Winter Vegetable Plants

Winter in the West and Southern parts of the country is just another growing season in the vegetable garden. Food growers in cold states plant wintertime vegetables in tunnel greenhouses or cold frames. Urban dwellers can grow their own food all year-round in raised box frames and square yard gardens. Whatever the method, the winter garden provides fresh produce.

Winter Harvest
Vegetables planted in mid-July to mid-August are ready to pick in the cold months. Beans, beets, carrots, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, kohlrabi and broccoli stand up to cooler weather in fall and winter. Chard and kale are hardy in winter weather and grow all year-round in the warm winter regions or protected spaces. Turnips that come to harvest in winter are slightly sweeter than those grown in the spring and summer. Frost has that effect on them. Salad greens planted in August and September are ready to eat in November and December, sooner if picking off leaves a few at a time.

Winter Planting
Lengthen the growing with movable plastic greenhouse tunnels or permanent-structure cold frames to start seed and nurture young plants. Plastic growing tunnels foldable for easy storage in summertime. Tunnels are 10 feet long with a 12-inch height. Green, leafy vegetables; such as Russian kale, lamb's lettuce, chicory and radicchio; continue growing through cold weather in the protected environment of a tunnel greenhouse. The reflected warmth created by house walls and fences also provides a warm place to grow vegetable plants in winter.

Start Seeds Indoors
Warm-season vegetable plants started indoors in winter include peppers, tomatoes and eggplant. Tomato seeds do not germinate until the soil temperature reaches 55 degrees, but this is easily controlled with inside growing. Small pots made from newspapers are an easy and inexpensive way of starting vegetable plants in winter. Seeds take longer to germinate in colder weather. Seed packets list "days to germination" on the back. Other vegetables to start indoors in winter include peas, fava beans, bush beans and cucumber.

Protect the Plants
A mulch layer keeps the soil cool in summer months and warm in winter months. Winter vegetable plants need extra space between them, and a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch keeping the roots warm. Snails and slugs like wet weather, and closely planted vegetables create hiding places for them. Use clean straw, dry leaves or shredded bark as mulch. Mulch also prevents weed growth.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/info_8051910_winter-vegetable-plants.html

Winter Garden Plants

Create a garden that is distinctive and colorful by selecting plants that bloom during the winter months. Heavy snowfall or extreme cold temperatures can delay the flowering process. Choose perennial plants that will survive your specific U.S. Department of Agricultural hardiness zone. Perennial plants, once established, return to the garden every year. Plant a variety of shrubs, trees and perennials with bloom times that overlap one another to get the most color out of your winter garden plants.

Hellebore

One of the most reliable flowering plants for those in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8, are hellebores. Some varieties begin blooming as early as November. Once established, which can take 3 years or longer, hellebores are long-lived, care-free shade garden plants that will self-seed. The foliage often dies back during the heat of the summer, so plant these near hosta or other plants that will fill in the bare areas and hide the dying foliage.

Holly

Holly is a very diverse plant that usually requires the presence of both a male and female plant to produce its bright red berries, although some newer cultivars are self-pollinating. While some varieties of holly are evergreen, others are deciduous, which means they will lose their leaves during the winter. Hollies prefer growing in acidic soil that is rich in organic matter and well-drained. Hollies vary considerably in both hardiness and height.

Mahonia

Add color and fragrance to the mid-winter garden by planting Mahonia. This plant bursts into bloom in January, emitting a sweet smell and attracting a variety of native bees that devour the nectar. By summer the faded flowers are replaced by steel-blue berries that attract hungry birds. Mahonia is an evergreen plant that, once established, is drought-tolerant. Depending on the exact variety, Mahonia is hardy is USDA hardiness zones 6 through 10.

Witch Hazel

The fragrant, confetti-like yellow, orange or red blooms on the bare branches of the witch hazel are hard to miss during the winter months. The witch hazel shrub is often pruned into a tree form. January through March is the period when most witch hazels bloom; however, Christmas Cheer usually begins blooming in mid-December. Choose several varieties to extend the bloom period. Plant witch hazel in a sheltered spot that is rich in organic matter and slightly acidic, within plain view of a window. These plants are slow-growing and reach an average height of 10 to 15 feet. Witch hazels are hardy in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/info_7935993_winter-garden-plants.html