Do you want to know about overwintering vegetables? If you do, you are in the right place at the right time because I am here to tell you all about it. In zone 7A, cool-weather vegetables can usually be planted outdoors in early February. These crops include beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, turnips, kale, and collards. Delicious produce doesn't just grow in the summer; some of the best fall and winter vegetables reach maturity during the cold-weather months.
Popular winter plants include leafy greens that can survive the harshest conditions like snow, rain, and ice, or carrots, turnips, onions, and other stew-ready vegetables. The hardiest vegetables that can withstand heavy frost or air temperatures below 28 degrees include spinach, onions, garlic, leeks, rhubarb, rutabaga, broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, cabbage, collards, Brussels sprouts, corn salad, arugula, fava beans, radish, and mustard greens.
Cool-season crops can be grown in Zone 7A right through the winter with a little bit of gardening know-how and some frost protection measures. Regions in these zones experience extended fall seasons, so if a winter crop is planted early enough, winter harvests can be plentiful. For many in Zone 7A, having a year-round garden is well within reach, but there are some other essential tasks to do in December to keep your gardens and tools in tip-top condition.
Then, in April, plant the warm-season crops: beans, cucumbers, eggplants, okra, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. Late summer and fall offer Zone 7A gardeners a second chance to plant. The trick is to wait until the really hot weather has passed, but not wait too long or the plants won't have time to mature before the cold and dark of midwinter. Cold-hardy plants can be planted in late August, September, and even early October.
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