5 Easiest Cold-Weather Crops to Grow in Your Spring or Fall Garden

Pssst… Come closer. I have a secret to tell you… I don’t like gardening in the Summer.
Here, I said it. Here in the South, Summers are wet as the ocean, humid as a sauna, hot like a furnace, and don’t even start me on the bugs… especially the mosquitos!
I still garden in the Summer, of course, but I much prefer the Fall garden or the early Spring garden. There are much fewer bugs, I don’t need to water almost at all, it is nice and cool so working outside is easier, and it’s not as wet and humid as in the Summer.
Thankfully, there are a ton of cold-weather crops to grow in the Spring and Fall garden.
So, every year, after I clean my raised garden beds from the Summer garden or the Winter garden, I plant a bunch of cold-weather crops. Some of them are not easy to grow, for example, cabbage or broccoli. Others are as simple as can be.


When I say “easy crops to grow” I mean…


1. Easy to plant (can be direct seeded).


2. Can be started early (as soon as the soil can be worked).


3. No special soil requirements.


4. No pests (or almost no pests problems).


5. Useful in the kitchen and easy to handle.


6. Fast growing (less than 60 days).


Before I start down the list, let me remind you that I am gardening in the South, zone 7b. I believe those 5 crops will grow well and easy everywhere, but you might need to adjust planting times and care according to your climate.


5 Easiest Cold Weather Crops to Grow in Your Spring or Fall Garden:
Lettuce: who doesn’t like lettuce? The crisp, juicy, sweet leaves are the perfect base of every good salad and a must ingredient in most sandwiches.


lettuce seeds can be direct seeded as early as the soil can be worked (soil temperature around 40F) in the Spring, or when temperatures cool down a bit at the end of Summer. Sow 8-10 inches apart. Since those seeds are tiny and it might be hard to space them correctly, consider making seed tapes ahead of time or use tweezers, this way you won’t have to thin later. Lettuce grows best at 60-65F and will be ready for harvest around 56 days. I sow them in the middle of March and harvest at the end of April, right when summer crops need to be sown (I harvest a bit early since I have a small garden, and I need the real estate for Summer crops). I never had problems with pests when it comes to lettuce and as long as you have decent soil you’ll get great lettuce, of course, compost makes everything better so don’t hesitate to mix it in your soil before planting or add it around the plants later.
Green Onion: sweet oniony flavor, thick shafts, no bulbs. Like lettuce, green onion is great in salads and sandwiches. It is also used a lot in the Asian kitchen.


Green onion can be direct seeded in the garden as soon as the soil can be worked in early Spring or in late Summer. Those seeds are very small, but even though it says on the back of the seed packet to sow 1/4-1/2 inch apart, I never space green onion. I dig a trench about an inch deep, sprinkle the seeds and cover them. They always grow great even if they touch each other. They take 60 days to mature. If you don’t have much space consider growing green onions in pots. You can even grow them inside the house during the winter (if you have good light). If you still have green onions in your garden at the end of Fall, make sure to cover them before frost comes. They can last in the garden all Winter if covered.


Tip: no need to throw away the bottom of the onion. Place the bottom end (roots) back in your garden and you’ll have a fresh batch of onions few weeks later.


For the next three crops, please visit ladyleeshome.com by clicking the link below.
Lee @ Lady Lee's Home
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  • Liliana Wells Liliana Wells on Aug 29, 2014
    You got me inspired to start again. I planted Romaine and spinach in pots in the Spring. There is nothing like eating your own vegetables. Thanks
  • Jane R. Jane R. on Aug 29, 2014
    I love Kale. When do you plant it? I don't have a garden but since I just cut sown a huge tree that shaded my whole backyard I thought I'd make a small raised bed garden. How easy is kale to grow?
    • Lee @ Lady Lee's Home Lee @ Lady Lee's Home on Aug 29, 2014
      Very easy. It is a cold-weather crop as well. You can plant it in early spring, as soon as you can work the soil or at the end of summer, 3 month before your first frost date. If you plant it for Fall/ Winter harvest, you can leave it in the garden during the Winter without a cover. It is very hardy.
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