Mache, Spinach, and I think Claytonia are all winter hardy. They will live through the winter if protected by a Cold Frame or Low Grow Tunnels. Actually, I find the biggest risk is "Cooking Them" by not opening up the Cold Frame or Grow Tunnels on Sunny days. The plants slow down in growth and then pretty much do nothing Dec - Feb. They overwinter and pick up again in March, giving you a nice early crop.

I planted Spinach and Lettuce on Friday Sept 19th for my Grow Tunnels. I also tried about 2 weeks ago, but didn't have good germination as we had a hot spell and the soil may have been too warm.

I believe Fava Beans are like Lima beans and thus won't survive the winter, even in grow tunnels. They are a summer crop only (I think).

Good luck.

Ken

Actually, Fava's are frost hardy and can survive down to hmmm, 10 degrees F ? I have forgotten exactly. It's a winter crop in England. It will overgrow through the winter and you can harvest in late February or March. I've used it for a cover crop in my gardens. They make lots of mass for digging under or composting if you prefer. They supply, like all vetches, nitrogen to the soil so its wonderful for those gardens you have empty in the winter. And, they are easy to grow.

Ken, you are right on with the other 3! Thanks,
Tom

Can I clarify 'It's a winter crop in England'? We do sow Favas (which we call broad beans) in the Autumn, but they do not crop, ie produce pods and beans, until the spring. The first pickings are about mid May in good year. So the idea of cropping favas all through the winter is a red herring. To get a succession I sow in October/November then again in February and March. Some years the Autumn sowing is no earlier than the February one and some years I lose the lot to rots and mice. Our climate gives us relatively mild damp winters and long cool springs lasting 3 - 4 months. My impresssion is that in much of the US the Spring is pretty soon over and into the hot weather so you might harvest favas sooner than we do if you can get them through the winter.

Here in upstate SC I seed outdoor favas in late January, they start flowering in mid March, start harvesting pods in mid April, and the plants are played out by late May. The plants are very hardy here with none of the aphid problems that UK gardeners talk about. One time I tried seeding some in December in a cloch, but the plants got too tall for the 4' high cloch and the lack of pollenators in the cloch in mid-winter meant no fruit was produced.