1. Snow Peas Pisum sativum
Of all the fresh vegetables in the garden , none compares to the delicate, sweet flavor of snow peas. They are easy to grow and often produce hundreds of pods when planted in early spring. Snow peas can be sown directly in the soil, making sure to space them about six inches apart in a double row.Buy the inoculant your seed supplier recommends and add this beneficial bacteria at the time of sowing. It's a good idea to create some type of support. Light netting can be stretched between tall stakes to create a vertical surface for the tendrils to attach.
2. Cabbage, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, and Cauliflower Brassica spp.
The brassicas are a part of the mustard family including vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower. The four listed are considered by taxonomists to be the same plant. Selective breeding has played a part in creating different vegetables out of one plant. If you're producing a brassica, the PH of your soil should be slightly alkaline for the best growing conditions. Cabbage will keep for six to eight months in a root cellar, while broccoli won't stay fresh for more than a week. The brassicas grow best at temperature between 60-70 degrees and they are well suited for greenhouse or cold frame production.
3. Carrots Daucus carota
Carrots are one of those vegetables that depend on good soil for best flavor. Grow in a sandy, well composted soil and mulch heavily in the winter. Carrots prefer a slightly neutral, more acidic than alkaline growing medium, but the addition of compost to any soil will buffer the effects of improper PH. Carrots can be harvested all winter long when they are kept in a heavily mulched cold frame.
4. Kale Brassica oleracea
A true cools season vegetable, kale can be harvested from right under the snow, all winter long! This vitamin packed and nutrient rich edible should be a staple to any family diet. This member of the brassica has the same growing requirements as the other brassicas and will benefit from a dusting of dolomitic lime on the growing area prior to tilling and planting.
5. Leek Allium porrum
This member of the onion and garlic family is a delicacy in French cooking. I feel like a chef every time I bring them into the kitchen. The mild flavor of this long season vegetable can be a great addition to any dish that calls for onion. The white part of the stem can be increased by a couple of inches by piling up soil at the base of the plant. Leeks are a hardy and fun plant to grow in any garden.
6. Lettuce Lactuca sativa
Eating plenty of this colorful, leafy plant will ensure longevity and good health. A base to any salad, lettuce can be enjoyed all winter long from a cold frame kept above 35 degrees. The many young varieties of lettuce can be pucked for a longer harvest of baby salad greens. Lettuce requires well composted soil with plenty of nitrogen and a neutral PH.
7. Corn Salad Valerianella locusta
Corn salad is the king of the cool season. This thick, lettuce type plant can withstand multiple freezes and thaws throughout the winter.In fact, corn salad or mache, as it's sometimes called, often tastes better after the first freeze. This cold grower can be harvested at any temperature!
8. AsparagusAsparagus officinalis
The great thing about asparagus is that you only need to plant it once, it's a perennial. Traditionally, a trench is dug and root crowns are placed at the bottom of the trench. Compost and soil are backfilled to the trench, and their feathery tops are allowed to grow for two to three years before harvesting tasty spikes every spring. You can't beat the flavor of home grown asparagus!
9. Garlic Allium sativum
Aromatic and healthy, the garlic clove is a mainstay in my kitchen. The bulbs may take as long as three years to develop but is well worth the wait. Garlic does best in airy, very fertile soil, and can be pulled from the ground easily when grown in theses conditions. They should be planted a month before the frost hits to develop root growth for the winter ahead. When harvesting the bulbs, don't wash the dirt off, this will interrupt the curing process.
10. Potato Solanum tuberosum
Most people don't fit potatoes into the cool season vegetable group, but they can be grown into December with proper mulching. I built a box about 2 and a half feet tall and planted whole potatoes in the ground and mulched with a couple feet of straw. When harvesting time comes around, the plants are simply pulled up, potatoes and all. This is the cleanest potato crop you'll have when grown this way. Potatoes prefer a soil that is slightly acidic, around 5.5 to 6.0.
