Hearty Plants to Grow in Winter

The weather outside may be frightful, but it’s not too early to start planning your springtime garden or even growing indoors! Some cold-hardy varieties can be planted as soon as the ground is thawed to yield early-season greens. Additionally, some plants thrive on a blend of indoor/outdoor growing time and can be grown inside during the winter and moved outside when the weather warms up. And don’t forget seed starting, if you live in a more temperate zone, such as zone 8 or warmer, now’s the time to start your outdoor veggies under a greenhouse light so they’re ready to thrive when spring rolls around.

Keep reading to learn more about hearty plants to grow in winter!

Understanding Your Zone

Not all plants will grow well in every climate, so before you decide what to grow in winter, it’s best to understand your growing zone, or your USDA plant hardiness zone. If you don’t know your zone, click here and enter your zip code to figure it out. Once you understand your growing zone, you can better select plants for your vegetable garden and landscaping, no matter the season.

5 Winter-Hearty Plants

Most plants, when cared-for correctly in the right zone will survive the winter months, although they may appear dormant and colorless. However, here are 5 plant varieties you may want to consider growing during the cooler months.

Olive Trees

Olive trees are both beautiful and beneficial as they can both add greenery to your home and boost your health. You may already know about the benefits of the olive fruit, but what you may not know is that the olive leaf has nutritional benefits as well. Olive leaf extract can support blood health, reduce free radicals, and may support a healthy immune response.

In case you don’t live in a zone that’s conducive to growing your own olive tree, check out this Olive Leaf Extract from Gaia Herbs, these Olive Leaf Capsules from Oregon’s Wild Harvest, and these 500 mg Olive Leaf Supplements from Natural Factors.

Holly

The subject of holiday music, holly bushes are easy to grow and hardy to zones 5 or 6. In fact the holly bush is actually greener in winter, with lovely little red berries, adding color to your homescape all year long. You’ll want to plant your holly bushes in pairs and they do best when planted in the early spring.

Evergreen Trees

Evergreen trees are the classic choice when looking to add color to your yard in the frigid months. If you live in a colder zone, these are a perfect choice as they actually require a cold freeze to thrive. Before planting evergreens in your yard, consider what purpose you want them to serve and take into consideration how tall your selected plant will be when mature.

Chard & Kale

Some of the first vegetables to be harvested each year are cold-hearty greens such as swiss chard and kale. In fact, these veggies require colder temps to produce. Rich in fiber as well as vitamins A,K, and C, swiss chard and kale can be started indoors and moved outdoors in the early spring. Unlike many other greens, they are resistant to pests and can even continue to produce indoors when moved inside and kept in cool, moist soil.

What does your winter gardening routine look like? Tell us about it in the comments section below!