Winter Garden Vegetables

Most people don’t grow food in their garden over the winter, but there are many options that do well in containers and in a traditional ground level garden. UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Carol Reese talks about some options that both look good and taste good. Her favorite winter vegetable is chard which is easy to grow and adds a pop of color to an otherwise drab winter garden. Chard will also survive the summer heat and flourish again in the cooler weather of the next fall. Carol also likes some of the kale like redbor, which will continue to grow in extremely cold weather for winter-long harvest. Carol also talks about purple mustard, tatsoi, dinosaur kale, and evergreen herbs like parsley, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. All of these can be grown in the garden or arranged into a winter container garden to provide leafy greens and a lush look in the dead of winter.

Related Resources:
Swiss Chard
Kale
Leafy Crops for the Tennessee Vegetable Garden

Removing the Seed from Jamaican Sorrel

This week in the garden Jef Terry, Operations Manager at Bobby Lanier Farm Park in Germantown, Tennessee shows how to remove the seed from Jamacan sorrel or roselle using a milkshake straw.  >>Watch

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Viewer Questions

This week we are answered viewer e-mails about all sorts of gardening topics. Click here to see the questions.

Viewer Questions

I have lots of ivy on my tree. How do I get rid of it without killing the tree?

The best way to get rid of ivy on trees is to cut the ivy vines at the base of the tree. It will take years for the dead ivy to fall out of the tree, but it will eventually come down. >>Watch


My plum is blooming in the fall. What should I do?

The last few months of this summer were very hot and dry. UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Carol Reese says the tree thought is went dormant. As soon as the weather cooled and rain fell, it came out of dormancy and started blooming.   >>Watch

My pansies had blooms when I planted them. Now they don’t. Why?

UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Carol Reese thinks the plants may be putting their energy into root growth or may not be getting enough sunlight.  >>Watch

How do I take care of Boston Ferns especially in the winter?

In the South (zone 7 and higher) you can keep Boston ferns out most of the winter. Alabama A&M University Extension Specialist Rudy Pacumbaba says if it is going to freeze you should bring them in.  >>Watch


When should I cut back my pampas grass?

Pampas grass provides movement and sound in the garden during the winter. It also provides shelter for wildlife.  >>Watch

More Questions & Answers
Family Plot