Fast Growing Winter Vegetables

Fast-growing vegetables can give you harvests in just a few weeks. When some crops take longer to produce, quick-growing winter vegetables such as microgreens, radishes, kale, and salad greens can give you results in a short time. It is very satisfying and rewarding to sow seeds, see them grow, and then reap the rewards quickly. Crops such as tomatoes, onions, and leeks are known for long growing seasons, but radishes, lettuce, and spinach can go from seed to salad quickly, even in the cold season.

Looking for some of the fastest-growing cold-weather crops for your garden? In this post, we share eight cold-hardy vegetables that can be planted in late winter and early spring for quick harvests, depending on your USDA hardiness zones.

8 Fast Growing Vegetables to Add to Your Winter Garden

Winter vegetable gardening will fill your table with delicious, homegrown goodness. Here are some of the quick-growing crops you can harvest in a few weeks.

1. Spinach

Ready to harvest: 35 to 45 days

Soil Needs: Well-drained, loamy, neutral soil

Spinach is a fast-maturing, cool-season crop that can grow easily anywhere there is a month and a half of cool weather. This nutritious vegetable is hardy to light freezes and frosts. Space spinach seedlings 3 inches apart and 12 inches apart in rows. You can continuously harvest spinach over time for a few weeks. When you cut and use the older leaves, new chutes will appear, and you can continue harvesting. In USDA growing zones 5-9, you can grow spinach all year. In zones six and warmer, spinach can survive without any protection.

2. Lettuce

Ready to harvest: 30 to 70 days

Soil Needs: Well-drained, fertile, loamy, acidic to neutral soil

Like spinach, lettuce is one of the fastest to mature vegetables. Sow seeds now and harvest young leaves within weeks for a fresh salad. You can plant this versatile leafy green any time of year for all growing zones except the peak of freezing winters in colder zones. Most lettuce varieties prefer cool temperatures of early spring and fall, but some varieties can tolerate frost. Lettuce is a favorite vegetable for seasonal gardens and hydroponic gardens. Most winter gardeners keep lettuce under row covers or cold frames throughout the chilly months and open it to harvest leaves.

Read More: How to Grow Lettuce

3. Arugula

Ready to harvest: 20 to 50 days

Soil Needs: Well-drained, nutrient-rich, acidic to neutral soil

Arugula is a lowkey and fast-growing cruciferous vegetable with a peppery taste that is perfect for adding a spicy touch to salads and other dishes. Sow arugula seeds in the ground and harvest the tender rounded leaves within 20 to 40 days. You can harvest its baby leaves within a few weeks, which are sweeter. This cool-season salad green doesn't mind as low as 10°F, but it thrives under a row cover or frost fabric as the covers protect it from heavy winds. Arugula is an expensive leafy green in the grocery store, but you can grow it in your garden.

4. Radishes

Ready to harvest: 30 to 70 days

Soil Needs: Fertile, loamy, sandy, slightly acidic to neutral soil

Radishes are another fastest-growing and cool-hardy crop that is ready to harvest in about four weeks from sowing the seeds. They can be grown all year in most zones. Radishes can be eaten sliced, grated, or whole. You can also cook them and add them as a pepper alternative to a sandwich. For a unique experience, roast them in the oven with oil and salt. Learn how to grow radishes in your home garden.

5. Kale

Ready to harvest: 30 to 60 days

Soil Needs: Rich, firm, well-drained, slightly acidic

Kale  is one of the frost-tolerant crops on the list of fast-growing winter vegetables that can mature in about 50 to 55 days. It is a winter staple because of its versatile uses and robust frost tolerance. Also, it gets sweeter after a frost. These cool-season greens can be planted anywhere in the country with a cool fall season. In some climatic zones, it can be grown year-round. You can grow kale in containers, ground, and hydroponic gardens.

6. Turnips

Ready to harvest: 40 to 55 days

Soil Needs: Sandy, loamy, acidic to neutral

Turnips are cold-tolerant and no-fuss vegetables that provide quick harvest around 45 days after planting. The best thing about them is that you can eat their roots and leaves. Their roots are delicious, raw or cooked. Turnips can handle cold temperatures without any frost protection. In most gardening zones, they can be planted throughout the growing zone.

7. Carrots

Ready to harvest: 50 to 70 days

Soil Needs: Well-drained, loose, fertile, acidic soil

Carrots are versatile and quick-growing root vegetables that add a delicious crunch to various salads and dishes. This annual winter crop is half-hardy to light freeze and frost. They can grow well under a range of temperature conditions except extremely warm temperatures. Moreover, cold weather or frost will make them sweeter. Sow carrot seeds thinly in a shallow trench and water deeply with drip irrigation. Globe-shaped and baby carrots are the fastest to be ready for harvest. Baby carrots do not take long to mature like full-sized carrots.

8. Beets

Ready to harvest: 50 to 70 days

Soil Needs: Well-drained, moist, loamy, neutral, silt soil

Another winter-hardy and fast-growing vegetable, beets are perfect to add to your winter garden. If you love to include vibrant beets in your salads, you will be glad to know that beets are ready to harvest within 50 to 70 days. You can plant beets in early spring, before the last frost, and in the fall when temperatures drop to 75 F. In warmer gardening zones, beets can be grown all winter. You can harvest baby beets early. Add beet greens to salads or soups. Beets are ready to harvest when their roots reach the size of a golf ball.

Tips for Growing Fast Growing Winter Vegetables Successfully

Below are some tips for growing these vegetables in your winter garden.

• Prepare the soil for planting your winter vegetables by adding organic matter such as manure, compost, or organic fertilizer. Organic matter will improve the soil's structure and help it retain moisture.
• Water your plants properly without over or underwatering them. Maintaining proper soil moisture levels is essential for producing mature vegetables. Install a drip irrigation system to provide slow, deep, and efficient watering to the roots of plants.
• Know your local weather and growing zones to determine the hardiness of vegetables you plan to grow.
• Add a thick layer of mulch around your winter vegetables before the ground freezes to keep the roots warm. Mulching also helps to control weeds, retain moisture, and control the soil temperature.
• Use protective structures such as cold frames, greenhouses, low tunnels, or frost fabric to protect your crops from harsh winter weather.

The Bottom Line

There you go! These fast-growing and cold-tolerant vegetables can offer delicious harvests and ensure your garden remains productive throughout the season. They are simple to grow and give speedy results. Try some radishes, sugar peas, turnips, spinach, and kale to jump-start your garden. Regular sowings of these quick-growing crops will provide you with a consistent homegrown harvest with little effort. In addition to growing in vegetable garden beds, these crops are suitable for growing in both raised beds and containers.