What should I do with the raised bed in winter?

In winter, cover your raised bed with brushwood, sheeting or a DIY raised bed cover constructed from plexiglass, to protect it from moisture and frost. You can simply remove your cover to harvest crops.

What vegetables can you plant in winter?

Lamb’s lettuce, winter spinach and certain Asian leafy greens are among the vegetables you can plant in winter.

When can you plant winter vegetables?

When to plant winter vegetables in raised beds depends on the type of vegetable. While kale and swedes can be sown from May onwards, for rocket and winter spinach we recommend sowing from September.

Growing winter vegetables in raised beds

A raised bed can also be used for autumn and winter growing. Find out which winter vegetables are suitable for your raised bed.

21.11.2025

Overview
Harvesting vegetables in winter
Protecting vegetables in raised beds
Raised bed in autumn and winter
7 varieties of winter vegetable

Overview: the raised bed in winter

Some varieties of winter vegetables in raised beds can be harvested into late autumn and winter
A raised bed enables earlier sowing and planting out of vegetables and herbs, as well as longer harvests
Use brushwood, polystyrene or film sheeting to make a well-ventilated covering to protect your raised bed in winter
Sow and plant varieties with long cultivation times from April to September
Cold is beneficial for the flavour of some crops such as parsnip and kale

Raised bed: Harvesting vegetables in winter

For many winter vegetable self-built wooden raised bed with a cover offers ideal growing conditions. Winter vegetables refers to those vegetables which are primarily harvested in late autumn or winter, and they can generally be eaten throughout the winter due to their excellent storage life.

A man harvesting winter vegetables from a wooden raised bed, with the tarpaulin covering pushed aside — Plants in a raised bed are protected from the elements.

Whether you use them in the garden, on a terrace or on a balcony, raised beds are versatile and, because of their height, also beneficial for back-friendly garden work. Another advantage of a raised bed is that you can sow vegetables and herbs earlier and grow them for longer; this is because in a raised bed the soil warms up quickly and plants are far less directly exposed to cold and moisture than in the ground.

Here’s how to prepare your raised bed for winter and protect it from moisture.

A self-built raised bed cover protects against cold and moisture.

How a raised bed protects your vegetables

To prepare your raised bed before conditions become cold and damp, it can be covered with brushwood, polystyrene or sheeting, for example. Doing this prevents valuable nutrients from being washed away as a result of increased precipitation in autumn and winter.

Frost protection fleece effectively protects planted leafy vegetables and winter onions against cold and frost. With the right materials and tools, you can also build a robust DIY raised bed cover for your winter vegetables, for example from plexiglass.

Planting raised beds in autumn

Late autumn is the right time to make your beds winter-proof and also to prepare the raised bed for winter. If you want to grow winter-hardy vegetables in your raised bed, there are plenty of different varieties to choose from. However, most of them require a long cultivation time, meaning they should already be sown or planted out from April to September. It is important to note the specific planting time for individual varieties of winter vegetables.

Most types of winter vegetable are sown from April to September.

Exceptions to this include winter-hardy varieties of lettuce, Asian leafy greens and vegetables such as spinach and onions, which you can start from seed in your raised bed from early September to mid-October.
First remove any summer vegetables from your raised bed and then plant winter onion sets in straight rows, using taut planting strings as a guide. Make furrows in which to sow your leafy crops and distribute the seeds over the soil. Don’t forget to water the ground afterwards.

Preparing raised beds for winter

A garden in winter needs proper preparation and care to cope well with the cold season. Some winter-hardy plants such as certain shrubs, perennials and flowering bulbs are still growing and enliven the sparse natural vista with splashes of fresh green.

A thermal fleece layer protects the raised bed in winter.

To ensure your winter vegetables thrive in the raised bed, it is recommended that you put in place protective measures for the soil and plants – for example thermal fleece or layers of leaf mulch that you can use to cover your raised bed in winter.

Varieties such as parsnip and swede can stay in the soil right through the winter. When you want to harvest winter vegetables in raised beds, you can simply remove the fleece or DIY cover.

7 winter vegetable varieties for raised beds

For different types of winter vegetables to thrive in raised beds, you need to pay attention to their individual characteristics and requirements. Not all varieties are actually sufficiently frost-resistant to plant in your raised bed in winter. The following profiles provide you with some basic information about 7 popular winter vegetable varieties and their planting times.

Kale is a resilient, vitamin-rich and robust winter vegetable for raised beds. It is best harvested after the first frost or even later for a flavour which is mild and aromatic without being too bitter. In the event of persistent heavy frost, it should be covered with garden fleece.

Frost resistance	winter-hardy to -15°C
Seed sowing	from May to August
Harvest time	from October

Kale growing in a bed — Kale is a vitamin-rich, robust winter vegetable.

Kohlrabi can be left in raised beds over winter, but it should be covered to protect against persistent sub-zero temperatures. Both the tubers and the young leaves can be eaten. ‘Blaro’ and ‘Lanlo’ are good varieties for late cultivation.

Frost resistance	must be protected from persistent frost
Seed sowing	until early July (for late autumn harvest)
Harvest time	can be harvested even after frosts

Kohlrabi growing in a bed — Kohlrabi can stay in raised beds over the winter.

Parsnip is a great winter vegetable for raised beds, where frost has a beneficial effect on its flavour. Very low temperatures increase the sugar content and enhance the distinctive spicy-sweet taste. Parsnips can stay in raised beds over the winter and grow well alongside onions, lettuce and radishes.

Frost resistance	can stay in the ground over winter
Seed sowing	pre-sowing from March to May
Harvest time	from September/October

Parsnips growing in a bed — Frost improves the flavour of parsnips.

During autumn and winter, radishes in raised beds should be protected from moisture with a well-ventilated canopy. Incidentally, prolonged cold conditions slow the vegetable’s metabolism in such a way that sugar accumulates – so the radishes taste particularly mild and sweet.

Frost resistance	Use covering as frost protection
Seed sowing	from March to mid-September
Harvest time	up to the end of September/beginning of October

Radishes growing in a bed — A well-ventilated canopy protects the radishes.

Nutty rocket leaves, also known as arugula, can also be harvested from raised beds in winter. To enable multiple harvests, it is advisable not to cut too many leaves from each plant. Rocket should be protected with a covering and regularly watered on frost-free days.

Frost resistance	does not tolerate heavy frost
Seed sowing	sow directly from September to the beginning of November, successionally if desired
Harvest time	from November to March

A person cutting a rocket using secateurs — Rocket can also be harvested in winter.

Swede, rich in fibre and vitamins, is a low-calorie winter vegetable suitable for raised beds. The typical taste is tangy-sweet and a little like cabbage. Swede is fully winter-hardy and can stay in the ground all through winter. It is best grown in humus-rich, loamy moist soil.

Frost resistance	winter-hardy, can remain in the ground
Seed sowing	end of May to end of July
Harvest time	from end of September

Three swedes growing in a bed — Swedes can stay in the soil over the winter.

Although winter spinach grown in raised beds as a winter vegetable can tolerate mild frost, it is important to give it a protective cover. If only a few leaves are harvested at a time, you can expect continuous new growth. Harvested winter spinach should be heated before consumption – after that step it is versatile.