Ten Easy Cool Season Vegetables for Beginners

Vegetable gardening is easier than you think. Cool-season vegetables are planted in the spring or fall. They are the first vegetables you get in the spring and the last vegetables you get in the winter. In climates with mild winters, you can get some cool-season vegetables all year long. Here are ten easy cool-season vegetables for beginners.

Beets

You get two crops for one with beets. The tops are nutritious greens and the roots are a robust root crop. Beetroots are best harvested when they are golf ball sized or larger, but not too large or they become fibrous and tough. The leaves may be harvested at any age, but become stronger in flavor when older. About 10 feet of row per person will give you plenty of beets to eat fresh and can. More details

Broccoli

Broccoli is one of the easiest of the cole crops to grow. It is very good for you, too. Most broccoli cultivars will produce side shoots once the main broccoli head is cut, so you can get several heads from each plant. Eaten raw or steamed, this vegetable is very versatile. More details

Cabbage

Cabbage is the other really easy Cole crop to grow. You only get one cabbage per plant, though, so consider how many you will realistically eat when planting. Cabbage is often served fermented into sauerkraut, in coleslaw, or cooked, while broccoli can be eaten fresh or steamed. More details

Carrots

Carrots are a good source of vitamin A. The roots add color to a meal and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. They can be canned and pickled so you can have them all year long. Carrots do not grow well in clay soils so you will need to make raised rows if that is the type of soil you have. Plan about five to ten feet of row per person. More details

Collard Greens

Collards are also a cole crop but are usually classed as greens. They are very nutritious and are high in protein, vitamins, and minerals. In the fall, collards taste sweeter after a light frost. Given a little shelter from the cold, collards will produce all winter. More details

Onions

Onions are planted as transplants, called sets, as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. In the fall, seeds are planted about six weeks before the first frost. They will germinate and start growing, then go dormant in the dead of winter before growing again in the spring. More details

Radishes

Radishes are fun because they grow so fast. You can plant them and be eating them about 30 days later. The greens are good for salad, especially when they are young. The roots are good raw in salads or dipped in salad dressing. Do not let the roots get too big or they become tough and fibrous. More details

Spinach

Spinach is a very nutritious green with lots of vitamins. It is planted as early as the soil can be worked in the spring or about three months before the first freeze date in the fall. Spinach can tolerate cold temperatures and can produce all winter. It does not tolerate heat well and will bolt, or flower, when it gets hot in the summer. This ruins the taste. More details

Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar snap peas are a legume. They fix nitrogen in the soil so are a good crop to grow to improve the garden soil. They also taste very good. Sugar snap peas are a vine and need support to grow well. More details coming soon.

Turnips

Turnips are grown for both the tops and the roots. Some cultivars produce lots of leaves but small roots. All cultivars that produce a good root also produce leaves that can be eaten. Both the greens and the roots are nutritious. The roots can be stored in the fall to last until spring crops begin to come in. More details