Garden Wisdom Blog — category: Winter Gardening

It’s Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. We wake up to the dark; we drive home in the dark. We have vanquished the autumn leaves, laid to rest the garden beds, and wait for the seed catalogue to arrive. There is little else to do. We welcome the shortest day of the year-winter solstice-one that goes largely unnoticed by most. However, for us gardeners it is a pivotal day of the year. We have surrendered completely to the ways of nature. We understand that many plants will not bloom unless triggered by a stretch of longer nights. We...

The days are getting shorter, and your commute’s done in the dark mornings and evenings. Yes, it’s November, and that means cold, dark days. While there are still many seasonal greens that you can grow in cold frames in your garden, in November thoughts tend to turn indoors. Thankfully, it’s easy to grow fresh, healthy food inside your home as well, for green winter salads. In November and throughout the coming winter season, sprouts and microgreens are the ideal complement to the other local vegetables and preserved foods on your menu. Why grow microgreens and sprouts? Nutritionally, they’re powerhouses: as...

Some vegetable varieties thrive in the cool conditions of fall and early winter, and offered a bit of protection from extreme cold, they can be harvested right through until spring. The best winter gardening varieties actually improve in flavour, texture, and sweetness once the cold weather arrives. As you would start many vegetables in late winter and early spring for summer harvests, winter gardening requires sowing seeds in mid- to late summer. This allows the plants to gain a little growth before the days begin to get shorter and the sunlight becomes less intense. The secret is choosing the right...

As the growing season shifts to winter mode, your attention turns to protecting your food plants and flower beds and baskets for as long as possible. You watch for the first signs frost, which sneaks in on a clear windless autumn night. Fog or cloud cover tends to prevent a frost by trapping the heat that would otherwise escape skyward. Frost occurs when temperatures drop to just below freezing. Why all this frost watch diligence? Frost causes ice crystals to form in plant cells and thereby damages the cell walls. Leaves then shrivel and turn brown or black and the...

Some winter crop protection to protect from cold, wind, and snow will certainly increase success for winter gardeners. We recommend the use of raised beds whenever possible, as they provide extra drainage, and will warm faster in brief winter sunny periods. Raised beds are easy to modify for use with cloche greenhouses, wind protection, and heavy row cover. Used in combination, these methods can ensure a bountiful harvest of fresh vegetables all winter long. Even just planting against a south-facing wall can offer enough reflected/radiant heat and wind protection for many winter vegetables. Our customers have spoken of brushing snow...