We asked community members about their favorite ways to extend the growing season. Here are their 21 best tips for extending the season!
Extend the growing season with fencing, cover and windbreaks
Many people use various types of plant covers to extend the season, whether you are growing in a greenhouse or hoop house, under a floating row cover or cold frame, or even in a cart with holes drilled in the bottom like Emily Sandstrom does, then cover with plastic overnight. The real beauty of Emily’s method is that if the weather does get colder, she can also roll her mini “greenhouse” into a warmer spot, and she doesn’t have to bend and kneel: “Just put the wheelbarrow Push it as high as you want,” she said.
You can also enjoy:
“DIY Hoop House: Easy Greenhouse Alternatives”
“Top 5 Things to Consider When Building (or Buying) a Greenhouse”
“Mad Scientist Working To Bring Greenhouse Heating Down To -25F Independently”
We’ve also got some really creative DIY fence suggestions.
- Vikki Blalock uses a raised bed and Make Your Own Medium Hoop House Using Homemade Tomato Cages Heavy Gauge Roll Plastic.
- Dee creates a warmer growing space by circulating 40 feet of space Gutter Thermal Tape Move back and forth (but without touching yourself) within a 5-foot by 8-foot space. She put a foot of good soil on it, and built a low house on top of it with PVC, steel bars and 6mm thick transparent plastic sheeting.Then Dee hung two brood light Inside and place a 5 gallon bucket filled with water to increase humidity and trap bugs. She says she “learned to do this when breeding competition pumpkins” and it allowed her to start the growing season at least 6-8 weeks earlier.
- Terri from Northeast Ohio has a Wire Enclosed Loft Bed This gives her about 150 square feet of space.When the weather turns cold, she Wrap the entire exterior in Bubble wrapand said it “works great in December.”
- Sandra Forrester of Northeast New Mexico uses tires to protect her plants“Instead of being used as a pot to hold the soil, the tire is just an enclosure for the plants. It acts as a windbreak and creates a microclimate. Plus, we can easily cover the tire with a garden cloth for added warmth,” says Sandra, For taller plants, she inserts chicken wire (or other wire) around the inside perimeter of the tire to create a cage, and covers the cage with cloth to create a temporary cold frame. “We stack two tires for the factory that need more support. Works like a charm all year round, we’ve found a use for the tires, and it’s a free resource.”
Sandra Forrester of Northeast New Mexico uses old tires to build vegetated walls that act as windbreaks and create microclimates.
- Rick P. used black plastic sheetingexcept for using a homemade cold rack.
- Greta of Kentucky saved 1 gallon jug Year round, snip off the bottom and leave the plastic screw cap in place. When it started to get cold outside, she pressed a round electric fence post into the ground at the end of each row of gardens and hung water cans by handles on the posts. This keeps them from blowing around the farm. “Anything that needs to warm the soil and protect itself from cold air and frost gets a ‘mini-greenhouse’ at night if desired,” she adds. “If I can’t be out first thing in the morning, I pop the lid off the top to prevent hot air from accumulating when the sun shines. This also applies to the vines after planting.”
- John varies what he uses depending on the time of year.To start earlier in the spring, he uses garden fabric, plus Water Filled Insulated Plant Protector For his early tomatoes. To extend his seasons into fall and winter, he uses garden fabric combined with plastic-covered low tunnels.
- In North Central Texas, Rufus created Two or three storey beds made of tires“They warm the ground faster in early spring. And the sidewalls hold water longer than dirt.” The height makes weeding easier, he adds, because there’s not as much need to bend over. Like Sandra, he also uses wire cages “to keep the West Texas shovels from tearing things up and provide shade when needed.”
Extend the Growing Season by Planting Hardy Varieties
Many of you use a variety of methods to dodge frost in your garden, and one method some of you mentioned is to choose hardy varieties – or create your own by letting the plants self-seed and produce volunteers the following spring varieties.
- “I do research!” says Elaine Kettring. “What plants are hardy? Kale and many leafy greens — especially the ones with wrinkled leaves. The more wrinkles, the more cold-resistant. She adds that she has had good success in cold weather with drumhead cabbage, salad green Mâche and Blue Max for kale.
- Bunkey of Tobermory, Canada said: “I let most of my plants self seed. Volunteers always do better than I grow. “
- Kathy Hubbert, Missouri Sowing lettuce seeds on the snow in late winter. She says she always gets a beautiful bed of early leaf lettuce this way.
You can also enjoy:
“Growing Mâche: Baby Lettuce That Lasts All Winter”
warm the soil with mulch
Many of you also cover the soil with a thick mulch to extend the season.
- “deep rich coverage Helps my black clay soil heat up faster in the spring,” says Jenny. “I can plant earlier and avoid stressing the root system. “
- carol used rake leaves as mulch On her high bed in late autumn and winter.
- Bunkey, who owns a garden back to Eden, said: “I plant the garlic and potatoes under mulch in the fall, making sure they are well covered. What a joy, because once the soil gets warm enough in the spring, they will pop up. I’ll never have to dig the potatoes too hard – as long as the mulch excludes light and frost, they’re happy and productive! “
- Kathy Herbert Black plastic or reusable landscape cloth Kill weeds and help warm the soil in early spring.
- bert crew use Wheat straw from local farmers is used for mulch. He also added it to his coop to use as mulch later.
growing in containers
Some of our community members have started planting seeds in pots – or growing them in containers year-round!
- Crystal of Mid Coast Maine said: “I attended Peter Burke’s talk and then read his book “Year-round Indoor Salad Gardening.” I now have a ready supply of sprouts (not exactly microgreens, but close). It’s easy to do — no grow lights needed. Sow the seeds in his recommended soil mix, keep them in the dark for four days, then put them in natural light (even a north window) for 3-5 days. My one year old grandson loves to pick and eat my shoots – even the spicy radish shoots. “
- “I grow in containers and cheat the weather so my season is 12 months,” Charles A. Pledge said. “I found that I couldn’t extend it. I had a 900 sq ft interior planting area and added 256 sq ft in late winter. Also, I added about 800 sq ft in the form of a roofed shed to protect from frost, And maybe roughen some of it up and add heat to get rid of the extra freezing time.”
- Debbie plants the seeds indoors and then transplants them when the weather warms up. “I start the seeds in converted food containers or anything I can find that can hold a little dirt. I find that they need heat and light – plenty of light to grow well. Although next to double windows, I use Inexpensive portable light fixtures with a couple of regular bulbs shining on them. I know you’re supposed to use grow lights, but I just supplement with a few months of sunlight to keep the plants from growing too long, and they look pretty good.” Then, Debbie moves her plants outdoors, into PVC enclosures wrapped in clear plastic, and transplants them once the ground is warm enough.
Create zones to extend the growing season
Some of you have shaped the contours of the earth to be allies in protecting plants from frost.
You can also enjoy:
“Is it raining? Go outside and do this!”
“Chard en Garde Manger: Delicious 3-Seasons Green Food Safety”
“Mustard Greens: What You Need to Know Before You Plant (With Recipe)”
“We scale by building multiple layers of beds,” says Marianne Cicala. “It naturally creates zones—that is, morning sun and afternoon shade—that keep the soil cool and moist, allowing canola crops to grow longer in summer and planting fall crops earlier. These The opposite part of the bed provides hot afternoon sun, which allows summer crops to be planted earlier and last longer in autumn.”
(By the way, you can read more about Marianne’s gardening methods on our Local Changemakers Series, here.)
at last…
And if all else fails, Wayne Lyford has one final, surefire suggestion: “Move to Florida!” 🙂
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