a resilient winter vegetable that can be used in a variety of dishes, from coleslaw to hearty stews. Its dense heads store well, making it a great choice for long-term use. ‘January King’ is an excellent winter variety. We also love ‘Golden Acres’, a fast growing and easy variety. Source

Chinese Cabbage, Asian Greens, and Mustard Greens

These greens add vibrant color and bold flavors to your winter kitchen garden. Use frost cloths for protection and harvest leaves continuously to encourage new growth. They’re delicious in stir-fries, soups, and salads. Napa and Bok Choy are our must-haves. ‘Mizuna’ and ‘Tatsoi’ are also great varieties to try.

Carrots

Carrots are incredibly cold-hardy and sweeten as the temperature drops. Mulch heavily to keep the soil from freezing and harvest throughout the winter as needed.  They’re a garden staple, perfect for raw snacks, roasting, or adding to soups and stews. From colorful carrots like ‘Cosmic Purple’ and ‘Solar Yellow’, to charming little French “Parisian”, you will never run out of new varieties to try! Source

Cauliflower

Late winter cauliflower is a delightful treat. This veggie grows large in winter, offering a single but substantial head per plant. It’s perfect for curries, soups, or simply roasted. We love the fast growing ‘Snowball’ and stunning ‘Purple of Sicily’. Cauliflower can handle light frosts. Use row covers to protect heads.

Collards

Collards are incredibly resilient and become sweeter after frost. Their large, nutritious leaves are excellent for sautéing, soups, and stews, providing a rich, earthy flavor. ‘Georgia’ is a popular productive variety for winter vegetable gardening. Source

Fennel

Fennel adds a unique, anise-like flavor to your dishes. We love them roasted or raw in salads, and the feathery fronds make a lovely garnish. Fennel survives light frost. Use winter mulch to help protect the root. 

Garlic & Shallot Bulbs

Planting garlic and shallots in the fall ensures a bountiful harvest the following summer. These alliums are essential for adding depth and flavor to countless dishes. Here’s our detailed guide on how to grow garlic with tutorials from gardeners in different climates!

Kale

Like Collards, Kale is extremely cold-hardy and can survive through winter. Mulch to protect roots and harvest leaves regularly to promote new growth. Kale is a superfood that loves the cold. Its leaves become sweeter after a frost, making it perfect for salads, soups, and smoothies. It’s a prolific and easy-to-grow winter green. We love ‘Lacinato’ variety more than the curly ones for its tender and rich taste. Photo above by Nicole.

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi, with its unique bulbous shape, is a fun and tasty addition to your winter veggie garden. It has a mild, sweet flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. It’s hardy and thrives in cooler weather. We like to grow both ‘White Vienna’ and ‘Purple Vienna’ for a fun mix. Mulch and use row covers for added protection during extreme frosts.

Leeks

Leeks are widely grown in winter throughout Europe. Hill up soil around stems or use mulch to blanch them and protect from freezing. Leeks are a versatile allium that adds a subtle, onion-like flavor to soups, stews, and sautés. Source

Lettuce, Corn Salad, Endive, and Radicchio

These leafy greens add a burst of color and variety to your winter garden. They’re perfect for fresh salads and can handle cooler temperatures well. ‘Little Gem’ lettuce and ‘Vit’ corn salad are among the most delicious we have grown. Use row covers or cloches to extend the growing season and harvest leaves regularly. Via Forks in the Dirt

Onion

In August when you’re harvesting main-season onions planted in the spring, it’s also a good time to start onion seeds for overwintering, which will be ready for harvest in spring or early summer of next year. Here’s a great guide on how to overwinter onions. Use this day length map to help you choose the right onion varieties.

Parsley

Parsley is a hardy herb great for winter vegetable gardening. It’s perfect for garnishing and adding fresh flavor to a variety of dishes. ‘Giant of Italy’ is a vigorous and flavorful variety.

Parsnips

Parsnips are a root vegetable that sweetens after a frost. They’re excellent roasted, mashed, or added to stews, offering a unique, nutty flavor.

Peas

Peas thrive in the cool weather of early winter. They’re great for fresh eating, soups, and stir-fries. Plus, they fix nitrogen in the soil, benefiting other plants. Use trellises to help them climb. Here are 24 best DIY trellis ideas and tutorials for you! (Image source lost, please let me know if you find it!)

Radishes

Radishes grow quickly in cool weather. Plant seeds in succession for continuous harvest and use row covers to protect from frost.  They are perfect for adding a spicy crunch to salads and sandwiches.

Spring radishes, those small colors ones like ‘French Breakfast’, can be planted in winter in a protected cold frame, window box, or container in the house or on the patio. Winter radishes such as ‘Daikon’ or ‘Beauty Heart’ require a much longer time to mature than spring radishes and are planted at the same time as late turnips in midsummer to late summer. 

Spinach

Spinach is a cold-tolerant green that’s perfect for salads, smoothies, and cooked dishes. It grows quickly and can be harvested continuously throughout the winter. ‘Winter Bloomsdale’ is a fantastic winter vegetable gardening variety. Source

Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is a colorful and nutritious green that can withstand cold temperatures. It’s great for sautés, soups, and as a spinach substitute in recipes. Plus, the rainbow colored ‘Bright Lights’ variety adds so much beauty to those grey winter days. Photo by Marni Sorin at Tilth Alliance.

Turnips and Rutabagas

These root vegetables are excellent for winter gardening and so tasty roasted, mashed, or added to soups with their sweet, earthy flavors. They’re hardy and store well. ‘Purple Top White Globe’ turnip and ‘American Purple Top’ rutabaga are excellent choices. Source

Growing a winter garden offers numerous benefits beyond just extending your harvest season. Many winter vegetables develop sweeter and richer flavors after being kissed by frost, making them even more delicious. These cold-hardy crops are often packed with vitamins and minerals. Plus, winter gardening can provide a much needed connection to nature when the world outside is cold and grey.