Comments | gardening: season extension

squid_ink in gardening

season extension

Jan 10, 2011 09:59

this time of the year I always kick myself for not researching season extending techniques. I do put a row cover over my spinach and kale, but that only seems to work until December or the first heavy snowfall (whichever comes first ( Read more... )

zone: usda 5, season extension

Comments 9

catmother January 10 2011, 16:08:38 UTC

The only suggestion I have is building cold frames. Haven't tried this myself, but sounds like it might withstand the weight of the snow.

squid_ink January 10 2011, 16:11:14 UTC

it's not so much the weight of the snow but the temperature, really. usually the snow gets blown off

but thx for the suggestion

virginiadear January 10 2011, 18:57:40 UTC

Interesting that you'd bring this up right now ( ... )

squid_ink January 10 2011, 20:29:33 UTC

thanks so much for this info.. I had been eyeballing one of his books when waiting for a friend at a bookstore, I was SO TEMPTED (I'm pretty sure it was Winter Harvest handbook)

even if I pick up a couple of tips from the book, it will help I'm sure :)

virginiadear January 10 2011, 23:24:05 UTC

http://www.amazon.com/Four-Season-Harvest-Organic-Vegetables-Garden/dp/1890132276/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1294700671&sr=8-1... )

squid_ink January 11 2011, 15:59:24 UTC

I've got the Four Seasons book on hold at the library.. thx for the recommendation. :)

Thread 6

(The comment has been removed)

virginiadear January 11 2011, 18:29:40 UTC

Actually Mr. Coleman is also very clear that on the North American continent, where we're dealing with '[N.A.] continental' winter weather and where we don't have the advantages afforded to the British Isles and part of Europe by the Gulf Stream (except around Florida), and where we do have heavy snow in Zones 5 and 6 on a fairly regular basis, row covers just aren't protection enough through the winter. Even though you're farther north than we are, your winters are much milder. We really do need cold frames.
I'm in USDA Hardiness Zone 6a, because I'm right along the shore of a Great Lake which acts as a giant hot water bottle to ameliorate winter temperatures, and last week our wind-chills were -24C at night. We need the wind-screen effect of the cold frame, and the protection from the weight of a foot or more of wet snow. We also get a lot of "freeze-thaw" cycles over the course of a winter, and that's not helpful to vegetables.