13 Plants You Can Winter Sow in Raised Beds
Winter sowing is a great way to get a head start on your spring garden. Raised beds can make it even easier to head into the growing season with a thriving garden. Gardening expert Melissa Strauss shares some plants you can start now for blooming beds in a few short months.

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Winter sowing is a convenient practice of planting your spring seeds in late fall or during the winter months. This is great for those seeds that require cold stratification. Cold stratification is the process of freezing and thawing. It breaks down the hard outer shell of some seeds, making them more receptive to moisture.
Even for seeds that don’t require this cold period to germinate, winter sowing has plenty of benefits. Winter weather helps to encourage root development rather than green growth. That means that your seeds have already developed some roots by the time spring rolls around. They are able, then, to put more energy into growing large and strong.
Additionally, winter is a good time to get things started before weeds and pests make their entrance. Your seeds will have a higher germination rate, and they will sprout as early as possible. Basically, winter sowing gets your spring garden rolling at the earliest possible moment!
Raised beds make winter sowing even more effective and convenient. It’s easy to cover them, which eliminates the need for other containers. The soil in your raised beds also warms up faster in the spring for an earlier germination time. The time savings of not having to start your seeds indoors is enough of a perk on its own. Let’s take a look at some herbs, vegetables, and flowers that you can winter sow in your raised bed garden.
Chives

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common name Chives |
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botanical name Allium schoenoprasum |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 12” |
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hardiness zones 4-8 |
Chives are a must-have for the kitchen garden. These tender onions, with their delicate flavor and pungent aroma, are incredibly versatile. They’re pretty, too! Tall, slender green shoots produce lovely purple flowers if you allow them to. Bees love these blooms, so they bring pollinators to your beds.
Because they are cold-tolerant, they are perfect for winter planting. Late in the cold season is best, about one to two months before the last frost date. Chives are a cut-and-come-again type of onion. When you harvest them, leave about an inch of the white base intact, and they will grow back.
Broadleaf Sage

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common name Broadleaf Sage |
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botanical name Salvia officinalis |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 18”-36” |
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hardiness zones 4-8 |
Broadleaf sage is a delicious, savory herb that is great for planting in your raised beds between December and February. It’s a must-have for the kitchen garden. You’ll see this herb pop up in tons of recipes, especially around the holidays. It pairs well with many meat dishes, and I’ve rarely seen a stuffing recipe without it.
Sage seeds need light to germinate, so just press them lightly into the surface of the soil. Plant these about six to eight weeks ahead of your last anticipated frost date. You can harvest sage continuously. Cut the leaves that you need, and the plant will continue to produce.
Oregano ‘True Greek’

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common name Oregano ‘True Greek’ |
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botanical name Origanum vulgare ‘True Greek’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 18”-24” |
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hardiness zones 4-8 |
I can never have enough oregano in my garden or in my kitchen. The aromatic leaves seem to make everything smell and taste better. It’s also incredibly easy to grow and produces attractive purple flowers that pollinators are fond of.
Oregano is winter-hardy in most parts of the United States. It’s a tough plant, and some varieties are highly ornamental. If you prefer herbaceous flowers in your beds, ornamental oregano is divine. These also need light to germinate, so press them lightly into the soil where the light can get to them. ‘True Greek’ is a superior variety for culinary use.
Cilantro ‘Long Standing Santo’

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common name Cilantro ‘Long Standing Santo’ |
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botanical name Coriandrum sativum ‘Long Standing Santo’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 12”-24” |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
Cilantro is a cool-weather herb, so the farther south you live, the earlier you want to plant it. It grows best in mild temperatures and bolts easily in the heat of summer. In Zones 9-11, sow in the fall, north of there, wait until winter. Soak these overnight before planting.
Like many herbs, cilantro needs light to germinate. So press the seeds lightly into the surface of the soil and leave them exposed. Make sure to plant these in partial shade if you’re directly sowing them, as the seedlings will wilt with too much exposure. ‘Long Standing Santo’ is nicely heat tolerant, so you can harvest it for a longer period.
Spinach ‘Matador’

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common name Spinach ‘Matador’ |
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botanical name Spinacea oleracea ‘Matador’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 6”-8” |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
Tender and tasty, spinach is a favorite cool-weather leafy green, and winter is a great time to plant it. Frost makes this vegetable taste sweeter, as with many leafy greens. It takes out the bitterness. Its ideal growth temperature range is between 45 and 75°F (7 and 24°C), but it is quite happy in cooler temps as well.
‘Matador’ is a smooth, sweet variety with excellent texture. You can begin to harvest early if you want baby greens. Plant every few weeks through the season for continuous harvesting. These are sensitive to transplanting, so this is a great way to get your spinach started.
Carrot ‘Scarlet Nantes’

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common name Carrot ‘Scarlet Nantes’ |
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botanical name Daucus carota ‘Scarlet Nantes’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 6”-7” |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
Carrots are great for planting in the fall, and you can sow these later in the winter, too. Just know that they germinate at about 55°F (13°C), so winter-sown seeds will sprout in the spring. Fall planted carrots will begin to grow and cold weather will sweeten the taproots.
Your carrots need between 45-75°F (7-24°C) temperatures to do most of their growing. ‘Scarlet Nantes’ is a beautiful, well-formed heirloom and a great producer. The carrots are tender and sweet from this reliable variety. They don’t like their roots disturbed, so these are not great for transplanting.
Arugula ‘Rocky’

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common name Arugula ‘Rocky’ |
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botanical name Diplotaxis tenuifolia ‘Rocky’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 8”-10” |
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hardiness zones 6-10 |
Arugula is a fast grower that prefers chilly weather, and like other greens, a frost improves the flavor. Wild types have a stronger flavor, often described as peppery. It’s delicious raw or cooked and pairs well with a wide array of cuisines.
‘Rocky’ is a wild variety, so it’s extra flavorful. Arugula is fast to sprout and handles frosty weather like a champion. It’s also heat tolerant, so you can keep this tasty green growing all year. Surface sow these seeds so they have the light needed to germinate. Harvest early and often for tender leaves.
Lettuce ‘Marvel of Four Seasons’

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common name Lettuce ‘Marvel of Four Seasons’ |
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botanical name Lactuca sativa ‘Marvel of Four Seasons’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 8”-12” |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
Lettuce is another leafy green that you can plant in fall or winter and harvest throughout the colder months. Winter-planted lettuce will sprout as soon as the soil warms to about 50°F (10°C). Since the soil in your raised beds warms faster, it means earlier germination of many of these plants.
Succession: sow your lettuce for a continuous harvest through most of the year. ‘Marvel of Four Seasons’ is a stunning French heirloom variety. The leaves are green, closest to the ground, but change to a gorgeous ruby-red at the ends. These heavily textured leaves are sweet and crunchy.
Cabbage ‘Red Acre’

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common name Cabbage ‘Red Acre’ |
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botanical name Brassica oleracea ‘Red Acre’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 5”-7” |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
Cabbage, and most brassicas, is cold a weather lover, and winter is the perfect time to plant them. If you live in a colder climate, you may want to hold off until closer to March. But December through February is a great time to get started in most climates. Not only is it frost tolerant, but it also prefers cold weather and sweetens with frost.
I’m partial to red varieties, and ‘Red Acre’ is a beautiful, jewel-toned cabbage. It’s also compact, which makes it perfect for winter sowing in raised beds. I love to see these gems swelling in the early spring garden.
Broccoli ‘Belstar’

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common name Broccoli ‘Belstar’ |
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botanical name Brassica oleracea var. italica ‘Belstar’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 20” |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
Broccoli is a brassica, and it loves cold weather! By planting it in winter, you get a jump on the season. You’ll have time to let those heads grow nice and plump and harvest for an extended period. Don’t worry about frost with this vegetable. It only makes it tastier.
‘Belstar’ is a fabulous variety for warmer climates where other varieties tend to bolt. Winter sowing means this one will definitely perform at its best. The primary heads are large and followed by many side-shoots. Plant broccoli anytime from fall to spring, depending on your climate.
Beets ‘Chioggia’

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common name Beets ‘Chioggia’ |
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botanical name Beta vulgaris ‘Chioggia’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 18” |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
In warm climates, winter is the time to plant beets. In fact, you can plant them anywhere, as long as the soil is workable. Another benefit of winter sowing in raised beds is that the soil is nearly always workable. They are cold-tolerant and prefer no disturbance to their roots.
‘Chioggia’ is an Italian heirloom that is delicious from root to tip. You can cook their green tops like other greens. The roots are sweet and tasty, raw or cooked. Beets are extra nutritious and a wonderful addition to any garden.
Calendula ‘Zeolights’

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common name Calendula ‘Zeolights’ |
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botanical name Calendula officinalis ‘Zeolights’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 12”-24” |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
Calendula flowers are beautiful and cheerful and have quite a few practical uses. They are a common ingredient in skincare products, and they make a nice tea, too. They are known to have anti-inflammatory effects and aid in wound healing, among other uses. They are easy to grow and prefer cool weather.
Often called pot marigolds, the two may have some similarities in appearance, but they are not the same species. They do have one special quality in common, though: they are both edible. ‘Zeolights’ is a fancy variety with petals that are pink on top and bronze underneath.
Snapdragons ‘Night and Day’

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common name Snapdragons ‘Night and Day’ |
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botanical name Antirrhinum majus ‘Night and Day’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 18” |
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hardiness zones 5-11 |
Snapdragons are my favorite winter planted flower. If you can get them hardened off before a frost in late fall, they are quite cold-tolerant. Here in Zone 9, mine stay green all winter and begin blooming bright and early in the new year. I find those planted in fall and winter tend to be larger, stronger plants that produce tons of flowers.
‘Night and Day’ is a flamboyant variety with blood-red and snow-white blooms. Cool weather turns the foliage a deep burgundy, and the red portions of the petals deepen as well, to nearly black. These are a showstopper, and the flowers are edible. I love these in my cutting garden, and they perform excellently when winter sown in raised beds.