I have three planting beds in my yard that I use. I live on a steep slope in the Colorado Rockies at 8.500 ft elevation. I had to use rocks to build walls on the downhill sides of the beds to form terraces, My three terraces are always expanding, but that is what they are this year. I am still experimenting, but potatoes have always done well. I have quit things that never grow and put potatoes in their place. This year I have four varieties: Pontiac Red. Yukon Gold, Superior white, Russett. I should get 10’s of pounds of potatoes. I kept the Pontiac Red and Yukon Gold going for several years storing over winter, but had work interruptions until the ground froze and ended the run.
I have been growing the White Superior for three years and have saved seed potatoes successfully over winter. The Red Pontiac and Yukon Gold usually saved as well. I plan to be better when I dig potatoes this year and will store some of each including the Russett that I am growing for the first time and is supposed to store very well.
I will have 100’s of pounds of potatoes and am looking into Ball canning except for those I keep for seed for next year.
I also grow other things like peppers, tomatoes, turnips, rutabagas and summer squash. Am expanding growing areas and evaluating what grows well with our short summer and soil conditons.
Other Cold weather crops to consider :
Broccoli - loves cool weather
. . . . . if you leave the 'leafey' side shoots, you may get 2 or 3 more harvests.
Brussel Sprouts - (fall crop), harvested leaves base forms edible bulbetts
Cauliflower- (generaly a fall crop), labor intensive, forms head which may require 'blanching' with outer leaves.
Cabbage - some varieties mature in as little as 60 days
Carrots - varieties get sweeter as the temperatures get colder
.......a cover mulch in the fall will allow harvest into the winter.
Kale .... - will withstand temperatures down to +15 degrees F, and snow.
Lettuce - seguential planting will allow sequential harvest.
Onions, Leeks and Scallions - true bulb crops, enjoy coolweather, but are frost tolerant.
Peas ....- offer flowers as well as vegetable, can be trellised to save room, or to give shade to other cool weather plants.
..........there are slso 'bush' varieties which maximize space
..........can be seeded outdoors as soon as the soil can be worked.
Potatoes - considered late summer/ Fall root crop
Radish - spicey root,some varieties mature within 30 days,
......... can be planted and harvested to make room for other longer maturing crops.
......... If left past maturity, roots become 'woody' and tough.
Swiss Chard - matures in about 60 days; stalks and leaves are edible. (leaves taste like spinach).
Spinach - about 45 days to maturity, does best in cool weather, but offered shade in summer will not bolt (seed forming)
------------------------------
Beets, Carrots & Parsnips - true biennuals: first year sets root crop, if left in the soil, 2nd year will set seed.
Frost sweetens the crop.
------------------------------
Turnip & Rutabaga - considered vintage crops, but store well in root cellar or refridgerator,
........ sometimes 'waxed' to preserve moisture and freshness until Spring; heirloom varieties available.
------------------------------
As a reminder to many gardeners, Freeper 'greeneyes' and Freeper 'Diana in Wisconsin' moderate the FReeper gardening forum here at:
https://freerepublic.com/tag/gardening/index?tab=articles