What grows well in a winter garden? You can sow seeds for winter vegetable crops, like salad greens, radishes, carrots, onions, Swiss chard, English peas and kale. Look for transplants of other cool-season vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. Herb transplants also appear in garden centers during winter.
What should I do to my garden in winter?
10 Ways to Prepare Your Garden for Winter
- Clean up diseased plants. Leave the rest in place.
- Remove invasive weeds that may have taken hold over the growing season.
- Amend your soil for spring.
- Plant cover crops.
- Prune perennials with care.
- Divide and plant bulbs.
- Harvest and regenerate your compost.
- Replenish mulch.
How do you layout a winter garden?
Here they offer ideas you can use when planning a winter garden.
- Create structure with beautiful, bare branches.
- Use hedging as a backdrop to winter garden planting.
- Man-made structures can create focal points.
- Choose winter plants for bold color.
- Plant for fragrance.
- Create architectural interest with ornamental grasses.
What can I plant in winter NZ?
Winter Vegetable Planting Guide
| Vegetable |
Sowing time (warm) |
Harvest in* (Approx) |
| Cauliflower |
Sow in seed trays from February |
70-120 days |
| Carrots** |
Direct sow any time of year |
60-90 days |
| Kale (Brocole) |
Direct sow any time of year |
50-65 days |
| Leeks |
Sow in seed trays from late January into February |
105-140 days |
What grows well in a winter garden? – Additional Questions
What veggies grow best in the winter NZ?
Here is a list of vegetables that grow well in winter in NZ:
- lettuce,
- mesclun,
- onion,
- radish,
- rocket,
- silverbeet,
- spinach,
- spring onions.
What Veg Can I grow all year round?
Brassicas – kale, cabbage, turnips, broccoli will all grow over the winter months. Some varieties of spinach beet will survive frosts. Root veg such as carrots and beetroot can be harvested late autumn, and stored carefully for several months. As can potatoes, onions and garlic.
What flowers grow in winter NZ?
Our Favourite Winter Flowers
- Hellebores (Winter Roses) Hellebores are shade tolerant and are ideal for use as a ground cover under trees.
- Polyanthus. Polyanthus are a hardy perennial which come in many colours.
- Pansies. Pansies smiling faces bring cheer to the winter garden.
- Calendula.
- Ornamental Kale.
What flowers can I plant now NZ?
For a blast of flower power this growing season now is the right time to plant out flowering stalwarts such as cosmos, dianthus, Queen Anne’s Lace, lobelia, snapdragons, cornflower, stocks, and sweet peas. In warmer areas petunias, begonias, impatiens and Livingstone daisies can be planted.
Can you plant trees in winter NZ?
Plant. The best times of the year for planting are during the autumn months of April to May or late winter – spring (August – September). Planting outside the cooler winter months means that a lot of watering may be required to keep plants alive.
Can you grow tomatoes in winter NZ?
The only way to grow tomatoes in winter is in a glasshouse or tunnel house. Because of the lack of sunshine hours in winter, they do take a bit longer to ripen. If you grow the tomatoes in a large pot, a sunny conservatory would be suitable.
How do you grow vegetables in the winter?
Protect winter root crops like carrots, beets, celeriac, and parsnips with a deep mulch of shredded leaves or straw. Quick cloches are perfect for protecting container vegetables or mature garden plants like kale. To make one, slip a tomato cage overtop your plant, or or surround it with three to four bamboo posts.
Can you grow tomatoes all year round NZ?
Tomatoes generally need three months of warm, frost free weather to produce well. With protection, plants can be grown from August onwards. Labour weekend is the traditional time for planting tomatoes but they can be planted outdoors as soon as conditions allow, usually after the risk of frost has gone.
Can you plant tomatoes in January NZ?
You can plant tomato seedlings from late October until January in warmer regions, and November and December in cooler regions. Don’t be in a rush to get plants in the ground, especially in cooler regions; with this crop steady warmth is key to strong early growth.
What can I plant in January NZ?
January
- Harvest summer vege crops of tomato, lettuce, cucumber, courgette, eggplant, new potatoes, onion, garlic, beans, peas, lettuces, radish, silverbeet, spring onion etc.
- Pick veges every day to encourage continuous fruiting – especially peas, beans, eggplant, cucumbers and courgettes.
Do I need to water tomatoes every day?
So, how often should you water tomato plants? Tomato plants need to be watered daily or every other day unless you have had recent rain. The plants need 1-1.5 inches of water per week, but container-grown tomato plants need to be watered twice per day.
Does lettuce grow in winter NZ?
Hi Joan, the best cold hardy winter lettuce varieties are Cos, Tom Thumb, Little Gem, Lamb’s Ear lettuce, Corn Salad, loose leaf varieties such as oak leaf green and red, mesclun winter greens, there is a hearting variety called Imperial Triumph that is cold tolerant.
What veg can you grow outside in winter?
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, kale, leeks and parsnips are hardy vegetables and will stand through the winter. Leafy crops such as chard, parsley and rocket should also over-winter with a little protection.
Can you grow tomatoes in winter?
This year’s Burke’s Backyard Winter Tomato seeds include the popular Giant Tree Tomato and three other cool-season varieties for you to try. There are around 50 seeds per pack, so sow these and you are bound to get plenty of tomatoes to enjoy through the cooler months.
Does spinach grow in winter?
Spinach thrives in the cool, shorter days of autumn and well into winter. I sow the seed in my cold frames and polytunnel in mid to late September, as well as in a few open garden beds.
Can potatoes grow in winter?
Potatoes can grow in winter as long as they get enough light and are protected from freezes or hard frosts. Potatoes can grow outdoors in winter in warmer southern climates, such as Florida. In colder climates, potatoes can grow in winter if planted in containers indoors or in a heated greenhouse.
What are winter vegetables?
However, some vegetables can survive the cold, even under a blanket of snow. These are known as winter vegetables, due to their ability to withstand cold, harsh weather.
The 10 Healthiest Winter Vegetables
- Kale.
- Brussels Sprouts.
- Carrots.
- Swiss Chard.
- Parsnips.
- Collard Greens.
- Rutabagas.
- Red Cabbage.