Check out this video for some helpful tips for successfully growing winter vegetables – even in cold climates…

If you live in the Northern half of the U.S., you may think it’s not possible to enjoy fresh, homegrown food from your garden year-round. However, this isn’t necessarily the case! Even in cool climates, it is possible to harvest food from your garden even in the winter.

The important thing is to temper your expectations, and choose crops that do well even in cold weather. There are a number of tasty veggies that will survive frost – or even a hard freeze. The trick to growing winter vegetables is to choose the right varieties, and utilize simple season-extension techniques to keep your plants alive during cold spells.

The best choice for a Northern winter garden is usually leafy greens. Although you may think of these as being tender crops, in fact, there are many types of leafy greens that are actually extremely hardy. My favorites are collards and kale – both of which have survived for me through temperatures below zero in our Ohio garden. Some varieties of cabbage also do quite well. However, you can also find hardy varieties of mustard, chard, lettuce, spinach, and other salad greens that will also survive a cold winter.

You don’t need a greenhouse for these – in fact, you can grow many greens in the winter with just a simple cold frame, or even just a low tunnel or hoop house. (We use old pieces of fencing covered with row cover and just add blankets on extra-cold nights.)

This video explains how to grow leafy greens in Michigan throughout the winter, how to protect them, and what to expect from your winter vegetables. Check it out now to learn about cold-hardy varieties to try, how to handle watering, crop protection strategies, harvesting tips for your winter leafy greens, and more!