On the farm, we get asked, "What do y'all do during the winter?" implying that we do not grow food during these few months. This is a fair question since temperatures can reach negative degree wind chills with roads fully encased in a thin sheet of slippery ice. It would seem that even in Texas, winter is harsh enough to kill anything that attempts to grow. Fortunately, most of our winters are mild and pleasant enough for many crops to thrive.
In fact, winter can be a better time to grow food than our miserably hot and dry summers. With weed and pest pressure slowing down, rainfall and moisture increasing, and a diversity of vegetables now able to grow, winter gardening is quite enjoyable.
You will still have some frustration. Especially during January and February when the weather kills some of those individuals that you poured time and labor into growing (Unfortunately, this tends to happen right before things are harvestable, too). Don't fret! Many of these plants are super hardy and will survive most cold periods.
Along with planting hardy plants, utilizing practices such as covering plants with cloth, watering the roots before a freeze, and mulching the ground above the roots will help the individuals survive harsher and harsher winter periods.
So what are these magnificent vegetables that survive when even weeds in our yards cannot? Think winter-loving root crops and leafy greens. Here is a list of my favorite crops we grow that taste great and are super cold-tolerant.
Hakurei Turnips
These little guys are a variety of turnips that come from Japan. The turnip root is smaller than other turnips with a sweeter and milder taste. Many folks will eat these turnips raw or put them in salads without baking or sauteing. They tend to be a bit more watery than other turnips but they still bake and saute fine. I love these turnips for their milder taste and their short growing period. While other turnips can take fifty to sixty days to harvest, these turnips take thirty days from germination to harvest. This, of course, changes the farther into winter you grow them. As temperatures get colder, the time it takes to harvest gets longer, but don't worry; they will survive with proper watering and frost protection. The greens are edible, too, and make a good substitute for collard greens.
Red Round Beets
Here's another excellent winter root crop. Beets take longer to mature and harvest but they are well worth the wait. Beets have an earthy but sweet taste when baked, sauteed, and put into soups. You can even eat the greens!
During the winter, beets will take a beating, but if the cold temperatures kill off the greens, don't pull them and replant immediately. While the greens may not have survived, the root most likely did, and you will see new green leaves popping up in no time.
Flash Collards
Remember you are in Texas. Collards are a staple here and if you don't like collards, you better find a way to like them :) Collards are one of the hardiest winter greens you can grow. Many vegetables died off during the Christmas freeze last year, but not the collards. They take the winter like champs. Just watch for insect pests because those leafy greens don't just attract hungry humans.
Collard greens can be taken from the same plant well into winter. Harvest only half of the leaves when they are as large or larger than your hand, and the plant will keep putting out leaves until the temperatures get warm again next spring.
Sugarsnax Carrots
If you aren't feeling the previous vegetables, you'll be down to try carrots. Carrots are a huge seller at market and the Sugarsnax are an incredible variety with their long classically orange root and delightful taste.
Seed the carrots heavily and keep the soil damp for germination. Carrots can take up to four weeks to germinate, but if you water consistently in the first week, you may start to see individuals popping up around seven days.
Carrots will take their time growing to maturity, but while you wait, their leafy greens, which resemble parsley, carpet the area they grow in. People eat these greens in many ways, including pesto.
Bloomsdale Spinach
Like collards, spinach is harvested through the winter. The Bloomsdale is a curly leaf spinach with leaves harvested large unlike baby spinach you get in the store. This spinach is also full of great tastes that work well raw in salads, cooked down, or put into smoothies!
Your spinach should do well this winter as it is one of the hardiest plants on this list. Do watch for insect damage, especially in the early part of fall and spring.
Softneck Garlic
Though softneck garlic is not a variety but a type, it does well in warmer climates. I love garlic because it is easy to plant, super cold hardy, and can last you months when stored properly.
Plant your cloves pointy end up, three to four inches deep, and six inches apart during the fall or early parts of winter. Next spring, you should have bulbs producing up to forty cloves, or you can harvest them earlier and have fresh garlic bulbs. Fresh bulbs do not have cloves and will not dry or store like fully matured bulbs, but you can still use them in the same recipes as fully matured garlic.
Other winter-loving crops
We can only include some vegetables in this article, but there are many more vegetables that we would like to mention. Here is a complete list of other plants we grow on the farm during winter.
Salad mix
tokyo bakana (related to cabbage buts eats like lettuce)
arugula
mustard greens
swiss chard
Kale (white russian, red russian, black magic)
Cabbage
Romaine lettuce
Pak choi
Onions
Purple top turnips
Radishes (easter eggers, french breakfast, daikon)
Snap peas
Winter pea shoots
kohlrabi
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