Fall and Winter LEAFY GREENS
A beautiful sampling of some of the leafy greens you can grow in your fall and winter garden, including different varieties of kale, spinach, lettuce, chicory, and even wild chickweed! Spinach is a very fast-growing, cool weather vegetable.
Ornamental kale and cabbage are some of the most popular winter annual plants. They lend a completely different texture to a winter landscape bed. Once the plants are hardened by cooler night temperatures they can survive most cold winters.
Bright reds, soft pinks, sunny yellows –– these colors can still pepper your lawn, even when there's snow. You just need winter flowers that bloom in the cold. Viola, winter jasmine, calendulas, and many plants love cooler temperatures, and they don't hesitate to take advantage of winter's pollinators.
Clay and terracotta pots are prone to cracking in frost so they should be avoided in most cases as outdoor pots during the winter. Some good options for winter pots include fiberglass, wood, treated terra cotta, and plastic pots as they'll offer extra protection for your plant. You can even try out some window boxes.
The general rule of thumb for planting a winter vegetable garden in Zones 7 to 10 is to plant during October. In Zone 6, get plants in the ground in late September. Finesse the timing with resources from your local extension office.
Radishes are one of the fastest-growing vegetables, taking just three to four weeks to reach harvest time. They are also exceptionally easy to grow. They can be grown in pots as well and sprout within just 3-4 days.
These cold-weather champs are kale, spinach and collards. Other hardy vegetables include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, English peas, kohlrabi and leeks. Hardy root crops are radishes and turnip, which also yields some greens from the tops. Other hardy greens include kale, mustard greens and collards.
Radishes. One of the fastest-growing vegetable plants you can grow is radish. Some types are ready to eat in as little as 3 weeks from seeding. They are a cool-season vegetable, meaning they do best in spring or fall, before or after the heat of summer.
Radish. Radishes are probably the fastest growing vegetable in your garden, being ready to pick in as little as 30 days from planting the seeds. Their peppery flavor is a hit on the vegetable tray or added to a fresh lettuce salad.
Microgreens can be grown on a windowsill and go from sowing the seeds to harvesting in as little as two weeks. They are the seedlings of plants and are packed with nutrition and flavor. Common microgreens to grow at home include cress, radish, beets, pea shoots, and arugula.
Leafy vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, kale, collards, and chard can tolerate some frost. Early spring blooming flowers like crocus, snowdrop, and primrose can all survive the winter, and pansies are especially resilient.
Late winter is 4 to 6 weeks before spring thaw begins. This could be any time in January to May, depending on your climate. Use your average last frost date and count back.
The general rule of thumb is that most plants freeze when temperatures remain at 28°F for five hours. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Seedlings, with their tender new leaves, often give up the ghost when temperatures dip to 32-33°F. Tropical plants have differing low-temperature thresholds.
In the Winter Planter and Window Box, I used spruce tips, cedar branches, balsam, white pine boughs and dyed eucalyptus. I added in some faux, waterproof berries and some pine cones on picks. I love the different textures and the color contrasts.
Ornamental grasses are sturdy and can brave the elements and stay beautiful while they do it. Decorative berries are staples in any outdoor winter planter. Juniper, holly, and winterberry stems and their foliage are a beautiful addition to your pots and planters.
Bamboo tops the list of our fastest growing plants, sometimes growing 5ft (1.5m) in one season or even 3ft (0.9m) in 24 hours!
Summary: Wolffia, also known as duckweed, is the fastest-growing plant known, but the genetics underlying this strange little plant's success have long been a mystery to scientists. New findings about the plant's genome explain how it's able to grow so fast.