Growing Tomatoes in Cool-Summer Gardens.– Unheated greenhouses provide improved protection here you can grow lettuce and carrots because you are keeping the ground from freezing. It can make it difficult to pick crops like parsnip and spinach and can rot spinach if it gets too wet. Even carrots can grow right through the straw. Straw mulch over garlic will protect the ground from cracking it can do the same for onions. It is valuable for crops like kale, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli for this reason and can help prepare beds for early spring seedings. – Straw! Straw is great for keeping soil from getting excessively hard and cracked from the cold wind. For less intense seasons or climates than the Northeast, crop fabric (Remay, Covertan or Agribon) works better than plastic for protecting from the wind while allowing the plants to breathe on warmer days. Leave an opening for air to enter on both ends and weigh it down on the sides with boards, rocks or sandbags for added sturdiness. Tie the ends tightly to the stakes, providing tension to shield against rain and snow. The sheets fit well over a 3-foot bed and stand about 3 feet high. It should be supported by bent electrical tubing and anchored with stakes. – A great way to reuse old greenhouse plastic – sheets of durable polyethylene typically used for walling greenhouses – is to place it over ground crops. The more modern versions employ polycarbonate panels (hard plastic) paired with levers operated by a wax-filled cylinder: When the wax grows hot it expands, activating the lever and venting the cold house. – Old windows are the classic reused cold-frame material but they get very hot and are usually heavy. There are lots of prefab cold-frames available but reused and recycled materials are the most rewarding. There are a few ways to protect the crops from winter extremes. Maine, Canadian and Scandinavian farmers are the experts on this. Rule #3: Protect your plants.Ĭovering crops when temperatures dip is key. In upstate New York, for example, first frost occurs between mid-October and early November (also relative to the lunar phase), so we plan accordingly. Planting before full and new moon dates throughout the growing season. – Follow a lunar planting calendar to coordinate plantings and harvests. If you get light frosts, you can keep beets and carrots all winter long so that they mature in fall and are ready to harvest in winter. – Wherever you are, the key is to know when frost arrives. Spring onions can be seeded in late fall or even frostseeded in winter for an early crop. Some hardy carrot varieties (labeled and sold as such) can be planted in September and throughout winter for maturation in April. Parsnips planted in March can be harvested as late as the following March. – Fall plantings of spinach and hardy mustard greens like broccoli raab will grow slowly all winter, making for a great spring treat. – Spinach and mache greens can be seeded well into October and will mature sufficiently throughout the winter in most parts of the country. – Spinach, lettuces, mache and mustard greens can be planted through September without needing protection from cool temperatures. – Plant parsnips, Brussels sprouts and celery root earlier in the season (March through May) to assure their size before they are harvested late in the fall or winter. – Plant carrots and beets no later than the beginning of August to ensure they mature to their desired sizes. – Kale, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli planted in July (no later than mid-July) will mature sufficiently for October to December harvests, although different varieties of each crop may ripen at different rates. When planting crops for late-season harvest, start early so plants can properly mature. Planting at the right time can vastly improve longevity. Rule #2: Timing is everything when it comes to plants (and life). – When choosing varieties to grow for this late harvest, search for those with good storage qualities like winter squash. They don’t mind cold weather and perform well in low-light environments. ŸŸ- Parsnips, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, kale and cauliflower are great for late season harvests. Fortunately, both carrots and beets can be harvested and stored in a cool moist place (about 55 degrees) like a basement or cold cellar. Both crops grow sweeter in cooler temperatures although their crispness can be compromised if left in the ground too long. – Carrots and beets can handle light frosts but need to be harvested before the ground gets hard.
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