How Can I Start a Winter Vegetable Garden?
A winter vegetable garden maintains fertile soil while providing an array of normally off-season vegetables for your dinner table. Winter vegetable gardens grow in a variety of climates with the aid of appropriate shelters. Cool weather crops such as leaf lettuce, broccoli and spinach grow easily. Other possible winter vegetable crops include cauliflower, carrots and beets. Celery, cabbages and mustard grow well in cold frames through the winter as well. Plant fast growing vegetables repeatedly in an area for an abundance of produce well in to the winter months. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Check your location on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone
map. Low-lying areas in the western portion of the United States, in addition to the southern states, are generally excellent places for winter vegetable gardens. These areas rarely reach far below freezing, and soil freezes to a depth of 3 to 4 inches only occasionally.
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Find the frost date for your area and decide on the vegetables to plant in your winter garden. These two factors determine when you must plant the seeds. Plant slow-growing crops such as beets, carrots and Brussels sprouts early in the fall, as these vegetables require approximately 90 days to reach maturity. Early carrots, early cabbages and Swiss chard need only around 60 days to grow, while leaf lettuce and other quick growing vegetables can be planted with only 30 days provided to reach maturity.
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Choose equipment to use in your winter garden, such as raised beds, cloches and windbreaks. Vegetable gardens in northern areas typically require more extensive protection such as that provided by a cold frame or greenhouse. Keep in mind that even planting your garden on the south-facing side of a house or building offers substantial protection from cold winter winds.
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Mulch in preparation for colder temperatures. This protects plant roots, discourages weed growth and reduces moisture evaporation while keeping soil in place. Begin mulching in late fall and remove the mulch again in early spring to allow soil to warm and thaw. Take care not to mulch with grass clippings from a yard treated with pesticides whose ingredients remain active for as long as 12 months after application.
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Tips & Warnings
Rotate crops to maintain the best possible garden. Planting the same crops in a location time and again makes for poor soil, in addition to attracting diseases and pests to a familiar location. Use cover crops, quick-growing plants such as alfalfa, cowpeas and clover, to add organic matter to the soil for hummus. This enriches the soil and leads to better results in the garden. Animal manures work well also.
Keep a record of the vegetables you planted, the time you planted them and the results, successful or otherwise. Use this to guide your planting for your winter vegetable garden the next year.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit garden fresh stirfry vegetables image by Brett Mulcahy from Fotolia.com
