[Video] How to Grow Winter Crops In An Unheated Greenhouse
Want to harvest fresh veggies from your garden all winter long? Here’s how to grow winter crops in an unheated greenhouse…
Winter is here, but this doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your garden! If you have fall crops still in the ground, you can keep them going even in cold weather with the right coverings and care.
In the brief video below, Patrick from One Yard Revolution shares how his family grows winter crops throughout the winter in Zone 5, using only unheated hoop houses and row coverings. (The organic CSA program we belong to here in Central Ohio also does this.)
As Patrick mentions, each layer of covering essentially moves your garden 1 1/2 zones to the South. So if you’re in Zone 5 and you grow under cover inside a larger hoop house, your garden will feel like it’s in Zone 8 for the winter!
Here are the 8 keys Patrick lists to successful growing of winter crops in an unheated greenhouse or hoop house:
- Grow With the Season
- Grow In the Sun
- Grow Under Cover
- Grow In the Ground
- Grow in Succession
- Provide Ventilation
- Water Minimally
- Don’t Harvest Frozen Greens!
By following these simple tips, it is quite possible to harvest fresh vegetables from your garden all winter long – even if you live in a cool climate like Patrick does.
Watch the video below to learn more:
For more information about 4-season growing, check out Eliot Coleman’s excellent books about growing winter crops in Maine.
