Winter is almost here, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing growing! To increase efficiency during these cold months, Farmer Ric has built a propagation house to nurture seedlings during the winter, and is expanding the hoop-house for more growing capacity.
But you don’t need an awesome hoop-house like yours to keep growing during the winter! With a little love and knowledge, anybody can grow a winter garden – and Farmer Ric has a few tips for anyone working on a garden this winter! It’s a little too late to start a winter garden this year, but you can use these tips to start one next year, or to get a head start on a garden in the spring!
- Find the sunniest spot in your yard for cold-weather planting. Sun is scarce in the winter, and plants need a lot of it!
- Lettuce and leafy greens are the most idea vegetables to grow in cold conditions – try kale, chard, mustard greens, mizuna, tat soi, or spinach. You can also plant root vegetables like beets, carrots, and turnips. Use direct-seeding with those root vegetables; depending on how cold and how late in the year it is when you plant the seeds, they may grow right away, or the may “over-winter” and pop up in the spring. Garlic is another great plant to over-winter. They take a long time to grow, so if you plant some garlic in October or November it will be ready to harvest in the summer.
- And most importantly: it’s starting to get COLD at night so your key move right now is to keep your garden warm. Your home garden actually has the advantage here, because it’s likely a little more protected from the elements by neighboring houses and walls. But you still need to cover your winter plants with mulch and plastic row covering – which you can find at most local nurseries.
Happy growing!!!