Winter can be tough on gardeners. Don't get me wrong; I love the festivities and all the holly-jolly snowmen. But once January rolls around, the mid-winter doldrums set in. Soon, restlessness and cabin-fever will strike this gardener hard. By February, I'm done with all my indoor projects and I am eager to get outside. In order to quiet my impatience, I do a lot of roaming around outdoors.
I head out on with my pruners and I snip at this and that. I snoop around the flower beds. I poke and I prod. And you know, this stir-crazy, winter wandering has proven to be a good thing: last February, I made an interesting discovery. We'd just received a heavy, late-season snowfall in southern Vermont, quickly followed by a harsh cold snap. I was feeling disenchanted with the weather, to say the least. But one morning, while trudging through the heavy snow drifts on my way to empty the compost, I decided to cut through the sleepy vegetable garden, and I was surprised and delighted by what I found. The summer before, I had installed several plastic hoop-houses in my potager in order to extend the growing season. The simple frames were intended to protect my cherry tomatoes, herbs, and greens from late frost. It worked! Last year I enjoyed fresh vegetables into early December. Well, on this particularly wintry day, when I waded past the snow-covered domes, I stopped to peek beneath the plastic, and I was greeted by a warm rush of air; bright green, volunteer seedlings; and the unmistakable scent of spring!
Later that day, inspired by my discovery, I drove to the bookstore to check out Eliot Coleman's recent release, The Winter Harvest Handbook. Coleman is an organic farmer from Harborside, Maine, and although this book is new, he has been writing about cold-climate gardening for many years. If you've never heard of winter gardening, you might be wondering how someone grows vegetables in freezing weather, with two feet of snow on the ground. And why, you might ask, would you bother when organic produce can be easily obtained at the local grocery store? Well, those are good questions. I know the concept of winter gardening sounds funny to many people—perhaps even pointless. Well, until my epiphany on the way to the compost bin, I thought so, too. But if you, like me, are thrilled by the idea of harvesting and eating fresh greens and crispy root vegetables from your own garden, and if you are invigorated by the smell of warm, moist earth in winter, then you might just warm up to the idea of cold-season gardening.
Although most warm-season vegetables, such as tomatoes and cucumbers, remain out-of-reach to cold-house gardeners in winter, with proper protection many leafy greens and root vegetables can be continuously harvested—even during the coldest months of the year. Think bright orange carrots, ruby-red chard, crispy lettuce, and fresh spinach on a cold winter day. Doesn't that sound delicious? I am excited by the possiblilties. Eliot Coleman's research has helped to expand four-season gardening far beyond anyone's expectations. I'm eager to experiment with some of his new ideas. Growing vegetables in winter will be an exciting new challenge for me as a gardener, and I am totally into it. Who knows? With a bit of outdoor space (even the slightest sliver), and a dose of gumption, you may find yourself hopping on the winter-gardening bandwagon, too.
Have you tried winter gardening? Got any tips?
Michaela grew up gardening, studying plants, and picking organic produce on the family farm. When she isn't spreading compost or pruning shrubs, she can usually be found writing articles or giving seminars on all things gardening. Michaela has worked as a gardening professional for 15 years and is the author of the popular blog, The Gardener’s Eden.
