Cool season crops are probably some of my favorites to grow. Yes I love a good homegrown tomato like most any other person, but cool season crops can be so good too. You can create so many meals with cool season crops because the options are many. I think my love for them also comes from the fact that these are the first crops to be harvested in the growing season. Knowing what plants belong to which plant family can tell you a lot about their general needs. Most plants in a plant family like the same growing conditions and share a lot of the same habits.(This is not a hard and fast rule, there can be other plants that grow within these plant families that grow quite well in other growing seasons.) A good example of this is plants in the mint or Lamiaceae family have a tendency to spread and take over the garden space they are growing in, so it’s always suggested that they be grown in containers. Below I am sharing plant families that prefer cool season temperatures and some plants from each one. The cool season is considered temperatures ranging from 35°F to 65°F. Again, this may not always be the case, but in general plants int he same plant family will share the same growing habits.

• Amaranthaceae – Beets, Chard, Spinach, Quinoa 
• Amaryllidaceae – Chives, Garlic, Leeks, Onions
• Asteraceae – Dandelions, Lettuces, Endive, Radicchio 
• Apiaceae – Celery, Cilantro, Dill, Fennel, Pasley
• Brassicaceae – Arugula, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower 
• Fabaceae – Sugar Snap Peas, Snow Peas, etc. (Also includes beans, but those are warm season crops.)
• Polygonaceae – Buckwheat, Rhubarb, Sorrel

The cool season really kicks off the growing season. There are things like garlic that are dormant in the cold season, but they start to come out of dormancy in the cool season. There are so many delicious recipes that you can make highlighting what’s in , a quick internet search will bring up so much. Having a few good seasonal eating cookbooks helps too! Don’t forget to experiment int he kitchen with your cool season harvests, try dehydrating beets to make beet powder, ferment some cabbage to make sauerkraut. There are so many options with different cooking and preserving techniques and so many different cool season crops. I hope this inspires you to grow some crops from each of these plant families during your cool season and get int he kitchen to have some fun!