Walking down any produce aisle during the winter months is enough for anyone to consider keeping a winter veggie garden. Prices on winter produce are normally much higher as opposed to the produce that can be found in the summer. And pricing aside, fresh produce that is grown in a garden simply tastes better. Fresh vegetables are full of vitamins which can be lost when considering the time it takes to ship and process commercially grown foods. And in winter, this theory is even more true since most vegetables in these months are grown in the southern hemisphere.
The quality of winter vegetables is considerably higher in some circumstances. For instance, sugars are better kept in vegetables at cold temperatures. Also, as with any season of gardening, you know what has or hasn't been sprayed on your garden. You can determine, for yourself, what growth sprays, manures, or pesticides you want to use, if any. There is also always a certain satisfaction that most people get when growing their own foods. Seeing the first vegetable growing is usually an amazing experience for new as well as experienced gardeners. And there is no reason why the avid spring and summer gardener should stop gardening once the winter has arrived.
There are several factors to take into consideration when gardening in the winter. Depending on your choice of vegetable, raised beds should be used. Escarole, for example, can do well in temperatures of 10°F. However, this plant will not do well in damp conditions. A raised bed, made with either wood or plastic lumber which is made for this purpose can be used. A plastic cloche should be used to house each bed. Cloche's are easy to assemble and there are many guides found on the internet and in books that teach beginners how to make and use them easily. A cloche looks like a small greenhouse, but is used for only one bed or row of vegetables. When building your cloche, be sure to leave one end of the tent open to provide air ventilation.
Mulch should always be used for winter vegetables. One purpose mulch serves is by preventing soil compaction caused by constant winter rainfall. It also acts like a blanket, or insulation, to even out the swings in temperature that are common in the winter months. The temperature under the mulch will be higher than that in the open air, as long as you lay the mulch down before the ground is frozen. Mulch also reduces sunlight to weeds that may want to grow and spread throughout your garden. Mulch should be removed in the early spring months to allow the ground to warm up again.
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