Do you grow a winter garden? I didn’t use to, but I do now! Here in our Arizona climate, winter is the perfect time to grow lots of lettuce, sugar snap peas, Swiss chard, onions…but I’m getting ahead of myself. I just get so excited when all these green things start popping up! I used to think that I could only plant in the spring and in the late summer, but I have come to realize that’s not true in many places, including where we live. What a welcome surprise!
Maybe you live in a climate where you can plat seeds in the winter months, too? In some places, or even just in some years, winter is too cold to plant seeds outdoors, so you can start them inside and transfer them later. To find out all about how I do that, check out my article “Too Cold For Seedlings? No Problem!” for some great tips! This year, we seem to be having a very mild winter, and our daytime temperatures are reaching nearly 70 daily, which is perfect for sprouting seeds outside in the garden! In fact, I just planted a bunch the other day! Seedlings in winter is a bit trickier than seedlings in the spring, but not much! It’s still pretty easy, and definitely quite rewarding. Here are my top 5 tips to a successful winter garden:
- Amend the soil about a week before you want to plant seeds in it. I like to use Miracle-Gro for vegetable gardens, along with the compost from the last time I cleaned out the chicken coop. It’s also a great time to add compost from your compost pile or bin!
- Start watering daily one week before planting (you can start on the same day you add the soil amendments), so that the dry soil has a chance to hydrate well enough. This is especially important if you use container gardens and raised beds like I do. (Need a new raised bed? This is one of my favorites!)
- The day before you plant your seeds, gently rake the top of your planter to remove all the fallen leaves, sticks, etc. The soil has to work extra hard to decompose those, which leaves fewer nutrients for you winter seeds. Removing the debris helps ensure full nutrient availability to your veggies!
- Once you have planted your seeds, make sure to use a high quality wood chip mix ON TOP of the soil. I usually do just a thin layer…1/2″-1″ thick. This layer of wood chips not only insulates your sprouting seeds, but it also helps keep the moisture level more even. I have had great success using this method.
- Keep a tarp handy to throw over your seedlings if there is a winter freeze warning for your area. I have used an actual tarp, a black trash bag, a garden shade cloth, and even an old empty bag from the chicken feed as covers for my seedlings before. All worked just fine to keep that frost off my plants!
See? Not too hard at all, but it’s so much fun to grow fresh veggies and herbs over the winter! Of course, in places where the ground is covered in snow and ice, a winter garden will be relegated to the indoors, but it is still possible! I have a friend who uses and old cafeteria tray rack to store her baby seedlings up right in her sunroom while it’s busy snowing out in her yard. Once the snow melts, she just wheels her cart of healthy (and usually large!) seedlings outside and gets to planting!
And if you need any extra incentives, getting out into the fresh air and sunshine, while getting your hands dirty a bit, really helps pull one out of those winter doldrums! The sun helps our bodies make Vitamin D, which is vital for our immune systems to function properly, among other important uses. The sun shining on our shoulders as we work is calming and relaxing; the crisp air is great to open up our lungs and get us out of our stuffy inside air. Plus, as we crouch down to plant, we are stretching and using our muscles! What a fun and easy way to get our blood circulating! Those who say gardening is good for both the body and the soul aren’t kidding around! So, I hope I’ve inspired you to get outside, plant some winter seeds, and have fun today! Blessings to you!