Gardening in the Dead of Winter

January is a perfect month to grow Carrots, Broccoli and Tomatoes. Why should you only eat fresh veggies in the spring and summer? Mild climate states (regions that rarely reach below 25 degress farenheit during the winter) can grow vegetables year round. The trick is knowing when and how to cover them. All of the brassicas such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts, collards, turnips and bok choy are great candidates for winter gardens. So are root crops, such as carrots, radishes, parsnips, beets, onions, potatoes and leeks. Many greens, including lettuce, spinach, mustard, mache (corn salad) and Swiss chard, like it cold, too. These vegetables can grow under mild winter conditions, but need to be covered during a hard freeze.You can use old sheets, blankets and afghans to cover young plants. Do not use plastic mulch as nighttime protection the plastic conducts cold to any plant it touches.Sheets aren't the only option for winter protection.Try sowing spinach and oats together in the fall, and when the oats are winter-killed, they will fall over and cover the spinach. A mixture of ryegrass and clover forms an even denser mat of protection. No matter what technique you choose, one of the keys to overwintering success is to gradually acclimate the plants to the cold. That's why they'll need more protection from an early cold snap than a later one. Row covers are an excellent way to cover your young plants, when first seeding your garden.