What is “preserving” in the garden?  It is a method of leaving as much produce in the garden as possible. This way, you don’t spend time and energy canning, drying, or freezing.  Some vegetables like parsley, lettuce, and spinach can stand a light frost without damage. Endive, chicory, mustard, Swiss chard, and Chinese cabbage are also tolerant of light frost.

Dry hay or leaves can be placed around the plants. This should be done if the temperature is expected to go below 28 or 30 degrees F. A cover should be provided.  Old sheets, plastic, blankets, or other types of tarps be used.  The use of coverings will trap in some warmth before the soil gets too cold as the temperature drops.  Place a cold frame over the vegetables when you first see frost. This action will help extend the growing season.

Many root vegetables are left in the ground and dug as needed during the winter months.  Winter radishes, carrots, beets, turnips, and rutabaga can be mulched heavily to prevent freezing.  Do not apply the mulch until the ground is lightly frozen.  Mice or small animals may mistake your mulch for their new home if you mulch too soon. They think it is a supply of food for the winter.  Radishes should never be allowed to freeze.  Vegetables like parsnips, leeks, bunching onions, Jerusalem artichokes, and salsify are not harmed by freezing.

Tomatoes can be picked green right before the first frost and stored in shallow boxes one layer deep.  The boxes should be lined with a pad of newspaper and with a newspaper over the top.

Vegetable Preserving Tips

Parsley, Lettuce, Spinach, Celery, Chinese Cabbage, Endive, Swiss Chard, Mustard:

Can stand light frost. Protect from hard frost and freezing by mulching sides of plants, then covering over at night. Be covered with plastic attached double-thickness to a wooden frame.  These also grow well in a cold frame.

Broccoli:

Will often produce until December without protection.

Cabbage, Kohlrabi:

Stands frost.  Protect from the hard freeze by storing in a cold frost-free location, December to March.

Brussel Sprouts, Kale, Collards:

Stands frost and freezing.  To prevent sunburn, cover leaves with burlap so that frozen leaves are not exposed to the sun.  Mulch sides of the plant.

Witloof Chicory:

Store roots in damp sand in the basement.

Winter Radishes:

Mulch to prevent freezing.

Carrots, Beets, Turnips, Rutabaga:

When the ground is frozen 1/4 to 1/2 inch, mulch to prevent further freezing.  Mulch must be one foot or thicker if the temperature is very low.  Push back the mulch and dig when desired.

Jerusalem Artichoke, Leeks, Bunching Onions, Parsnips, Salsify:

Mulch as for carrots if you wish to dig when the ground is frozen.  Otherwise, no mulch is necessary.

Edible-Pod Peas:

Planted in July or early August, will produce until hard frost in November.

Tomatoes:

Pick before frost; store in cool storage until they ripen in January.

Onions, Garlic:

Store in a cool, dry location with good ventilation.

Potatoes:

Prefer a cool, moist storage area such as a root cellar.

Winder Squash, Pumpkins:

Prefer a warm, dry storage area.