>
> I think he basically means places where the ground freezes real
hard in the
> winter. Like where I live (Winnipeg). Though parsley's a
perennial here
> too.
>
I think many root vegetables can survive a hard ground freeze, certainly here in Ottawa (not quite so brutal as Winnipeg, but still the ground freezes solid for a good depth for four or more months each winter), my mother's garden frequently included "volunteer" potato plants, that grew from peelings thrown into the compost pile. Also wild garlic grew in the forests near there.
For that matter, there are all sorts of "bulb" plants that do very well here....to the extent that we have a very large tulip festival every spring, showcases the thousands of tulips that were planted the previous fall, only a few inches deep.
The main effect of freezing is usually to make things a little mushier, but that is not a huge issue in things that you intend to boil up anyway. For example, brussel sprouts can be left growing on the stock up until you want to eat them or the snow is about to bury them, then the whole stock can be stored somewhere cold until you want to cook up the sprouts.
However, with most root vegetables the root is the plant's store house for the next growing season, so as soon as the ground thaws the plant can start growing, and so will take some of the stores back out of the root. That is no good for the farmer, so you want to harvest it at soon as the surface plant has died off (and hence is sending no more stores to the root).
But wild root vegetables would probably be a valid thing to go after in the spring. Assuming that the amount you dig up isn't enough to hurt future harvests then they are "free" food in the spring, when your stores are pretty much exhausted.
-Bryan
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