It’s officially summer, and while the sun might be shining I am thinking about my winter garden. Winter garden? Yes, that’s right. Winter gardens are a summer activity, however hot it might be. Summer time gives your plants the time and warmth they need to grow, and June and July are excellent times to install your winter garden.
Those of us in temperate climes have it lucky. If you love food gardening and you don’t want to stop, you can keep on gardening right through the winter time with very little help. Yet winter gardening is possible even in colder climates. There might be a lot of snow, but do not be afraid. Choose the warmest, most accessible area of your garden and try a winter garden this year as an experiment.
Use devices to help you in your quest for fresh veggies in the winter time. A cloche is a simple little tent for your vegetables. Find an old glass bottle, a milk jug, or a plastic food container and turn it over your vegetables for instant heat. Cold frames are the next step up from cloches. Find an old window and use it to make a tiny greenhouse for your plants. Prop it up with a board. If you’re really feeling ambitious, construct a small greenhouse for your plants.
What do you grow in a winter garden? Squash and tomatoes are not the stuff of winter gardens. Instead, grow hardy greens and root vegetables like carrots, kale, swiss chard, Good King Henry, collard greens, beets, parsnips, leeks, and many hardy winter lettuce varieties. Winter gardening calls for some experimental cooking. Over the years, we’ve lost our recipes for winter vegetables and there’s no time like the present to try and reclaim some of them.
Winter gardening is not just a practice for those who are garden-crazy. It’s a rewarding activity that can be just a little more challenging than summer gardening, but the fresh produce in the winter time is more than worth it. Imagine walking out into your garden in January and picking leaves of heritage lettuce, and you’ll see the benefits of the winter garden.