He recommends covering vegetables with high or low tunnels made from metal hoops and clear plastic, available from greenhouse supply companies. No matter where you live in Oregon, 'some of the worst problems we have in the winter are with rain rather than temperature, so protecting plants from the rain is quite helpful,' Myers said. If you live in an area of the state that gets prolonged snow cover, the fluffy white stuff acts as insulating mulch and warms the soil for these tough plants, Myers said. They include purple-sprouting broccoli, Rosalind broccoli and purple kale. Vegetables that contain the pigment anthocyanin, which gives them a vibrant red or purple color, are more resistant to rots caused by winter rains, Myers said. For beets, spring market carrots and parsnips, the tops will die but the roots will tolerate lower temperatures.

Semi-hardy vegetables that can withstand light frost of air temperatures in the range of 28 to 32 degrees include beets, spring market carrots, parsnip, lettuce, chard, pea, Chinese cabbage, endive, radicchio, cauliflower, parsley and celery. If you plant cold-hardy vegetables from mid-August to early October, there is a chance they can mature by next spring if they survive in a vegetative state through the winter without reproducing.Īccording to Myers, the hardiest vegetables that can withstand heavy frost of air temperatures below 28 include spinach, Walla Walla sweet onion, garlic, leeks, rhubarb, rutabaga, broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, cabbage, chicory, Brussels sprouts, corn salad, arugula, fava beans, radish, mustard, Austrian winter pea and turnip. For every rise of 18 degrees, growth rate doubles, but that guideline is only applicable for an air temperature range of 40 to 98 degrees, Myers said. some years more than others.'Ĭold weather doesn't kill these hardy plants it simply slows their growth rate. If you plant some cold-hardy vegetables from mid-August to early October – depending on the crop – there's a good likelihood you will produce something on the other end in the spring. 'It may work one year with a mild winter but not another when the weather is more severe. 'Winter gardening is a risky business,' Myers said. The fearless gardener still has a chance to plant some cold-hardy vegetables to harvest next spring, said Jim Myers, plant breeder and researcher at Oregon State University. – Not ready to hang up your gloves and spade just yet?

Are carrots cold weather plants