Lady Lee's Home

Grow, Preserve, and Cook Your Own Food

  • Gardening
  • Preserving
  • Homesteading
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • About Lady Lee

5 Easiest Cold-Weather Crops to Grow in The Home Garden

by Lee 44 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure policy for details.

Please share this content if you like it. Thank You!

603shares
  • Facebook 8
  • Email
  • Print

In this post, we will go over 5 cold-weather crops that are super easy to grow. They are easy to plant, easy to care for, and are useful in the kitchen if it’s for cooking or fresh eating. If you are a beginning gardener, these are great crops to start with. If you are an experienced gardener, these are a go-to for starting your garden early. 

Pssst… Come closer. I have a secret to tell you… I don’t like gardening in the Summer.

Here, I said it. Here in the South, Summers are wet as the ocean, humid as a sauna, hot as a furnace and don’t even start me on the bugs… Especially the mosquitos!

I still garden in the Summer, of course, but I much prefer the fall garden or the early spring garden. There are much fewer bugs, I don’t need to water almost at all, it’s nice and cool so working outside is easier, and it’s not as wet and humid as in the summer. Thankfully, there is a ton of cold-weather crops to grow in the spring and fall garden.

So, every year, in the fall or early spring, I plant a bunch of cold-weather crops in my raised garden beds. Some of them are not easy to grow, for example, cabbage or broccoli. Others are as simple as can be.

5 Easiest Cold Weather Crops to Grow in The Home Garden…

5 easiest cold-weather crops to grow in your Spring or Fall garden. Fast-growing, no special soil requirements, easy to plant, can be started early, no pests and useful in the kitchen. #gardening #organicgardening #vegetablegardening #springgardenWhen I say “easy crops to grow”, I mean…

1. Easy to plant (can be direct seeded).

2. Can be started early (as soon as the soil can be worked).

3. No special soil requirements.

4. No pests (or almost no pests problems).

5. Useful in the kitchen and easy to handle.

6.  Fast growing (less than 60 days).

Before I start down the list, let me remind you that I am gardening in the south, zone 7b. I believe those five crops will grow well and easy everywhere, but you might need to adjust planting times and care according to your climate.

5 easiest cold-weather crops to grow in your Spring or Fall garden. Fast growing, no special soil requirements, easy to plant, can be started early, no pests and useful in the kitchen. #gardening #organicgardening #howtoplantagaden #plantingvegetables #howtogrowlettuce #howtogrowspinach #howtogrowgreenonion #howtogrowradish #coldweathercrops #fallgardeningLettuce – who doesn’t like lettuce? The crisp, sweet leaves are the perfect base for every good salad and a must ingredient in most sandwiches.

lettuce seeds can be direct seeded as early as the soil can be worked (soil temperature around 40F) in the Spring, or when temperatures cool down a bit at the end of Summer.

Plant 8-10 inches apart. Yes, lettuce seeds are tiny, and it might be hard to space them correctly, but if to be honest, I don’t try too hard. I spread the seeds and pick young lettuces as they grow, making sure to leave a few spaced correctly so they can reach full size. I eat the young lettuces that I thin and they are delicious!

So in other words, I thin as the lettuce grow and enjoy the young harvest leaving a few lettuces to reach full size. It’s a great way to get more from a small garden.

Lettuce grows best at 60-65F and will be ready for harvest around 56 days. I plant lettuce in the middle of March and harvest the full-size lettuces in May, right when summer crops need to be planted.

I never had problems with pests when it comes to lettuce, and as long as you have decent soil you’ll get a great harvest. Of course, compost makes everything better so don’t hesitate to mix it into your soil before planting or add it around the plants later (I use worm castings).

5 easiest cold-weather crops to grow in your Spring or Fall garden. Fast growing, no special soil requirements, easy to plant, can be started early, no pests and useful in the kitchen. #gardening #organicgardening #howtoplantagaden #plantingvegetables #howtogrowlettuce #howtogrowspinach #howtogrowgreenonion #howtogrowradish #coldweathercrops #fallgardening

Green Onion –  sweet oniony flavor, thick shafts, no bulbs. Like lettuce, green onion is great in salads and sandwiches. It’s also used a lot in the Asian kitchen.

Green onion can be direct seeded in the garden as soon as the soil can be worked in early Spring or in late Summer when the air cools down slightly.

Those seeds are very small, but even though it says on the back of the seed packet to plant 1/4-1/2 inch apart, I never space green onion. I dig a trench about half an inch deep, sprinkle the seeds and cover them. They always grow great even if they touch each other.

Green onion takes 60 days to reach maturity. If you don’t have much space consider growing green onions in pots. You can even grow them inside the house during the winter (if you have good light). If you still have green onions in your garden at the end of Fall, make sure to cover them before the frost comes. They can last in the garden all Winter if covered.

I’ve never tried it but I’ve heard that you can place the bottom end (roots) of the green onions back in your garden and you’ll have a fresh batch of onions a few weeks later. Anyone has tried this?


5 easiest cold-weather crops to grow in your Spring or Fall garden. Fast growing, no special soil requirements, easy to plant, can be started early, no pests and useful in the kitchen. #gardening #organicgardening #howtoplantagaden #plantingvegetables #howtogrowlettuce #howtogrowspinach #howtogrowgreenonion #howtogrowradish #coldweathercrops #fallgardeningSwiss Chard – this is one of my favorite crops to grow. You can’t find it in the grocery stores around here, once in a while I’ll see it at the farmer’s market. I am not sure why not many people eat chard, it may be the easiest of all crops to grow, and there are so many things you can do with those thick, mild, delicious leaves.

You can add them to salads, soups, pasta sauce, or make chard patties.

Chard can be planted as soon as you can work the soil in the spring, or at the end of Summer for Fall and Winter.

The seeds are pretty big, therefore, easy to handle. If you want very big leaves, plant the seeds 4-6 inches apart.

To plant,  dig a trench 3/4 inch deep, space the seeds and cover them. They grow great even if they are close to each other.

You can harvest baby leaves at 28 days or let them grow bigger and harvest at 55 days. At harvest, don’t pull the plant out, just cut the big leaves, and others will keep growing (like with kale). It’s the plant that keeps giving. Chard will easily grow in pots as well.

5 easiest cold-weather crops to grow in your Spring or Fall garden. Fast growing, no special soil requirements, easy to plant, can be started early, no pests and useful in the kitchen. #gardening #organicgardening #howtoplantagaden #plantingvegetables #howtogrowlettuce #howtogrowspinach #howtogrowgreenonion #howtogrowradish #coldweathercrops #fallgardening

Radish – there are so many kinds of radishes; small, round, long, white, red, both or in between. Some of them are mild and some sharp. I prefer the mild kind. I mainly add radish to salads, I think that you can also cook the radish leaves, and of course make pickles and such.

Seeds are small and round. Planting one inch apart for the small round verity in the picture is enough, but every verity is different so look at the back of your seed packet. Spacing is important with radishes!

Radishes sprout very fast and reach maturity within 30 days. It’s important not to leave them in the ground for too long, or the round root will split and they will become woody and bitter.

Radish will last forever in the refrigerator. If you grow enough in early Spring, you can store them in the fridge and enjoy them all Summer long. Then, plant some more at the end of Summer, harvest and store in the refrigerator or keep them covered in the garden and you can have radish all Winter long.

You might want to let some of your radish flower. The flowers are not only beautiful but also edible. You can add them to salads, soups, pasta or fish dishes.

5 easiest cold-weather crops to grow in your Spring or Fall garden. Fast growing, no special soil requirements, easy to plant, can be started early, no pests and useful in the kitchen. #gardening #organicgardening #howtoplantagaden #plantingvegetables #howtogrowlettuce #howtogrowspinach #howtogrowgreenonion #howtogrowradish #coldweathercrops #fallgardeningSpinach – last but not least. There are so many ways to use those small, dark green leaves; add them to salads, soups, dough, pastries, sauces, pasta, and many other dishes. Or make those to-die-for spinach patties in cilantro and lemon sauce.

Spinach can be direct seeded in early spring or late summer. Plant half an inch deep. No special spacing or soil requirements.

Seeds are relatively large and easy to handle. You can harvest baby leaves between 3 to 5 weeks or let the leaves grow bigger for a couple more weeks. When harvesting, cut 1/2 inch above the soil line, the plant will keep growing and within a couple of weeks you’ll have fresh, new spinach.

These are regular plants in my garden. I plant them every year, in the spring and fall, and they never disappoint me. It’s very nice to start the growing season with easy crops, just to get things going.  The benefit of growing them in the Fall is that they grow fast and reach maturity before the frost. If covered (here in the south) they last forever in the ground so you can eat from the garden all winter long.

Do you grow any of these? Do you find them easy?

Posted on December 2, 2018 · Last updated September 21, 2020 · Growing Vegetables

« Pulled Venison Wrap With Red Cabbage Salad
Quick, Easy, and Healthy, Fresh Green Bean Recipe »

Comments

    Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Andrea says

    March 19, 2014 at 11:18 am

    Wonderful article, thank you!!!

    Reply
  2. Barbara Mc says

    March 20, 2014 at 7:29 am

    I don’t know where you get all your energy from. So glad I caught this post. Have missed you. Glad you’re home and can’t wait to see and hear about the rest of your trip….I cheated and skipped from this post over to the Israel post and then came back here….beautiful.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      March 20, 2014 at 7:44 am

      Thanks Barbara! You can cheat all you want, no rules here 🙂

      Reply
  3. janetpesaturo says

    March 20, 2014 at 10:43 am

    Thanks for sharing on Think Tank Thursday. Nice list and summary of easy spring crops. I agree with you on chard. I always grow it because it is so easy and no pests bother it. Also, it grows well over a much longer season than spinach (bolts here), so with chard in the garden, we always have something spinach-like over the whole growing season.

    To extend the season for lettuces, I direct seed and plant transplants. We have a nice long season of greens.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      March 20, 2014 at 2:15 pm

      Chard is great! I also use it just like spinach, many things to do with it. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  4. Anna @ NorthernHomestead says

    March 20, 2014 at 3:19 pm

    Welcome back! I wish I could plant at least one of this in my garden on this first day of spring, instead we got a snow storm – sigh. But on the bride side of things, we can grow most of them all through the summer ;). Pinning it!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      March 20, 2014 at 3:31 pm

      Oh my! It is in the upper 60’s here today and I wish it will stay like this from now on. Take a deep breath, Spring will get there eventually.

      Reply
  5. Easy Life Meal & Party Planning says

    March 21, 2014 at 10:09 am

    I cannot wait to start digging in the garden but it seems like we can’t break free of winter here in Iowa. Great post it made me feel good to think about what I will be planting soon. Pinning to my Garden board. Stopping by from Real Food Friday party.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      March 21, 2014 at 2:21 pm

      Thanks so much for sharing and for stopping by. You’ll be digging soon 🙂

      Reply
  6. Sharon @ Farm Fresh Family says

    March 21, 2014 at 8:06 pm

    Great tips! We’ve been growing TONS of lettuce in our commercial aquaponics system!

    Reply
  7. Monica says

    March 22, 2014 at 6:16 am

    What great tips! I’m going to save this to read again later. For now, our garden space is still covered with snow. I can’t wait to start our garden this year!

    Reply
  8. Taylor-Made Ranch Homestead says

    March 23, 2014 at 10:20 pm

    Hey gal – I love reading your blog so I’ve nominated you for the Liebster Award!

    ~Taylor-Made Ranch~
    Wolfe City, Texas

    Reply
    • Lee says

      March 24, 2014 at 7:13 am

      Oh wow! Thanks so much!

      Reply
  9. Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow says

    March 24, 2014 at 7:27 am

    I don’t have a big garden but I plant lettuce in the spring ( too early here though…it’s about 22 degrees right now! 🙂 and then later on tomatoes and cukes, some pepper plants.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      March 24, 2014 at 9:26 am

      The nice thing is that chard, spinach, green onion maybe even lettuce can be planted in pots too. So even if you don’t have a big garden there is still a lot you can grow. We have crazy weather here… one day it’s 70F and the next it’s 40F and icy. I am really ready for Spring! I bet you are too. Thanks for visiting!

      Reply
  10. Amanda Smith says

    March 26, 2014 at 12:00 am

    I want to plant so bad! But it is too wet. I think I am going to have to start out gardening in pots this year.

    Reply
  11. Summers Acres says

    March 26, 2014 at 9:14 pm

    We have been thinking about adding chard to our garden veggies. Thanks for sharing with us at The HomeAcre Hop!

    ~Ann

    Reply
  12. Carrie says

    March 27, 2014 at 8:52 am

    I’m so looking forward to getting some plants in the ground. But the temperatures in the teens and the several inches of snow we got this week are not helping matters! Soon enough, I guess.
    Thanks for linking this up at Think Tank Thursday. I have featured you today. http://saving4six.com/2014/03/welcome-to-think-tank-thursday-74.html

    Reply
    • Lee says

      March 27, 2014 at 1:33 pm

      Thank you so much for featuring my post! Even though I got some things starting to sprout outside it is still very cold here too. Much colder than last year. I am so ready for Spring! I bet you are too.

      Reply
  13. Matt says

    March 28, 2014 at 10:35 pm

    We throw a handful of spinach into smoothies. It’s a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      March 28, 2014 at 11:38 pm

      Ha, never thought of doing that. Great tip, thanks.

      Reply
  14. Sally at Garden Valley Homestead says

    August 4, 2014 at 5:35 pm

    I plan to grow a lot of lettuce…because we eat it everyday. But, I won’t seed until September. It’s just too hot until then. Thanks for the post! (Welcome back from Israel!)

    Reply
  15. Andrea says

    August 10, 2014 at 11:34 pm

    Thanks for the list! I will be sure to pin it, so I have access to it come next spring 🙂

    Thanks for linking up to Natural Living Monday. We’ll be featuring your link this week!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      August 11, 2014 at 7:30 am

      Thanks! You can also use it for a Fall garden if you grow one.

      Reply
  16. Caitlin | belong with wildflowers says

    August 28, 2014 at 3:45 pm

    Stopping by from Green Thumb Thursday // I never thought of starting spinach for a fall garden… thanks for these great tips!

    Reply
  17. Cynthia Banessa says

    August 28, 2014 at 7:14 pm

    Thanks for the gardening advice…now I have an idea of what I will be planting!

    Reply
  18. Jennifer A says

    September 1, 2014 at 3:44 pm

    I’m in the same zone and am the same way! I love gardening in the fall and spring, but the weeds and heat in the summer kill me every time. I’m looking forward to these fall crops, I need to go through out some seeds! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      September 1, 2014 at 9:05 pm

      I am taking care of the weeds by mulching. I love hay mulch. My garden is not big so a couple of bales last me the whole Summer and Winter. I also have a watering system so I don’t need to stand outside in the heat to water. Those two things cut my Summer garden chores probably in half. Thanks for visiting.

      Reply
  19. lisa lynn says

    September 4, 2014 at 8:59 am

    Great post…I featured you today on The HomeAcre Hop!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      September 4, 2014 at 1:30 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  20. LoveyO says

    September 17, 2014 at 11:26 am

    You’re just great! I’m putting in a watering system next spring for sure. Meanwhile my little veggies are lovin’ the cool snap we’re having here in the mid-atlantic region!

    Reply
  21. domain says

    October 22, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    Good info. Lucky me I came across your blog by accident (stumbleupon).
    I’ve book-marked it for later!

    Reply
  22. lisa M says

    February 19, 2015 at 3:16 pm

    I really wish we liked radishes. They seem like such an easy cool weather crop. Hopefully the snow will melt so I can get some spinach in soon. Thanks for the tips!

    Thanks for linking up with Green Thumb Thursday. I hope you’ll link up again this week!

    ~Lisa

    Reply
    • Lee says

      February 19, 2015 at 8:35 pm

      Lisa, I just wrote about Mache. https://ladyleeshome.com/growing-mache-corn-salad/
      If you like spinach, you’ll love Mache.

      Reply
  23. Linda Ursin says

    March 27, 2016 at 4:13 pm

    My crops are mainly herbs, and I’m about to decide which seeds to plant this year. The soil is far from workable here in the Norwegian mountains. Summer plants can’t be put outside until Midsummer. I have grown things like lettuce and carrots before, but my earliest that is already showing signs of growth, is a spring onion I put in the ground as food scraps three years ago, just to see if it would grow. It’s amazing that it’s still alive.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      March 27, 2016 at 8:12 pm

      Definitely amazing. There are crops that love the chill of winter. Onions and garlic are some. You can plant them in the fall before the first frost come, they will rest in the ground during the winter and will start growing in the spring. Another one you might want to try if you can get seeds is mache. Here is a post I did about it a while ago: https://ladyleeshome.com/growing-mache-corn-salad/
      I bet you have a beautiful view there in the mountains!

      Reply
      • Linda Ursin says

        March 28, 2016 at 2:30 am

        Thanks. I’ll check it out. We definitely do have a great view here 🙂

        Reply
  24. website says

    December 20, 2018 at 11:48 am

    This site was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have
    found something that helped me. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      December 20, 2018 at 6:04 pm

      Thanks for the feedback! And I am so happy you found my blog helpful! Thanks for stopping by and please make sure to come back.

      Reply
  25. website says

    December 26, 2018 at 10:10 pm

    Thank you for another wonderful post. Where
    else could anyone get that type of info in such a perfect approach of writing?
    I have a presentation next week, and I am on the search for such info.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      December 27, 2018 at 6:45 am

      Thank you for your kind words! I am happy you liked it!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Welcome to Think Tank Thursday #74 | Saving 4 Six says:
    March 26, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    […] 5 Easiest Cool Weather Crops to Start Your Garden by Lady Lee’s Home […]

    Reply
  2. Sunday Snippets says:
    March 30, 2014 at 5:22 pm

    […] 5 Easiest Cool-Weather Crops To Start Your Garden With from Lady Lee’s Home. This is good advice for your early garden! […]

    Reply
  3. My Week on Wednesday and The First Day of Spring » Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers says:
    March 19, 2015 at 3:12 pm

    […] The Easiest Cold-Weather Crops to Grow in Your Garden from Lady Lee’s Home […]

    Reply

Follow me on...

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Hi! I’m Lee Traister, a.k.a Lady Lee. I help homesteaders simplify their homesteading journey while still producing a ton of food! I am a single mother of four, I was born in Israel and raised in an agricultural commune called a Kibbutz. Now I homestead in central NC.

Learn More About Me…

Search Lady Lee’s Home…

Featured Posts…

Growing Matt’s Wild Cherry Tomatoes

How to Freeze Tomatoes

Can You Freeze Onions?

How to Build a Chicken Coop From Pallet Wood

How to Can Meat

Mediterranean Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Standard Disclosure

In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.
FTC Disclosure
Privacy Policy

Medical Disclosure

All materials and statements provided on this website are for informational purposes only and should not be taken as a substitute for professional medical or health advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified health care professional for any questions you may have regarding your symptoms or medical conditions and before taking any home remedies or supplements. The statements on this web site have not been evaluated by the FDA.

Amazon Associate Disclosure

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2021 · Lady Lee's Home · All Rights Reserved

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy