The Top 10 Vegetables To Grow In Winter

Now that winter is on its way and the lawn mover is safely stored away, it is time to turn your attention to the vegetable plot. There are plenty of great winter vegetables that grow during the winter months, growing vegetables during winter allows you to extend the season and plan ahead. Many of the vegetables grown throughout winter will produce earlier crops than spring plantings.

If you’re a seasoned winter vegetable grower you will have started growing your winter vegetables at the beginning of summer ready to plant outside during the winter months. If you’re new to winter vegetable growing, fear not, there are lots of vegetables that thrive during the winter months and can be sown this autumn.

Garden Growers

1. Garlic – One of the easiest vegetables to grow during the winter months as garlic virtually look after themselves, with plenty of varieties to choose from garlic is a staple for most winter growers! Unfortunately garlic have a lengthy growing season and you will have to wait until next summer before you can enjoy but they will be well worth the wait!

2. Onions – Just like garlic onions require very little maintenance and can be mainly left to their own devices throughout winter but they also have a long growing season and won’t be ready for harvest until next summer, so you will need to plan accordingly as they will still in the ground when you start planting your spring crops.

3. Spring Onions – Hardy Spring onion varieties are a great addition to your winter vegetable patch as they are a fairly quick growing crop and if planted at the beginning of autumn they should be ready to harvest by early spring.   

4. Broad Beans – To get ahead of the spring harvest autumn grown broad beans can survive the cold temperatures of winter and will be ready for harvest in spring, a month earlier than spring sown plants.

5. Asparagus – Certain asparagus varieties can now be sown during the autumn and will require regular weeding just like any other perennial vegetable. Sadly you will have to wait two years before you can cut your asparagus, a small price to pay for the fashionable gourmet green!

6. Spinach – Best sown early autumn, spinach is a fantastic ‘cut and come again’ crop, autumn sowings will provide you with nutritious tender young leaves throughout winter and with regular harvest spinach will continue to crop well into the summer months.

7. Peas – Surprisingly, autumn sowings of hardy rounded pea varieties and will provide you with a delicious harvest by next spring!

Greenhouse Growers

8. Lambs Lettuce – The low maintenance salad superstar! Lambs lettuce does not need high levels of light and will tolerate low temperatures, another great ‘cut and come again’ crop and a staple for winter salads.

9. Pak Choi – Often grown throughout the summer Pak Choi can be sown late summer ready to be transplanted in the greenhouse during the autumn. Pak Choi can be harvested young throughout winter or you can let it mature and enjoy a fuller flavour from the head and stems.

10. Carrots – Can’t wait for carrots? For an extra early crop of carrots opt for  fast maturing variety which can be sown as early as November under the protection of a greenhouse and will be ready to harvest in the spring.