10 Frost Tolerant Vegetable Varieties

Winter is one of the dreaded times of the year for most gardeners, including myself. With everything dormant and cold, it is easy to feel depressed. However, one thing we can do to keep the world of gardening alive as long as possible is to plant frost and snow-tolerant vegetable varieties! While these won’t keep growing if inches of snow get heaped on top of them, they are likely to grow despite light snow and cold temperatures. Plant these in early fall for an early winter harvest or in late winter for a spring harvest! Some gardeners can grow them all winter using row covers or cold frames. Just be sure to keep them cleared of snow to ensure they get adequate light to keep going!

Frost-Tolerant Vegetable Varieties

1. Broccoli - Easily one of the most popular vegetables in American households, broccoli is actually very frost tolerant, even varieties like Broccoli Raab or Brocollini. I am planning on planting some this September in Michigan and hopefully getting a harvest before the ground freezes over too badly in December or January.

2. Arugula - This leafy green has been growing in popularity over the last few years and is a popular winter garden addition. Also known as Rocket, Arugula has a unique taste and is frequently added to salad mixes in high-end restaurants. You can also add it to a sandwich or top your pizza with it!

3. Spinach - Spinach was one of the first vegetables I had ever heard of someone growing in the winter. It thrives in shade and can grow in temperatures hovering around freezing, conditions in which most other garden plants would completely give up the ghost. This makes it perfect for row covers and those long winter nights.

4. Kale - Similar to spinach, kale can grow in cool and dim conditions that most other plants would fail in. In fact, kale hates warm weather. I planted some kale in my garden this year, and due to our warmer and drier summer than normal, it has failed to grow as big as I was hoping. It just stopped growing when it got too hot! They much prefer the cool weather of transitional seasons.

5. Mustard Greens - Imagine getting fresh, leafy greens from your home garden in the middle of February! Well, with mustard greens, that might be possible. Depending on your location and what other supplies you have on hand, you can make it work!

6. Garlic - Garlic is typically a fall-planted vegetable. However, unlike the others on this list, you won’t get to harvest it until summer. Fall is the best time of year to plant them, around four weeks before the first frost is expected, and then they go dormant all winter. Then, in mid to late summer, they can be harvested for storage all year!

7. Carrots - Since carrots only take 50-60 days to reach maturity, they are an excellent choice for a fall or early spring garden. They can handle the cold and will even get sweeter with a few light frosts under their belt. They won’t continue to grow if the ground freezes over all the way, but they can be left dormant, underground in the winter, and then harvested in the spring. This makes them even sweeter and provides a yummy early spring harvest opportunity! For overwintering them, cover them with mulch such as leaves or straw to protect them.

8. Cauliflower - If you haven’t noticed a trend by now, I’d like to point out that many of the plants on this list are Brassicas. Broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and mustard greens are some examples. This is not by accident! Many other brassicas not listed here are also frost tolerant and are great candidates for a winter garden.

9. Radish - Quick-growing and delightful to add to salads, radishes are my last suggestion for a winter garden. Roast the roots and eat the greens fresh. Or sautee the greens in butter and thinly slice the roots for a crunchy treat! No matter how you slice them, radishes are an outstanding addition.

10. Mache - Also known as corn salad, mache is a cold-tolerant, leafy green that forms small rosettes. It's perfect for salads and can continue to thrive in the frosty garden.

In writing this, I’ve convinced myself to plant a winter garden! Here in Michigan, it is more like a late fall garden and then an early spring garden. It will be my first time. I am usually ready for a break from working in the garden by now, but in late winter, I am chomping at the bit to get planting again. Maybe these cold-tolerant veggies are exactly what I need to keep me going on that slow and steady gardening burn.

Lara Wadsworth, True Leaf Market Writer

I am a native of Southwestern Michigan, where I also reside, and I love all things plants! I got a Bachelor's Degree in Horticulture and found the first work-from-home job I could get. Now, I spend my days writing for TLM, playing with my dog, eating delicious food with my husband, and plotting my next landscape or gardening move. I believe everyone should get down and dirty in the soil now and then. Happy Gardening!