Cool and Warm Season Vegetables

Q:

Do some vegetables grow better in cool weather?  If so, does the cooler weather limit their nutritional value?

A:

Vegetables generally fall into two categories:  cool season and warm season.  As the names imply, cool season vegetables have adapted to cool climates and grow best in temperatures below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm season vegetables have adapted to warmer climates and must be planted when night temperatures stay above 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Since cool season vegetables grow best in cooler temperatures, the vegetable’s appearance, nutritional value, and flavor are at their peak when their growing season remains below 70 degrees.  When temperatures rise about 70 degrees in late spring and summer, the vegetables start producing seed stalk and they develop a woody/bitter flavor.

Here in Minnesota, we have the opportunity to grow cool season vegetables in the spring and in the fall.  Cool season vegetables tend to be leafy or root vegetables and include cabbage, carrots, broccoli, spinach, onions, radishes, lettuce and turnips.  Some cool season vegetables can tolerate some frost and will continue to grow even when temperatures are in the low 40’s, which allows some vegetables to be harvested into  October.

The following websites were used as references in answering the question:

http://igrow.org/up/resources/06-1018-2012.pdf

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/planting-vegetables-midsummer-fall-harvest/

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