With the fall season nearly behind us, it’s time to start planning your cool weather gardens. There are many different plants and vegetables that thrive in cold weather and bring beauty to your yard at the same time. Knowing which plants flourish in the ground and which ones in pots/containers can be one of the trickiest parts in starting your garden. Check out these tips to get the most out of your winter foliage!

It’s All About the Selection

Choosing the right flowers and vegetables makes a huge difference in how your garden will thrive. Certain vegetation becomes very susceptible to frost and root rot which make them bad candidates for cool weather gardening. Allium vegetables (onions, garlic and shallots) and Cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and brussel sprouts) not only love cool and wet weather, but they are great winter veggies to add to stews and soups. 

To add some color to your garden, select snapdragons, pansies, violas, calendulas, and bachelor buttons. These flowers will add the right touch of purples, yellows, and pinks and will be overflowing from your garden bed in no time! If you’re feeling adventurous, you can add pansies and violas into a salad for a beautiful and exciting treat. Red cabbage is beautiful, colorful and delicious. By selecting the right greenery to sow in your garden; you will see it effortlessly flourish in no time. 

To Pot or not to Pot?

Knowing where to plant is as important as knowing what to plant. Although certain plants prefer wet-weathered climates, it’s key to know which ones require proper drainage and which can tolerate freezing. Cruciferous vegetables like to be planted in containers or raised garden beds. Providing them with plenty of water will allow them to freeze solid for a few days, if the weather gets cold enough, and bounce back when they thaw. After Cruciferous veggies freeze, they taste even sweeter!

Allium vegetables prefer to be planted straight in the ground. This type of vegetable does not grow up and out of the soil like most; rather, they grow down into the soil. By sowing your Alliums directly into the ground, this allows for them to reach their full potential of growth; meaning bigger and tastier garlic, onions, and shallots for your wintertime recipes.

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