A Winter Vegetable Garden to Keep the Goodies Coming
You might think of a winter vegetable garden as only appropriate for those folks in the sun belt. But here at New Terra Farm (near Ottawa, 45-degrees latitude, zone 5A) we still have goodies growing as of November 1.
Right now we have turnips, carrots, mesclun, arugula, spinach, and several other kinds of greens still growing, despite several frosts. We picked the last of the broccoli and cabbage yesterday. Making a Living on Your Small Farm
So you can have a winter garden even in a fairly severe climate, if you plan for it. Here's what we do:- Plan your winter garden in the summer. We start planning the winter harvest season in late summer. For example the broccoli we harvested on October 31 was started from seed in mid-July, and planted in the garden around the first of September.
- Select the right crops. We can't grow tomatoes in November around here, but there are a dozen or so crops that will survive well in to winter. Eliot Coleman of 'New Organic Grower' fame makes a distinction between the 'growing season' and the 'harvest season'. For example, our broccoli did most of it's growing before heavy frosts set in. Then it remained mostly dormant, under cover (see next point) until we were ready to harvest. A little research should find you some crops that will survive in your climate.
- Use simple, cheap crop protection.We absolutely LOVE row cover for the winter garden. We 'cover up' once the weather turns real cold; I've observed that more plant damage seems to come from harsh winds rather than just cold. Row cover provides protection against both.
- Consider investing in a small greenhouse. My small (500 sq ft) movable greenhouse has produced thousands of dollars worth of veggies and bedding plants. A greenhouse this size can pay for itself the same season, and will really kick your winter vegetable garden into high gear.
Scott tilling the greenhouse
Turnips under row cover in the outdoor garden
More winter vegetable garden info:
Starting a greenhouse
Growing plants in a greenhouse
Floating row cover the organic gardeners best friend
Return to home page from Winter Vegetable Garden
|
