Hardiness of Cool-Season Vegetables

Though a hard frost has hit some portions of the state, other areas have managed to avoid cold weather severe enough to damage warm-season plants such as tomatoes, peppers and beans. Cool-season vegetables are even more cold tolerant, but there are differences even among them.

Semi-hardy crops can take a light frost but are damaged by temperatures in the mid to upper 20s. Examples include beets, Chinese cabbage, collards, Irish potatoes, Bibb lettuce, mustard, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard and leaf lettuce. Covering these plants when cold weather threatens can help extend the harvest season.

Plants termed “hardy” can take lower temperatures but are damaged when the temperature drops to the low 20s. These include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, carrots, turnips and kale.

Certain root crops can essentially be stored outside even after the leaves have been damaged or killed by frost. Beets, carrots, potatoes and turnips can be mulched and harvested as needed until the soil starts to freeze in late November to December.

Growing vegetables in Missouri and Kansas can be challenging, but we have an extremely long gardening season. We can harvest from early April (asparagus) to early December. Winter is a good time to plan and prepare for next year’s crops.