It’s tricky to grow a thriving garden in the High Desert, much harder once the daylight hours are sliced come winter. Non-mulched trees wither in the freezing temperatures and herbs trying to sprout would much rather be warm root vegetables.
The Daily Press asked seasoned High Desert gardeners what their secrets were for growing a healthy assortment of plants during the winter months.
We were gifted with an in-depth list of specific plants to grow during a Victor Valley winter by talented green thumbers themselves.
Here are the plants you’ll want to grow after the winter solstice on Saturday, Dec. 21 until the Spring equinox on March 20, 2025, along with tips to keep them alive amid below-freezing temperatures.
Frost protection for plants: Tips from gardening experts for the winter.
Winter growing tips
High Desert resident Chris Jackson recommends keeping plants covered up during hard frost periods in the area. January and February are typically the coldest months in Victor Valley, he says, and plants need extra care at this time.
Jackson notes that frost blankets help winter plants thrive all season long. Mulch does just about the same thing, as do make-shift hoop houses, dome-shaped greenhouses. These DIY plant protectors require few materials and blanket plants adequately at night.
Hydrating plants before a forecasted frost also helps save them from damage.
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Winter-thriving plants
Collard greens
Collard greens are easy to grow according to High Desert Garden Junkie (HDGJ) member Gregory Gilmer. He’s a fan of the vegetable because it’s “maximally nutritious.”
Collard greens are frost tolerant but hard freezes lower than 20 degrees will likely stunt the plant. Collards can even be harvested when their leaves are frozen.
Winter USDA Hardiness Zones 8-10 are ideal for collards to survive, the High Desert being only a near miss with its Zone 6 and 7 ratings.
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Swiss chard
HDGJ member April Bracy recommends growing Swiss chard in the winter.
The plant can also tolerate frost well above 20 degrees and is ready for harvest about 55 days after the seeds are planted. This may vary slightly in winter when Swiss chard becomes practically dormant during the coldest parts of the year.
When the dark months give way to sunnier days, however, new growth takes place.
Garlic
High Desert resident Gary Overstreet is a big advocate for growing garlic in the winter.
Although late fall is the ideal time to plant garlic for an early spring harvest, the underground bulbs have proven themselves winter warriors.
Timing and spacing are essential for a successful garlic harvest in the winter, according to The Garden Magazine. The bulbs focus on root growth at this time and become dormant in extreme conditions as a defense mechanism. Its’ pungent scent also deters critters in the garden.
Carrots
According to Overstreet, carrots do occasionally well in colder weather.
Carrots can grow slowly underground during this chilly time, extending the harvest period to late spring. Because carrots aren’t necessarily winter seasoned crops, they do much better with planting protection techniques like cold frames and mulch.
Lettuce
Both Overstreet and HDGJ member “Lucky Cat Gardens” recommend growing lettuce during a High Desert winter.
Additional protection around the lettuce plants will guarantee fresh salads even in mid-February. Incorporating hotbeds and solar electricity are over-the-top ways to guarantee a healthy winter crop but simply covering the plants in plastic and mulching the soil are easier ways to eat lettuce year-round.
Kale
Lucky Cat Gardens also recommends growing kale after the winter solstice.
Kale can keep growing even after a few frosts. The resilient vegetable can even withstand temperatures up to 10 degrees according to growplant.org.
Kale is packed with nutrients and antioxidants, making it an essential leafy green year-round.
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Onions
High Desert resident Jordan Wechsler has onions high on her list of winter plants.
“They do great in winter,” she says.
The underground plant can tolerate colder weather, even more so under a layer of mulch. Onions are ready for harvest about two to three months after planting, or when the tops appear dry.
For the best harvesting results, Gardening Know How suggests completely drying the crop in the sun for a few days before storing it in a cool, dry area.
Broccoli
Wechsler also says that broccoli is her favorite thing to grow this season.
“It just keeps putting out more harvest,” she said.
Broccoli can thrive in the winter with some care and attention. It can tolerate light frosts but hard freezes may damage the plants. Twenty degrees is the lowest temperature broccoli can withstand outside, according to Plantophiles.
Strawberries
High Desert resident Russell Tullar notes that strawberry plants seem to do pretty well in the winter, but don’t produce a healthy amount of berries until the springtime.
Strawberry plants will need protection in the winter, however, to produce an outstanding crop come spring. Better Home & Gardens suggests mulching both planted strawberries and plants in pots in November or early December.
Potatoes
Winter is a fine time to start growing potatoes according to Chris Jackson, a member of the Facebook group Gardening in the High Desert.
Potatoes are about as low maintenance as vegetables get and can withstand even the trickiest climate. Potatoes can be grown indoors under a grow light and in greenhouses and can be planted at any time.
Harvest times for potatoes range from two-and-a-half months to four months after planting.
McKenna Mobley is a Daily Press reporter and can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: These plants are the best to grow during winter in Victor Valley