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When the days begin to shorten,
do you ever wish there was a way to squeeze just a bit more out
of the summer? After all, the tomatoes & peppers were just
starting to produce and the summer salads never tasted so good.
A combination of biology and
simple technology can keep your kitchen stocked with fresh food
throughout the winter. The key is to plan in advance and provide
a bit of extra protection for your plants. In addition, broadening
your vegetable palate will also help to increase variety in your
winter diet.
Very few gardeners realize what
a difference a little bit of protection can make. Most winter
garden plants either slow down or fail to produce due to acombination
of cold temperatures and harsh winds. A single layer of plastic
over your plants will create such a microclimate that your garden
will produce as if it's 11/2 USDA Zones to the south!
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Gardens in Zones 3-6 can really
benefit with the use of protection. Eliot Coleman, noted organic
grower and author of The Four Season Harvest, uses this technique
of "passive" protection in his Maine market garden.
Instead of freezing in Zone 5, his winter veggies grow in a temperate
Zone 7. Although Coleman uses large hoop houses on his farm,
the technique can be adapted for the home gardener.
The trick to making this temperature
jump, Coleman relates, is to use 2 layers of protection. Ideally,
the first layer should be large enough that you can walk through
it. |
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However, as long as the plants
underneath can be reached, a smaller cover will do. Next, the
second layer of protection should be much lower to the ground.
In order to trap heat radiating from the soil, the second layer
of protection should be between 12-16" above the ground.
This second layer can take the shape of a cold frame, cloche,
or even just another sheet of plastic, suspended above the plants
using wires for support.
Another trick that Coleman relates
is to place water-filled containers around plants to collect
heat from the day and release it at night. This is an especially
effective technique for gardens in areas that have sunny winter
days. Finally, a light layer of mulch such as straw, hay, or
even autumn leaves act as a layer of insulation, best suited
for root crops like carrots, turnips, parsnips, and beets.
If the idea of extending your
growing season has sparked some interest in winter gardening,
don't forget that there are a number of crops well suited to
winter gardening. Apart from the well-known winter crops such
as spinach, leeks, scallions cabbage, kale & parsley, winter
gardeners should also try arugula, escarole, claytonia, kohlrabi,
mizuna, radicchio, sorrel & watercress, corn salad (mache).
Certain herbs will also grow
well in cooler temperatures including cilantro, winter thyme,
winter savory & sage. Few flowers will produce under these
conditions with the exception of violets & johnny jump-ups.
A few tips:
While each layer of protection
will increase temperature, each layer will also cut out about
10% of light. Two layers will not pose a problem but a third
layer could cause crop failure due to inadequate light levels.
While soil temperatures are still
warm, fertilize leafy greens like spinach, corn salad & sorrel
so that they have enough nutrients to take them through the fall.
Harvest greens above their crowns
so that growing tip isn't damaged and you get another crop. |
