Fruits and Vegetables to Plant in October that Will Grow Over the Winter

Have you noticed recently that food prices have been getting higher and higher?  Sometimes it feels like we are at the mercy and whims of people with much more power than we have.  Power to create shortages, to raise prices, to cause inflation.  So what can we do about that?  If you live in a northern climate – as I do – gardening is probably not the first thing on your mind in October.  So what can you do now to help with your potential food woes?   Fall is actually the best season to plant several different varieties of plants because either they get a good start before the ground freezes or because they do best when they overwinter.

Fruit trees

Believe it or not, fruit trees do well being planted in the fall.  When you plant them at this time of the year, you allow them to establish their roots before the ground starts to freeze.  Their growth next spring will be stronger because they will be already established.  Our perpetual garden has been one of our focuses this year.

Our other focus this year has been growing our vegetables.  While this year was far and away better than last year, we still have plenty of room to “grow” – pun so intended!

Overwintering Vegetables

What is overwintering or to overwinter?  To overwinter is to plant foods that have a VERY long time from seed to fruit.  These plant’s growth will be slowed and maybe even stalled by the cold temperatures of winter, but they will start growing again next spring.

There are a handful of vegetables that do well overwintering, and in most moderate northern areas, late September and early October.  If you live in the middle states overwintering vegetables can be planted early to mid-October.  In the south, sometimes, you can grow all winter long (depending on how far south and if you protect your food in the case of a frost).

What vegetables work well to overwinter?

Garlic

Even in the cold climates of Illinois, garlic can be overwintered.  Because garlic takes so long to grow, even if you plant garlic in the fall, it won’t be ready until next summer, but it will so be worth the wait.  There are two different types of garlic in general – hard neck and soft neck garlic.  Hardneck garlic has a strong central stem and does very well to overwinter.  Varieties of hard neck garlic include Rocambole, Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple, Asiatic, and Porcelain.

There are some tricks to planting garlic that will be overwintered.

1.)  As with everything, make sure your soil is turned, fertilized, and loose.  Adding compost wouldn’t be amiss either.

2.)  Separate the cloves of garlic and plant them individually 2-4 inches deep and 5-6 inches apart.  Water them well for several days.

3.)  Top with six inches of straw or mulch and leave them be until spring really thaws the ground out.

4.)  Once spring really arrives, cover it with another 4-6 inches of mulch.

5.)  When the garlic buds, cut the stem below the buds.  This will ensure larger heads of garlic.

6.)  When the stem starts to turn brown, but there are still several green leaves, it’s time to harvest the garlic!

Bulb Onions & Spring Onions 

I am not a fan of onions.  Besides making me cry when I slice them, they have always felt slimy to me.  When they are cooked into food, they also tend to give me tremendous heartburn.  Now, onion powder, on the other hand, I can use.  Since I know how to make onion powder from onions, this is still a win for me and my family as I spend time planting them this fall so they can overwinter.  We’ll enjoy onions or onion powder starting next summer!

Planting Onions is Simple

1.)  As with everything, make sure your soil is turned, fertilized, and loose.  Adding compost wouldn’t be amiss either.

2.)  Plant each set 1-2 inches deep and 4-6 inches apart.

3.)  Mulch your bulb onions with a fairly heavy mulch.  This is to keep them from getting water-logged and to keep them warmer during the winter.

4.)  Water your sets two times a week for the first couple of weeks.

5.)  Make sure they are fertilized before the first freeze.

To this point, we have taken the same steps with both spring onions and bulb onions.  Now we diverge slightly.

6.)  Harvesting Spring Onions – Fertilize them again about a week before harvest.  Once spring onions start to throw up their tender shoots that are 2-5 inches tall, you can snip them off and eat them.

6.)  Harvesting Bulb Onions – Fertilize them again about a week before harvest.  Once the tops of the bulb onions go brown, they are ready for harvesting!

Shallots

I find shallots very interesting because in many ways they are a combination of onions and garlic.  Their flavor sometimes seems to be a mixture between the other two vegetables.  The bulbs come apart like garlic, but the stalks can even be used in place of ‘spring onions’ as long as you leave several stalks in place to feed the shallot itself.  Like onions and garlic, they take a long time to mature – anywhere from 3-6 months.  This is one of the reasons that they make wonderful veggies to overwinter – besides the fact that the right variety can be winter hardy.

Several good varieties of shallots include French Gray, French Red Shallot, Ambition shallot, and Conservator shallot.

In order to grow shallots:

1.)  Prepare your soil, make sure that it’s not too dense and that it drains well.  Also, make sure that it either has compost or has been fertilized.

2.)  Separate each bulb and plant them just below the surface of the soil with the pointed end facing up and 4-6 inches apart.

3.)  Unlike their counterparts, shallots shouldn’t be mulched.  Make sure they are watered regularly.

4.)  When spring arrives, cut back any flower stalks so that the plant can put its effort into growing the bulb.

Just Getting Started?

Make sure that you’re starting out with the correct tools to make your growing season more successful.  Having the right tools is the difference between fairly easy and back-breaking work.

What About You?

Have you tried growing any veggies in the winter before?  Which ones have you attempted to grow?  Were you successful?  If so, share some of your tips below!

Together, let’s love, learn, practice, and overcome.

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