7 of the Best Winter Vegetables to Grow in Texas
Just because the cold temperatures have arrived, it doesn't mean your crops have to be any less profitable. Check the best winter vegetables to grow in Texas!
There's no reason to have your vegetable plot stand bare and neglected this winter season. Despite the cold temperatures, you won't have to have your crops be any less profitable. There are a variety of winter vegetables to harvest throughout Texas's coldest months.
A stable winter vegetable garden allows you to prolong the season. Many crops can be grown in the winter and will produce earlier vegetation than the typical spring crops. The more organized you get in the late spring and early summer, the better chance you'll have at growing winter vegetable plants.
If you haven't already prepared, no worries! There are tons of delicious vegetables you can grow in the winter that can easily be sown in the fall. Check out the best winter vegetables there are to grow in Texas!
1. The Perfect Onions and Shallots
Planting onions in the fall makes it easy to set and grow since they basically look after themselves over the winter. Onions require a long growing season so they won't be ready to harvest until the following summer. It'd be best if you learn how to grow vegetables in winter sooner rather than later since they will still be rooted in the ground once you start planting other crops.
'First Early' onions are very popular and reliable winter vegetables to have in Texas. You could also consider the bright red 'Electric' onions which are just as valuable. Shallots are growing in popularity with trendy gardeners — 'Echalote Grise' has the boldest and most concentrated flavor.
2. Good Ol' Garlic
Growing garlic is not only easy, but it's also one of those winter vegetables with lots of variety. Similar to onions, garlic has an extensive growing season and won't be set to harvest until the summer. It's well worth it, however, once you get to enjoy the full flavor of roasted garlic!
'Wight Cristo' is a great garlic choice for many culinary dishes. For a fuller and more flavor-packed option, 'Chesnok Red' is the way to go.
3. Consider Spring Onions
The winter varieties of spring onions are a great accompaniment to a winter salad. They won't take long to grow, thus making the perfect winter vegetable garden. Expect any early fall sowings to be ready for harvesting by the early spring.
If you're looking for a tasty winter hardy spring onion, consider the 'White Lisbon'.
4. Perpetual Spinach is Excellent
If you want the best 'cut and come again' produce, perpetual spinach is an excellent choice. It will yield large amounts of delicious leaves for you to pick from. Early fall harvests will provide you with an abundance of tender young leaves in the winter and a more standard harvest will continue to crop throughout the summer.
Pro tip: remove the flowers on your perpetual spinach to avoid having it running to seed.
5. Delicious Asparagus
If you have enough space to grow a large winter vegetable garden, then you should invest in a permanent bed of asparagus. Select a variety of winter vegetables such as 'Mondeo' asparagus or colorful 'Pacific Purple' asparagus. Although these beds will take a few years to create, each asparagus crown can results in up to 25 spears a year while continuously cropping for 25 years.
These winter gardens in Texas will require more patience than others. But when harvested properly, you can expect amazing results. You'll have lots of tender asparagus spears that were well worth the wait.
6. Harvest Some Broad Beans
When harvesting broad beans in spring, remember that they'll need to be sown by the fall. However, early winter is still a good time to own these winter vegetables and watch them crop up late spring. It will take a good amount of pre-planning, but either way, you can expect a healthy amount before the summer.
The 'Aquadulce Claudia' broad beans are some of the best for sowing in the late fall/early winter. They establish very quickly and once grown, you can also use their plant tips. They're tasty wilted with a bit of butter!
You can produce broad beans in virtually any greenhouse but a formal winter vegetable garden is best. Ensure that your property is fit for harvesting so you can produce the best results. Or if you're having trouble creating the right garden, there are experts out there to help.
7. Pak Choi are Perfect Winter Vegetables
Pak choi is a great dual-purpose vegetable that you can harvest young throughout the winter. The best way is as single, salad leaves or by allowing the heads to mature. Plus, those delicious stems work perfectly in stir-fries!
Pak Choi is very quick to mature and has plenty of healthy vitamins. You'll be filled with vitamins A and C, Calcium, Folic Acid, and Iron. Despite being a common summer crop, you can still sow Pak Choi in the late summer so they can be transplanted under a cover in the fall.
Bottom Line
Growing winter vegetables does not have to feel like rocket science. You can make the best use of your plot and protect them from the cold to get the very best results. These vegetables should be sown into cells and later transplanted into your soil borders.
Don't have an unheated greenhouse? You can simply grow your winter vegetables under a polytunnel, a cloche, or a cold frame. Or if you're looking for a new area in Texas to grow your crops, then search for Texas land and farm properties on our site today.