There’s nothing quite like the feeling of growing your own food. It’s kind of like you’re raising your own little plant children–you plant them and water them and tend to them and try to protect them from the elements so they can grow big and strong. Then it gets kind of messed up because you eat them, but you get the idea.

Morbidity aside, food you have grown yourself tends to be much more delicious than produce purchased in the grocery store. Perhaps it’s the fact that you’ve picked them at peak ripeness because you don’t have to transport them too far to your kitchen. Vegetables you have grown yourself are also ideal for freezing.

If you’re planning to grow your own food, you should be aware that you can’t grow just any type of vegetable at any time you please. To get the best results, it’s important to pay attention to your local climate and also the time of year. Knowing what you can grow in cooler climates, for example, can help you enjoy the fruits (or in this case, veggies) of your labor not only in the summertime, but also in the spring and fall. This information also comes in handy when the seasons seem to be having an endless not-quite-winter/almost-spring identity crisis.

On that note, here are some veggies that grow really well in cooler climates and can be harvested for early enjoyment:

Broccoli

You might not be able to tell from its little bushy green trees, but broccoli is a huge tough guy when it comes to fighting off the chill. You can plant it up to a month before the last spring frost, and in the late summer for harvesting in the fall. More broccoli growing tips can be found here.

Carrots

Carrots are another great cool-season veggie, and in fact, they get even sweeter in cooler temperatures. You can harvest them as soon as the roots look edible, and even enjoy your carrot harvest through the summer, fall and early winter. Learn more about growing carrots here.

Leeks

Leeks are easy to grow, and are at their peak harvest in early spring, which means they can withstand those cooler, pre-summer temperatures and even a little light frost. Star them inside about 10 weeks before the last spring frost, then transfer them outside when the danger of heavy frost has passed. For a detailed guide to growing leeks successfully, check out this article from Canadian Gardening.

Radishes

Radishes grow exceptionally fast, which means you can start enjoying them soon after planting them in the spring–even within as little as one month! They also work well when planted in the fall. Here are more great tips on how to grow radishes.

Spinach

Spinach, which we recently named as one of our picks for hangover cures that actually work, can be planted about a month before the last spring frost, and again just over a month before the first frost in the fall. For optimal spinach planting and growing tips, head over to the trusty Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Don’t feel like you need to stop at these veggies–they’re just skimming the surface of the cool-season vegetable iceberg. Other vegetables you might like to try growing in the cooler months include lettuce, cabbage, peas, onions and shallots.

Do you have any cool-weather vegetables in your garden? Share your tips in the comments or over on Twitter at @luvoinc.