Varieties of veggies for cold weather

oakwood

The Force is Strong With This One
It's getting on to the time to start thinking of starting seeds for the garden and I have come to the conclusion that I will have to give consideration to the fact that with the summers becoming shorter and cooler the plantings will have to be of the cool season varieties Br. Sprouts, cabbage cauliflower, etc: I will also be doing potatoes and carrots. But things like corn, tomatoes, gr. peppers are probably not going to do so well which is just as well since they're not really good for you (inflammation). Anybody have some ideas for additional varieties?
 
Bok choy or Chinese cabbage is really good with fatty meat. It grows well on Winter time. :)
 
What climate zone are you in? General location on the globe? What do gardeners in your region grow successfully?
I know of experienced gardeners successfully growing tomatoes as far north as Alaska. Using tried and true techniques such as reflective water pools for solar concentration, dark stones for thermal inertia, windbreaks etc, Sepp Holzer pioneered cold.climate permaculture and managed to grow citruses high in the german alps.

Take a step back and consider the integrity of the ecosystem you wish to nurture, not only the direct outputs you seek to obtain. A wide variety of species stabilizes the system and enriches it, brings the efficiency up. What kind of functional design could fulfill your vision? Aromatic herbs often love the cold - thyme, winter savory, sage, parsley and more - while many veggies will fill important roles even thouh they would not fit in a very restricted keto diet. Flowers at different points of the season to feed the bees and attract pollinators, ground cover to build soils and others to attract birds and other beneficial predators...

With more details about what you seek to accomplish, the land and ressources available (south facing slope? Available runningwaterk? Etc...) As well as your climate a more specific answer could be given, but for now the provided context is awefully insufficient.
 
Thanks Gaby for your suggestions and I will look into the growing time of these two. I live in northern Wisconsin ( Southern Land of Lakes area) We really can't plant here before the 1st of June reliably. I do put out my carrot seeds and my potatoes around mid May as they are protected by being underground and carrots I have found seem to sprout better for being subjected to chilly moist conditions. As for harvest times the latest I leave tender stuff is mid-September.
 
Kale, is a big favorite of mine. I'm in zone 5 and I think you might be in zone 4, or zone 3. If you are in zone 4 and you understand the benefits of Kale, why not try it? You'll need to purchase the seedlings, try to find the densely ruffled leaf garden variety rather than the ornamental ones.

My next big favorite is Collards... I know, I know we're not down south but heck who said we have to be to enjoy such a wonderful green. Picking Collards greens and preparing them for cooking is one of my favorite gardening pleasures.

My third favorite is Leeks... what a wonderful addition to your favorite meat or soup. The taste always pleasantly surprises.

Well there's three that I'm sure you'll have success with in zone 4 if we have a (somewhat typical) growing season?

I suppose I should mention the word (favorite) at least on more time? Maybe it's the endorphin's that flow when I start to think about gardening. Great reflection when alone in the garden. :)

Thanks Oakwood, for your post.
 

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Well came hack to Quebec last year after discovering permaculture abroad, so that was my first season ever gardening in a cold climate. I mostly prepared a bit of land for rewilding this year and built a small hugelkultur. Seeded the hill to build soil with all kinds of stuff, clover, peas, alfalfa, ect. Then left it to nature to thrive; within months aragula, mustard greens, kale, dandelion were abundant and surprisingly survived two early sept-oct medium freezes and hung on until November. Had massive keto salads nearly everyday!
 
Onions and garlic do well in colder climates. One can never have too much of either!
 
Maybe you are interested in this link, says that currently can sow
bonnieplants.com/library/which-veggies-for-which-season/
 
O.K. Here's the list so far of what I'm going to plant---Peas, carrots, kohlrabi, gr. beans, rutabaga, acorn squash, br. sprouts, onions, potatoes ( red and white) I would like to try some leeks but they take 120 days to maturity so I don't know if I want to allocate space for them but I was thinking they could still be used even if the don't reach full maturity. ( And I really like them in minestrone soup) as for garlic, I think your supposed to start that in the fall? As for herbs I've got some sage, tarragon, cilantro, and then every year I do some thyme, chamomile, basil and dill. Just noticed I have cumin seed!!!!! :P
 
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