What to Plant for a Winter Vegetable Garden in Arkansas

Overwintering Outdoors

• The hardiest of vegetables can be grown outdoors in Arkansas over the winter. Mammoth Red Rock cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) will tolerate a hard frost, making it a good choice to overwinter outdoors. It can also be harvested at maturity and stored in a cool, dry place. Brussels sprouts ( Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera) are harvested for the best flavor after the first severe frost, so it can also be overwintered uncovered in the garden. For fresh Brussels sprouts throughout the winter, start removing sprouts from the bottom of the stem where they are largest, and harvest as needed. If severe weather, such as an ice storm, threatens, harvest all sprouts and store in the freezer.

Covered Beds

• Less hardy crops can be grown over the winter in Arkansas in a protected area like a low tunnel or a greenhouse. These structures allow the heat absorbed by the soil from the sun to be held within, protecting and warming the crops in the covered bed. On cold nights, these protected crops can still be affected by frost, so only frost-tolerant crops should be used. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa), Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), radishes (Raphanus sativus) and broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) are good choices for growing in a protected area.

Preparing for Warm Days

• Weather in Arkansas can be unpredictable, and often warm days occur over the winter. When this happens, be sure to check and ventilate greenhouses or low tunnels. Watch the weather carefully to make sure crops don't cook in the heat of the sun. Opening the end of a low tunnel or propping open the door of a greenhouse will allow trapped heat to escape, preserving the health of your winter crops.

Maintenance

• Cooler soil temperatures reduce bacteria activity and make nutrients in the soil less available for crops, so adding fertilizer over the winter won't do much to help plant growth. Work a few inches of compost to your soil several weeks before planting so that the nutrients in the compost have time to work their way into the soil. Winter weeds will compete with crops for water, nutrients and sunlight, so be sure to keep all beds, covered and uncovered, free of weeds. Mulching around plants will help control weeds while retaining moisture and heat.