Growing winter vegetables: tips for vegetables in winter

Which vegetables grow on the balcony, in the raised bed and Co. in winter? When should you plant winter vegetables? We reveal everything you need to know about growing winter vegetables in the garden.

In winter, many vegetable patches that were lovingly cared for in summer are abandoned. The reason: Many gardeners believe that you cannot grow vegetables in winter. In reality, many types of vegetables can also be cultivated in winter without any problems. If you grow winter vegetables, you can also look forward to fresh ingredients in the kitchen all year round and make optimal use of your garden even in the cold season. Above all, the right choice of varieties, but also a few simple tips and tricks ensure a delicious supply of healthy vegetables in winter. Here you can find out what you need to consider when growing in winter.

Growing winter vegetables: which vegetables grow in winter?

Of course, not every vegetable is suitable for growing in winter - especially sun-loving species such as tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) or zucchini (Cucurbita pepo var. giromontiina) can hardly be used in winter without a heated greenhouse and complex lighting systems. Fortunately, there are also a number of plants that are frost-hardy and thus survive the winter in the garden. Growing winter vegetables is not as difficult as expected: If you know which vegetables will also grow in winter, planting turns out to be easier than expected. Overall, the various winter vegetables can be roughly divided into three categories: fast, medium and slow-growing varieties.

Some fast-growing vegetables are well suited for winter cultivation because of their hardiness in the forest. They do not grow any longer if the temperature is too cold, but because of their rapidity If they are sown in late summer or early autumn, they can be ready for winter development Be harvest. Fast growing vegetables like arugula (Eruca vesicaria ssp. sativa), Lamb's lettuce (Valerianella locusta), Endive (Cichorium endivia) or chicory (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum), but also spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and Pak choi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) stand on the bed over the winter and can be harvested as required. If the temperatures allow it, they may even grow a little further.

The medium-growing varieties include radish (Raphanus sativus var. sativus), various beets and Kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica), Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes), Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) and leek (Allium porrum). Once planted, these winter vegetables take an average of 55 to 70 days to mature.

The slowest are against it Beetroot (Beta vulgaris), Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera), Carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus), Onions (Allium cepa) and Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa), because with them one assumes 100 days between sowing and harvest. For this reason, you should plan early enough if you want to grow vegetables in winter.

When do you plant winter vegetables?

The right date for planting winter vegetables depends primarily on the date of the first frost. This can vary greatly depending on the region - so the first frost in southern Germany will be mid to Expected at the end of September, while in northern Germany frosts often not until early to mid-October appear. Hobby gardeners are well aware of the likelihood of frost in their region German weather service read to prepare for winter. Fast growing vegetables should be sown at least one and a half months, medium fast growing two and a half months and slow growing even three and a half months before the first frost. If you start planting the winter vegetables too late, they will not reach the desired size because the plants stop growing at low temperatures. In the worst case, the planted winter vegetables can even die because the young plants do not yet have the necessary winter hardiness. When growing, it is therefore always important to ensure that sowing of the plants is started at an early stage.

Crop rotation in winter vegetable cultivation

Many winter vegetables are only planted when the summer vegetables are already in the pot. It is therefore particularly important that you pay more attention to the crop rotation in your own beds. For example, no botanical relatives should move into the same bed one after the other - in the worst case In this way, diseases can pass from the previous plants to their still healthy successors and spread. But you should also take into account the nutrient requirements of the plant: Will become a heavy eater again after a heavy eater sown, the second plant usually not only has too few nutrients and grows weakly, but the soil also suffers and leaches out. Therefore, the crop rotation for winter vegetable growing needs to be well planned.

tip: Incidentally, winter is also ideal for doing something good for your bed. Winter vetch (Vicia villosa) or red clover (Trifolium pratense) can be used in September as Green manure are sown and accumulates valuable nitrogen in the soil over the winter.

Growing winter vegetables: this is how you can extend the season

As soon as temperatures drop, many plants begin to grow much more slowly or even stop growing altogether. So that the winter vegetables are still as large as possible, the gardening season can be extended a little with a few tricks. If you mulch the bed with straw, leaves or pine needles, the roots of the plants stay warm longer and growth can be extended. One is even better Raised bed in winter: Due to the rotting processes inside, the bed gives off heat and thus functions like natural heating. Winter vegetables that are grown in raised beds can often grow longer than vegetables that grow in classic beds. In addition, you can install a cold frame attachment on the raised bed - so the heat remains in the bed and the plants can grow significantly longer. Only regular ventilation on sunny days should not be forgotten.

Even the greenhouse does not have to be idle in winter - many salads, but also spinach, grow under the shelter of the Greenhouse better, after all, there is a greenhouse effect here on sunny days and the air is significantly warmer than outdoors.

If you want to grow vegetables on the balcony in winter, on the other hand, the right insulation is the be-all and end-all. If the soil in the pots freezes completely, even many hardy plants cannot endure this. With good insulation (for example with styrofoam plates around the bucket, a jute sack filled with Leaves or a coconut mat), the roots of the plants are protected and nothing is left to cultivate in the way.

Harvest winter vegetables

Many winter vegetables can be harvested almost all winter long. Kale, spinach and the like can withstand the cold surprisingly well. Many winter salads also survive the frost and can even freeze and thaw completely without being damaged. In fact, many even claim that cabbage varieties in particular taste milder and better after the first frost - so it's worth the wait.

However, one thing should be noted when growing winter vegetables: None of the vegetables should be harvested in frost. Otherwise, the vegetables can be damaged and become mushy and unsightly after thawing. Better wait for sunny, frost-free days to enjoy the fresh vegetables.

tip: A suitable substrate is important for successful vegetable cultivation. We recommend a nutrient-rich and peat-free organic soil like ours Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil.

You can not only grow something in the garden in winter - you can find out how to use the raised bed sensibly in our article "Raised bed in winter“.