Urban_Garden
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Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2010 12:06 pm
Location: Indiana

Leaving veggies in the ground through winter?

I'm curious what veggies can be left in the ground over winter. I'm in Indiana btw.

I'm thinking carrots, onions?...

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nedwina
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Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:28 pm
Location: CT River Valley

Depends upon your zone and what type of veggie. And whether or not you're going to use coldframes, row covers, high tunnels, etc.

There's a local guy near me who leaves his Norland Red potatoes in all winter & digs in the spring, but I don't know when he plants.

Certain onions are good for overwintering. I will be planting some in Aug from Johnny's whose name escapes me right now.

Leek will make it in my zone 6 with just mulch. Gotta eat them early though, before they start using their stored energy to flower.

Spinach & other cool temp greens will grow under cover- but you have to monitor them closely as they can get fried by winter sunlight if not vented.

Urban_Garden
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Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2010 12:06 pm
Location: Indiana

Thank you very much! :) I guess I'm gonna plant a lot of onions and carrots! :D

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

parsley will often over-winter for me, with some protection and sometimes swiss chard. I'm in zone 6b, maybe a little more protected in the Ohio River Valley (and within the city heat island) than you. That doesn't mean that I can eat them all winter, just that they will survive and start growing again in the spring. All the root crops are good, beets, turnips, rutabagas, etc. Just mulch heavily.

garden5
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Location: ohio

I've over-wintered lettuce and spinach mustard, but both bolted come spring. Onions will bolt in the spring as well if they are exposed to cold temperatures....there a biennial.

I've even heard you can bury tomatoes in hay and they will overwinter :shock:. Something tells me that you'd have to have a fairly mild climate to do this.

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Ozark Lady
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Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet

I don't know the answer to this either, but I want to know...
I found a book that I am going to order:
Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long
The author lives in Maine? up north anyhow, and he gets vegetables all year, if he can, I know that I can!
But, he doesn't have the huge push in summer, because he has them all the time...
Wouldn't it be nice to have more leisure time in summer and still eat fresh, wholesome foods all year.
That does it, I am going to Amazon and get that book on the way to me!

FruitAddict
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Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2010 11:03 pm
Location: Oshkosh Wisconsin

I've heard Parsnips are really good if you leave them in the ground over winter.... I'm in Wisconsin and trying it for the first time this year... I'll have to report back next spring and tell you the results.

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Ozark Lady
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Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:28 pm
Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet

I did it, I ordered the book, and a book on cheesemaking.
Ask me again in about 2 weeks, the book will be here in 9 days, and I will have it read a couple times by August 1st! ha ha

I have been looking at it, thinking about it, had a huge wish list... I finally just decided, these two for now... ha ha

But, I want some others.

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jal_ut
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Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

Here at 5000 ft elevation, the winters get pretty tough. About the only thing that will winter over are real hardy thingas like Egyptioan onions and some garlic. Carrots, beets, and potatoes can be kept if put in a pit and buried below the frost line. They won't keep if just left where they grew. When the ground freezes they are ruined.

I have kept carrots over winter in the row where they grew by covering them with about 4 inches of soil then straw. I now dig them and put them in a pit so I can till the garden in the fall.

Parsmips are winter hardy and will keep fine just where they were grown.



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