my best luck has been self-sowing that doesn't actually start growing until spring. Right now I have volunteer cilantro and a little dill and calendula that is growing from plants that went to seed in the late spring/early summer. I've had turnip also self-sow. I don't think the current seedlings will make it thru the winter. I've had spinach seedlings make it thru winter unprotected. They die back but then start growing again in the spring. Parsley is a biennial so it should make it but will go to seed/bolt early in the season. Hence, you will get early parsley but it's not going to last long so plan on planting more.

Thanks Defrost, I figured just the parsley had a shot. I have a patch of spinach too, that I'm hoping will overwinter for spring growth. I still have seed for more parsley. And I managed to collect quite a bit of cilantro and dill seeds, so that's not a big deal. I just want to give the seedlings a shot at overwintering and just hope adding a thick layer of chopped leaves on top of all of them, including the parsley, is not the wrong thing to do.

Normally dill is one of those plants that you only have to plant once (in my experience), it keeps reseeding freely. I'd expect more to sprout in the spring too.

Most anything like that will be fine if covered sufficiently (presuming one remembers to uncover), and some might make it without protection.

Thanksâ¦ahâ¦that's the trick, I guess, uncovering them in the spring. :-)

If you or any of your neighbors get a real Christmas tree, you can also cut the branches when it's done and lay them over the beds. Makes a nice extra layer that is easy to take off in the spring.

Thanks Elisa, there should be plenty of Christmas trees around the neighborhood. Good idea. :-)