Contrary to popular belief, gardening does not have to be suspended during the winter months. However, if you want to continue gardening during the cold months you will have to be prepared and implement things such as this diy straw bale cold frame and diy mini polytunnel greenhouse. Of course you will also need to carefully select the plants you grow around that time, for example these 5 snow hardy vegetables.

1. Leeks

These actually love the cold winter months, and tend to do well during that season. Varieties you can consider are the Bandit, Blue Green and Bleu de Solaise. These can tolerate dips in temperatures up to 0 degrees F.

2. Swiss Chard

This is one of the most winter tolerant vegetables. I love this one as it can be left uncovered until temperatures go below 15 degrees F. However, it is recommended that you cover them and even apply mulch once it gets extremely cold. The best varieties you can try include any white or green varieties such as Verde de Taglio.

3. Spinach

Most spinach leaves will die during the winter months. The plant itself remains alive and starts to produce new leaves once Spring arrives. Any varieties with wrinkled leaves, are best suited to survive the harsh winter. You can consider the Savoy variety for your winter garden.

4. Parsnips

The colder the temperatures, the sweeter the parsnips. This is due to the accumulation of sugars, especially when the ground is frosty or snowy. Keep them covered throughout the season for best results. Ideal temperatures for growth should be above 0 degrees F.

5. Collard Greens

As far as collard greens are concerned, there is one variety that stands out for winter gardening. This is the Blue Max variety. If you grow this in your winter garden you can expect relatively high yields as long as the temperatures do not dip below 0 degrees F.

You can get more snow hardy vegetables on the Off The Grid News blog, here…

8 Snow-Hardy Winter Vegetables

You can watch the video below on best Vegetables to grow in the winter…

You can watch the video below on 5 cold hardy greens everyone should be growing…

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