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As colder weather sets in, many gardeners assume it’s time to put their tools away until spring. But did you know that, with the right techniques and tools, you can extend the growing season well beyond the warmer months? Yes, that’s right – it’s perfectly possible for our gardens to produce harvests all year round!
By implementing a few simple methods, you can protect your plants from the cold and continue growing crops even when temperatures start to drop. Let’s take a look at some practical tips to help you extend your garden’s productivity into the fall and winter:
1. Horticultural Fleece
Horticultural fleece is by far my favorite way to protect delicate crops in colder weather. This breathable material can be draped directly over plants or combined with hoops to create small protective tunnels, allowing sunlight and moisture to reach your plants while offering a barrier against frost and cold winds. I use fleece to protect young tender seedlings in early spring, giving me a headstart on the summer growing season.
2. Greenhouses & Hoop Houses
Greenhouses and hoop houses (also known as polytunnels) are two of the most effective structures for extending the growing season, offering protection from cold temperatures, frost, and harsh weather. Warm-season crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers grown under cover will start to produce harvests far earlier than their outdoor counterparts. These versatile growing areas are also invaluable in the winter for salad crops and fast-growing brassicas.
If you’re unsure which option best fits your needs, hoop houses are a more budget-friendly, temporary option that can be easily moved or adjusted. For those with a larger budget and space, greenhouses provide a more permanent solution for year-round gardening.
3. Mulching
A thick layer of mulch, such as straw, leaves, or compost, applied around the base of plants helps insulate the soil and keep roots warm. Mulching not only protects roots from freezing temperatures but also retains soil moisture, which is critical during the drier winter months. This technique is especially useful for perennial crops and overwintering vegetables like garlic and onions.
How to Mulch a Vegetable Garden
4. Succession Planting
Succession planting is a strategic method for ensuring continuous harvests throughout the colder months. By planting crops at staggered intervals, you can ensure that some plants are always ready for harvest. Cold-hardy crops such as spinach, cabbage, and leeks are ideal for this method, as they can thrive in cooler temperatures.
5. Cold Frames
Cold frames are simple, unheated structures with a transparent lid that traps sunlight and heat. They are particularly useful for hardening off seedlings before transplanting and for overwintering hardy crops like lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Old window frames are ideal for creating DIY cold frames to protect your crops.
6. Insulated Raised Beds
Insulating raised beds is a great way to retain heat in the soil, protecting plant roots from freezing and helping crops thrive during colder months. Raised beds naturally warm up faster than ground-level gardens, but adding insulation can further enhance this effect, making them perfect for late fall and early spring planting.
Simple ways to insulate your raised beds include:
- Line the inside of the bed with materials that trap heat, like bubble wrap, old carpet, or foam boards.
- Place straw or hay bales around the outside of the beds.
- Convert your raised bed into a makeshift cold frame by adding a transparent cover, such as old windows, clear plastic, or acrylic sheets.
19 Best Vegetables to Grow in a Raised Garden Bed
7. Grow Lights
It’s not just cold temperatures that slow down plant growth in the winter – shorter daylight hours also trigger plants to go into dormancy. By mimicking the spectrum of natural sunlight, grow lights enable plants to photosynthesize and thrive, even when outdoor light is limited. A set of grow lights is invaluable when starting warm-season crops inside ready for planting out after the risk of frost has passed.
8. Windbreaks
Windbreaks, such as hedges, fences, or barriers, can significantly reduce the impact of cold winds, which sap warmth from your garden and damage plants. Plant trees or shrubs to act as natural windbreaks or install fences to create a sheltered environment for your garden and protect delicate plants from wind chill.
9. Propagators & Heat Mats
For those looking to start plants early in the year, propagators and heat mats are essential tools. I set my propagator up in mid-December to start my chili pepper seeds – yes, this might seem early, but these slow-growing plants need all the time they can get! The controlled warmth provided by propagators and heat mats ensures stronger, healthier plants that are better prepared for transplanting into the garden or greenhouse when the weather improves.
How to Propagate and Grow Rosemary from Cuttings
10. Wall Gardens
Do you have a south-facing wall in your garden? Espalier gardening, where plants are trained to grow against a sun-kissed wall, can significantly extend the growing season for certain crops. The wall absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night, creating a microclimate that is warmer than the surrounding area. This technique is especially effective for fruit trees and other temperature-sensitive plants.
11. Hotbeds
Create a ‘hotbed’ by layering fresh manure in a raised bed under a layer of soil – as the manure decomposes, it generates heat, warming the soil above and allowing you to plant crops earlier in the spring or continue growing through the winter. I like to set up a hotbed in my hoop house in early spring, as this acts as a heat mat for tender seedlings.
12. Cloches & Row Covers
Cloches and row covers offer simple, effective ways to protect your plants from frost, cold winds, and fluctuating temperatures. Cloches are small, individual covers that shield single plants, while row covers are larger pieces of lightweight fabric that can protect entire rows or sections of your garden.
DIY cloches and row covers are easy to make using common household items. Plastic bottles can be repurposed by cutting off the bottom and placing them over individual plants, creating a mini-greenhouse effect. Old bed sheets or lightweight curtains can be draped over wire hoops as a simple yet effective row cover.
13. Thermal Mass
Placing items that store heat, such as rocks, bricks, or water containers, inside greenhouses or cold frames can help maintain a more stable temperature. These materials absorb heat from the sun during the day and release it slowly at night, helping to keep the growing environment warmer and more stable for your plants.
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Kate Chalmers
Kate is a passionate gardener who has a keen interest in all things related to homesteading and sustainability. She resides in Portugal with her husband and menagerie of animals and has over 15 years of experience in the UK veterinary industry. In 2020, Kate and her husband took on a dilapidated Portuguese house and abandoned olive grove, turning it into an abundant food forest and home for nature.
Life on the homestead is never the same from one day to the next, and Kate has mastered many skills that she is keen to pass on to anyone with an interest in becoming more self-sufficient. Kate believes that living a sustainable lifestyle is the key to happiness and fulfillment and that everyone can make simple changes that connect us back to nature and reduce our impact on the planet.
