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Stretching the Gardening
Season
by Arzeena Hamir
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 a combination 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 one and a half USDA Zones to the south!
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.
Two layers of
protection
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. 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.
Collect heat
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.
Arzeena Hamir is an agronomist and garden writer for Organic Living
Newsletter.
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