The Ultimate Guide to Planting a Winter Vegetable Garden

A keyhole design makes the most of a smaller yard because it gives over minimal real estate to pathways. Make beds no wider than 4 feet for easy maintenance and harvest; keep soil loose and healthy by walking on pathways only. In this Test Garden plot, we created symmetrical plantings for a flow of colors and textures. The beds measure 2 1⁄2 feet wide and 9 feet long, connecting at one end, and feature (clockwise):

• Collard ‘Top Bunch’
• Mustard ‘Southern Giant’
• Collard ‘Georgia’
• Brokali (broccoli/kale hybrid)
• Swiss chard ‘Bright Lights’
• Mustard ‘Red Giant’
• Cabbage ‘Stonehead’
• Mustard ‘Southern Giant’
• Cabbage ‘Red Jewel’
• Frisée
• Viola ‘Sorbet Coconut Swirl’

In a larger yard, simple rows have graphic impact (think of striped farmland). Make beds no wider than 4 feet for easy maintenance and harvest; keep soil loose and healthy by walking on pathways only. In an area measuring 15 by 18 feet, we kept beds graphic by planting bands of a single vegetable variety, then created a backdrop with tall vining crops. The four rows are 7 feet long, of varying widths, and include (clockwise):

• Cabbage ‘Red Jewel’
• Cabbage ‘Stonehead’
• Mustard ‘Southern Giant’
• Swiss chard ‘Bright Lights’
• Sugar snap peas ‘Super Sugar’
• Siberian garlic
• Garlic ‘Early Italian Red’
• Elephant garlic
• Italian parsley
• Mustard ‘Red Giant’
• Cutting celery
• Arugula
• Chives
• Frisée
• Carrot ‘Rainbow Sun’

As much as we love ripe tomatoes, by midsummer, we’re already fantasizing about our fall vegetable garden. While rangy tomato vines and dead cornstalks make their way to the compost pile this time of year, we replant our Test Garden beds with the prettiest edibles: structural Swiss chard, voluptuous cabbage plants, and vining snap peas. By getting the garden established in the still-warm fall days and watered by rainfall, a cool-season garden looks good from autumn through spring. Click ahead for tips from our vegetable plots, from design advice to the best vegetables to plant for the cool season.

The sturdy stalks of 'Bright Lights' come in a rainbow of colors, including gold, pink, red, and white; the frilly leaves are dark green.

Bright lime 'Green Wave' has frilly leaves and won't bolt (rush to seed) as fast as other mustards when weather warms. Here are some great ways to use this variety in your cooking:

• Chop greens and simmer in chicken stock with slices of ginger and bean-thread noodles
• Sprinkle chopped greens into risotto
• Mix greens into rice dressing for roasted turkey or chicken

Bright green leaves practically glow in a fall garden and is a gorgeous addition to a winter vegetable garden. The hot flavor mellows when cooked, and this variety is slow to bolt.

Super-ruffled 'Winterbor' is a vigorous grower that stands up to cold temperatures. Leaves turn sweeter after frost.

• Blanch, then add to penne pasta along with cooked Italian sausage.
• Pan-fry in extra-virgin olive oil with preserved lemon and red chile flakes.
• Simmer until tender, chop, and layer into meat or vegetarian lasagna.

This broccoli/kale hybrid produces small broccoli heads and side shoots that keep growing large, tender leaves.

• Steam florets and toss while still warm with your favorite vinaigrette.
• Sauté florets in butter with oil-popped mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• Roast florets with olive oil, olives, and halved shallots.

'Cassius' has round, creamy white heads that reach 7 to 8 inches across, with a rich flavor.

• Braise with olive oil, onions, bacon, and caraway seeds.
• Chop coarsely and pan-fry in butter with diced potatoes.
• Steam individual leaves until just tender, then use the leaves as wraps for steaming fish.

Stunning both in the garden and on the plate, ‘Red Jewel’ forms deep burgundy leaves in almost perfectly round heads. The mild flavor, crisp texture, and stunning color make it one of our favorites for cool-season edible gardens.

• Slice and sautéed with plenty of garlic and olive oil
• Add to hot soup broth and allow to soften before serving
• Thinly slice and eat raw dressed with sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and slivered almonds

Similar to the all-green varieties in flavor, red bok choi (also called red bok choy or red pak choi) grows beautiful russet leaves which deepen in color in cool temperatures. Harvest outer leaves to add to salad mixes or cut the entire plant to stir fry.

Closely related to leek, elephant garlic forms unusually large edible bulbs with a mild garlic flavor. Young leaves can also be snipped and used like scallions.

Grow tall peas with the support of trellising or choose a bush-variety that requires no support. ‘Super Sugar Snap’ (pictured) is a tall-growing variety that can be eaten either as a whole-pod when picked young or left on the vine and harvested for shelling the peas.

Start seeds for carrots in sandy soil completely free of rocks and clods. ‘Purple Sun’ produces deep purple carrots with a center sunburst of gold—particularly pretty sliced in salads.

Soil. Till the bed with a garden fork to remove rocks and break up clumps before raking the soil smooth. Then cover the soil with a few inches of compost, till that in, and rake again.

Planting. Start most of the seeds indoors in September―except arugula, which you can sow directly in the ground―then transplant seedlings outdoors six to eight weeks later. (In cold climates, plant in spring.) Always sow extra seeds in case some don't germinate, and keep excess seedlings in case any plants in the ground fail.

Spacing. Though you can follow the recommendations on the seed packets, space seedlings on the tighter end of the range so the beds will look lush.

More: Your guide to cool-season crops

Remember, you can grow winter greens for ornamental purposes as well as utility. Place different shapes and colors next to one another. Here, frilly green leaves of chartreuse mustard pop against purple cabbage.

Include an edge of violas for cheer; the edible blossoms can dress up winter salads too.

Create a simple A-frame trellis out of bamboo and wire to support vining snap peas­—and add a lush backdrop to beds.

Plant crops that produce all season, like kale and chard. They maintain garden structure as you pull out single-harvest ones, like cabbage.