What vegetables can I grow in winter NZ
Isabella Turner
Updated on March 24, 2026
Plant broad beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, celery, garlic, kale, mizuna, onions, peas, shallots, silverbeet, spinach, coriander. Dig in Tui Compost and Tui Super Sheep Pellets before planting to replenish nutrients used by previous crops.
What veggies can be planted in winter?
These cold-weather champs are kale, spinach and collards. Other hardy vegetables include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, English peas, kohlrabi and leeks. Hardy root crops are radishes and turnip, which also yields some greens from the tops. Other hardy greens include kale, mustard greens and collards.
What are the best veggies to plant in winter?
- Cauliflower.
- Broccoli.
- Spinach.
- Potatoes.
- Kale.
- Leek.
- Onion.
- Brussel Sprouts.
What veggies grow all year round NZ?
Basil, beetroot, beans, capsicum, chilli, coriander, courgette, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, mesclun, parsley, pumpkin and squash, radish, rocket, silverbeet, spinach, spring onions, sweetcorn, tomatoes.Can you grow tomatoes in winter?
Climate: grow as a summer crop in warm and cool temperate zones; grow year-round in sub-tropical/tropical areas, although autumn and winter are preferable as pest/disease issues are more likely in summer. Soil: moist, well-drained and enriched with plenty of organic matter.
What can I grow in my greenhouse in winter NZ?
Plant bok choy or kale for late winter harvest. Direct or tray sow rocket, mesclun, miners lettuce, corn salad, spinach, raddichio, sno-peas, peas and broadbeans for spring/ summer harvest. Direct sow parsnip, radish, kohlrabi, swede or turnips.
When should I plant my winter garden?
You need to be planting seeds and seedlings for your fall and winter garden between 6 to 8 weeks before your average first frost date. Some even as early as 10 weeks. So to know your planting date, you need to know that average first frost date.
Can you grow tomatoes in winter NZ?
Tomatoes are a warm-season crop that dies back when cold temperatures threaten. This usually means no home-grown tomatoes in winter, unless you have a greenhouse. You can, however, grow tomatoes indoors, but they are usually smaller and produce less prolifically than their summer cousins.What can I plant in winter NZ?
- Broad beans.
- Broccoli.
- Brussels sprouts.
- Cabbage.
- Celery.
- Parsley.
- Cauliflower.
- Silverbeet.
Most cucumbers will grow well in any amount of pot space or container garden space, as cucumbers have the ability to climb. As long as they receive adequate and consistent watering and warmth, cucumbers will flourish indoors. … Use a pot 20 inches wide to accommodate four to six cucumber plants.
Article first time published onWhen should cucumbers be planted?
Outdoor cucumbers should be planted out when the soil has warmed in late spring or early summer. Gradually acclimatize plants for a week or two beforehand. A cold frame is useful for this hardening off period. In warmer climates you can sow seeds straight into their final growing positions.
Can you grow potatoes indoors?
Being one of the easiest crops to grow, potatoes can grow in virtually any space or container. … You can choose a plastic bucket, a gardening pot, or even a bag of fertilizer to plant your potatoes indoors. Just make sure your container has at least a 2.5 gallon capacity for maximum potato yield.
Will carrots grow in winter?
Yes, carrots are very hardy and are well suited for growing in the winter. The cold freezing temperatures of winter will improve the taste of your carrots. They sweeten up as the starches in the roots turn to sugars in the cold.
What can I grow in my garden during the winter?
You can sow seeds for winter vegetable crops, like salad greens, radishes, carrots, onions, Swiss chard, English peas and kale. Look for transplants of other cool-season vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. Herb transplants also appear in garden centers during winter.
Can you grow peas in winter NZ?
Peas are best planted in late winter/early spring in New Zealand. Use stakes, trellis or a tepee to keep the crop off the ground and provide a growing structure.
What herbs grow in winter NZ?
As much as possible, stick to herbs that are cold-hardy. These include parsley, marjoram, thyme, sorrel, and garlic chives. Herbs like sage and dill may survive outdoor conditions for a few weeks under the protection of a low tunnel.
Can you grow potatoes in winter NZ?
Super spuds Seed potatoes are available for planting during winter (and also autumn for warm areas). A note on frost – if you live in a cold area, it’s important that the new potato stems are not exposed to frost, so delay planting so that stems emerge after the chance of frost has passed.
Can I grow spinach in winter?
Spinach is tasty, nutritious and easy to grow. You can even enjoy harvests all year round if you grow several different types. Winter cultivars need a sunny position, while summer varieties benefit from a little shade.
How do you start a vegetable garden in the winter?
- Remove the remnants of the summer garden—spent crops—and put green and brown plant materials into the compost pile. …
- Turn the soil with a garden spade; turn the soil spade deep (about 12 inches) to aerate the garden and break up clods.
What do you do with potted tomato plants in the winter?
You could keep a tomato plant alive all winter if you grow it in a container that you could move indoors before the first frost. It might or might not produce fruit during the winter, depending on the temperature of your house and the amount of light the plant receives.
When should you plant lettuce?
Lettuce is a cool weather crop and is best grown in spring and fall. The seeds germinate in temperatures as low as 40 F (4 C) but its ideal germination and growing temperature is between 60 and 65 F (16 to 18 C). To grow great lettuce, find a site that offers at least six to eight hours of direct sun.
Can cucumber grow in winter?
Due to this requirement, cucumbers cannot be grown outdoors in winter in most of the continental U.S. So if you don’t live the the country’s warmest zones – South Florida, Hawaii and some parts of Southern California,, you must set up an indoor growing system to grow cucumbers in winter.
Can you grow cucumbers and tomatoes together?
Even with the challenges of cool-climate gardening, tomatoes and cucumbers grow well as companions, along with beans, peas and nasturtiums. … Cover tomato seeds with 1/4 inch of potting mix and cucumber seeds with 1 inch of mix.
Can you plant zucchini and cucumbers together?
Cucumbers and zucchinis are from the same family — Cucurbitaceae, or the squash family — so these cousins can be planted together in your vegetable garden.
How late can you plant tomatoes?
Tomatoes can be transplanted any time after frost danger has passed, but they take much better to warm soils than cool ones. Weed-free soil that has reached 60 to 70 degrees is ideal for transplants —you can test the soil temperature using a probe thermometer.
Can you use tomato cages for cucumbers?
Tomato cage is one of the favorite ways for both gardening and potted plant support uses and keep a fragile harvest healthy yet flawless. Round tomato cages are great for supporting fructuous and vining plants, such as tomatoes, hot peppers, peas, cucumbers, squash & zucchini, strawberries and paspberry, etc.
Can I grow potatoes in winter?
The taste of tiny, tender new potatoes need not be restricted to summer. With a little bit of skill and good timing, they can also be grown for autumn and winter harvests, meaning you could enjoy them at Christmas.
What month do you plant potatoes?
Depending on local weather, most gardeners plant in March, April or May, and expect a harvest about four months later, starting to dig new potatoes about two to three weeks after plants flower. But again, some can be planted in the fall in mild-winter areas.
How long does it take for a potato to grow?
How long do potatoes take to grow? Small new potatoes can be ready as early as ten weeks. However, full sized potatoes take about 80-100 days to reach maturity.
How long does it take carrots to grow in winter?
By comparison, small ‘Paris Market’ carrots take only 55 days to mature, so their planting date for a winter crop would fall nearer the end of August. Most carrots take 50 to 70 days to mature, so you can use that as a rule of thumb if you have seeds of unknown cultivars you’d like to grow.
How do you grow lettuce?
- Plant lettuce during the mild weather of early spring and fall. …
- Space lettuce plants 6 to 18 inches apart (depending on the variety) in an area that gets an abundance of sun and has fertile, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0.