Your Winter Vegetable Garden

A vegetable garden in winter? Have I lost my mind?

No, I assure you, the idea of planting and harvesting tasty greens and other vegetables is not as unreasonable as you might think, especially if you have a greenhouse. You just have to pick the right vegetables and provide the proper conditions for success.

First, you need to make sure you select the right vegetable types; that is, cool-season plants, ones that actually prefer to grow in cooler temperatures. You’d be surprised at how many options you have; here are a few of them:

• Beets, broccoli
• Cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, collards
• Kale, Kohlrabi
• Lettuce (leaf and head types), mustard
• Onions, peas, potatoes
• Radishes, spinach, swiss chard
• Turnips (greens and roots)

In February, in all but the southernmost regions of the U.S., you’ll probably want to germinate your seeds indoors unless your greenhouse gets good sun exposure all day long, and you use a heater to maintain the nighttime interior temperature at or around 55 degrees.

Once your seedlings are up and growing, you can transplant them into roomy pots or even a raised bed inside your greenhouse. My raised bed is about 24” high, 9 feet long and 32 inches wide. It’s a wonderful place to grow cool-season crops, especially root crops.

Speaking of roots and cool-season veggies, most are shallow-rooted and thus are susceptible to drought, so keep an eye on their water levels without drowning them. And, because cool-season crops usually are grown for their leaves or roots, they respond well to nitrogen applications. Just don’t feed them too much: Follow the application-rate directions carefully.

By using your greenhouse to extend the front end of this year’s growing season, you can start enjoying delicious, home-grown vegetables right about the time other gardeners are starting to plant their outdoor gardens this spring!

Until next month, keep your hands dirty!

Jason Miller is a freelance writer and master gardener from Concrete, Washington.