Rural Smallholdings Magazine

Gardening through the winter on a smallholding is easiest if you choose the right crops. Some plants need heat to do well—tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beans—in fact any plant that produces a fruit doesn’t do well when days get short and temperatures drop. Yes, the green bean is a fruit, even though we eat it as a vegetable. The only fruiting vegetable that is an exception is the green pea. It likes to mature in the cooler temperatures of early spring. But it doesn’t do well when temperatures drop in the autumn. So even the green pea doesn’t work well for winter gardening.

Fortunately, most root vegetables and leafy green vegetables tolerate the cold very well. Some plants like purple sprouting broccoli actually require the cold weather of winter to flower. Starting seedlings of purple sprouting broccoli in autumn means you will have beautiful purple broccoli clusters to decorate your fresh salads with. Only someone with their own garden (does that sound like someone who owns their own smallholding?) is going to enjoy that delicious treat.

Almost every member of the brassica family loves cool temperatures. This is great because this is also one of the most nutritious families of vegetables. Broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips and rutabagas are all excellent sources of both calcium and vitamin C when the soil is nurtured properly. Broccoli and kale are excellent sources of Vitamin A as well.

Which of the brassicas are the best choices for overwintering? The leafy ones. Broccoli leaves are very tasty and can be used like kale in soups and salads. Brussels sprouts actually taste better if they’ve been nipped by a bit o’ frost. Kale is also good to have in the winter garden because you can trim off the outer leaves and continue to harvest all through the winter and into the next spring. I have enjoyed the tenderest kale shoots in the spring, sprouting from kale stalks that died back because they weren’t protected from the harsh elements. The plant is amazingly tough.

Root vegetables overwinter in the garden very well. Consider overwintering carrots, parsnips, beets, celeriac, turnips and rutabagas in the garden instead of harvesting them. If the beds are mulched properly the roots won’t freeze. If you cover the beds with greenhouse plastic and pvc hoops, you can harvest fresh greens and vegetables all winter long. The flavour will be fresher and sweeter.

Spinach and lettuce grows slowly in a winter garden, but if you plant an abundant bed of greens in the autumn, you can use the cut and come-again technique to enjoy salads all winter long.

To start a salad garden in the middle of the winter, prepare seed flats with 72 cells (too few cells and the plants have to get too large before you can transplant them; too many and the plants aren’t vigorous enough to tolerate the move into the cold). Use a starter mix that is designed for starting seeds. Sprinkle lettuce seeds on top of the soil and cover the flat with plastic (lettuce needs light to sprout). Follow planting instructions for other greens. Now place the seed flats in a warm and bright location in your home. When the seedlings are about 2 inches tall and the roots well developed, start putting the flats outside during days that are above freezing. This will toughen or “harden” them off.

Now, you can plant the seedlings into your prepared garden bed. The best day is one that is overcast but not raining. That way you know temperatures are less likely to drop below freezing. Do avoid planting when temperatures are expected to fall below freezing. The shock may be too great.

Believe it or not, you can start radishes and beets in cell trays as well. It’s a trick that some Canadians use to get a head start on spring gardening.

Last of all, don’t ignore growing your own celery. You can use the green leafy outer stems all winter to season soups and stews. In the spring, the celery will flower, and you will be able to harvest your own celery seed and make celery salt.

For more about winter gardening on a smallholding see WINTER PLANTING ON A SMALLHOLDING: Ways to Keep Your Winter Garden Warm and WINTER PLANTING ON A SMALLHOLDING: Preparing your planting beds.
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Article by Rural Smallholdings Magazine