Normally this hellebore blooms around Christmas. This year it bloomed early in November.

Helleborus niger in bloom on November 25, 2011 in my Indiana garden.

Radish pods are a delicious substitute for radish in a salad and they thrive in the heat of summer.

Radish pods and Japanese red mustard growing in the Indiana garden in November.

Tomatoes growing inside a cold frame in my Indiana garden on November 11, 2011.

See the vegetables that are still growing and being harvested under cover in Indiana in November.

Kale doesn't mind frost. In fact, the leaves taste sweeter after a frost has hit them.

Grow a variety of salad mixes in a cold frame and eat fresh salads all winter long.

Tomatoes growing inside a cold frame in my Indiana garden on November 5, 2011.

A number of warm-weather crops, such as tomatoes can be kept alive for several more months by erecting a cold frame over the top of them before the temperature falls below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Any stems, leaves or fruit that touch the plastic or row cover will sustain damage, so be aware of this. This is why tunnel houses often work best for taller crops.

Cabbage growing in a cold frame in my Indiana garden on November 5, 2011.

Cabbage – as well as most other cool-weather crops such as spinach, turnips, radish and carrots  do fine under cover throughout the winter. The cabbage above was planted last spring. The area where it was grown received shade all summer long. Now that the leaves have fallen, it is in full sun. The plan is to leave it in the ground until I am ready to use it to make saukerkraut or coleslaw. In fact, I have an entire bed of cabbage planted in this particular cold frame.

Here are a few other plants that take a light frost and bounce back for more. Mix and match these – and just think how much longer they would last if given some frost protection.

Swiss chard still going strong after several frosts, including a killing frost.

Japanese red mustard doesn't mind snow, or frost - and grows all winter long in the open garden without protection.

Peas can handle some frost, but providing frost protection keeps them alive longer.

Snapdragons also tolerate frost, but growing them under cover results in taller plants that bloom much longer.

Extending the growing season is all about learning which plants tolerate frost and which ones need frost protection. Just like any aspect of gardening, it is trial and error. Keep notes. Learn what you did right and what you did wrong. In no time at all, you too can be gardening year-round, even if you live in a cold climate like I do!

Normally this hellebore blooms around Christmas. This year it bloomed early in November.

A video of the Hellebore known as the Christmas rose in bloom in November in my Indiana garden.

There are many varieties of seeds ideal for winter planting including lettuce.

Fall is the appropriate time for planting winter vegetables, however winter gardening and winter planting are two very different aspects. Winter gardening is all about growing fruits, flowers and vegetables during the coldest part of the year. Winter planting is all about putting those crops – rather they are bare root plants, seeds or tubers – into the ground from December through February.

The key to winter planting is pre-planning. Potatoes and bare root plants typically require that the hole be pre-dug before the ground freezes. Now that is not to say you cannot dig frozen ground with a pick-axe or use plastic to create enough heat to allow you to dig, but let’s face it, that requires a lot of extra effort – and frankly, when it is cold enough outside to see your breath who wants to be outside long enough to plant a garden. This is why pre-planning goes a long way towards your winter planting success.

Remove weeds and plant debris in the fall so the beds are clean come winter.

When it comes to seeds, the only pre-planning required is to make sure your beds are free of weeds and cultivated so once spring arrives you aren’t trying to figure out which seedlings to remove and which ones to keep. After all, it never seems to fail that weeds grow faster than cultivated crops.

Here are a few crops that are ideal for winter planting – and best of all, if you let them set seed – once your beds are weed free – they will self-sow year-after-year.

potatoes – yes, even in United States Agricultural hardiness zone 5 – plant them from the end of November to the end of December.

lettuce

peas

radish

carrots

kale

collards

broccoli

parsnips

tomatoes

turnips

mustard

radish pods

winter squash

amaranth

rutabaga

tomatillo

arugula

beets

orach

sunflowers

bachelor buttons

celosia

cosmos

calendula

cleome

poppies

nasturtiums

four o’clocks

sweet alyssum

viola

chamomile

fennel

dill

cilantro

cutting celery

parsley

A large tunnel house in the background. Smaller tunnels covered with row cover in the center. Hoops made of plastic conduit in the front waiting to be covered.

Be sure to wait until the ground is completely frozen – which is usually after December 21. Otherwise the seeds may germinate too soon. If you live in an area with lots of bird or wildlife activity it may be necessary to cover the seeds with row cover or a cold frame to prevent them from becoming a food source for hungry critters.

Radishes are ideal fall crops.

A large tunnel house in the background. Smaller tunnels covered with row cover in the center. Hoops made of plastic conduit in the front waiting to be covered.

It doesn’t take a lot to keep frost off of plants, which is half the battle. Simply covering them with row cover is enough depending on how cold it gets and the severity of the frost. For example, last night we had a killing frost here in my Indiana garden. The vegetable plants in the open garden – with the exception of carrots, kale and peas – were killed. The plants under the row cover and plastic were fine – including the tomatoes.

Tomato in bloom after a killing frost. This plant was protected by 6 mil. plastic. and nothing else.

A neighboring tomato plant, under the plastic, with fresh tomatoes on it on October 30.

Tomatoes harvested on October 30, 2011.

So you see, growing vegetables year-round is not rocket science. In fact, anyone – even you – can do this. All it takes is a simple cold frame and selecting the right vegetables. While it is true that the tomatoes won’t make it until spring, they will survive several more months and the crops, which are all cool season crops, won’t have any problems at all making it through the winter, even here in United States Department of Agricultural hardiness zones 5/6.