Gardening When It Is Too Cold To Garden

Well, that last bit didn’t go as planned. I had originally intended to have the grandsons help me plant some microgreens for both their family and us Grandparents to enjoy. But between stuffy noses, a house remodel, colliding schedules and a new grandbaby coming, I just could not find a block of time to wedge this plan into place. It will have to wait.

In the mean time, I will look to the brooder turned green house.

Many years ago my Dad built a small room in the barn on our farm property specifically designed to house baby chicks for the first 4 months of their life. Over the years we have raised several batches of chicks and it worked very well. It turns out that the 8’ x 8’ room is also a fantastic place to start plants in the spring. Dad had installed plenty of electric outlets in a variety of locations as well as south facing windows which can pop open when needed for ventilation. The room also serves as winter storage, so, it’s a busy place.

Over the winter I have watched dozens of videos presented by gardeners in several gardening zones throughout the United States. One homesteader even had bananas in his lovely San Diego garden. That won’t work here, of course, but wouldn’t it be fun? The very idea sort of sparks the imagination - what could I try to grow that might be little different? What have I not tried, and, why not?

For the last two years I have been working on my Whimsy Garden. It is a large 20’ x 108’ area and probably the most planned out space I have ever worked with on the farm for one simple reason: my grand kids. We have an orchard near the Whimsy Garden. A playhouse is at one end and the swing/play set is at the other end. In the middle is a small, shady space where the grand kids and I sit in the cool of the summer days to read books. For the first year we enjoyed reading while listening to the solar fountains in the whimsy garden just a few feet away. Eventually this connection turned into reading in the garden with bare feet in an old washtub of cool water near the green bean trellis with birds eating from feeders nearby. Then came the grassy paths through the garden winding amid vine covered hoops and solar lanterns adding a whole new element to the space as evening fell. The most recent addition was the fairy garden. This joyful space has been a work in progress for sure. I love opening the gate, including the hidden gate the grandkids found last year, and watching them run free from one end to the other. They can’t hurt themselves, and they have learned to respect the growing spaces. It is wonderful.

So, back to the idea of gardening when it is too cold and the idea of trying something new.

In March quite a few plants can be started in the brooder/greenhouse, and should be, in order to go out to the garden at the right time. This week I bought the potting mix I use instead of seed starting mix. Not everyone likes this option but it has worked well for me over the years. I got all of the seeds sorted and placed the order to Burpees for seed I cannot get locally. Other odd seeds came from Baker Creek. I also order my strawberry plants from Burpee because we rarely have any left over from the CO-OP Sale. This weekend I will start the 5 varieties of tomato, the sweet peppers, and egg plant just for fun. I have never had egg plant grow big enough fruit to use, but they are pretty in the garden.

The seeds will be started in my office at home including some seeds started by the grand kids. As soon as they germinate and pop out of the ground they will go under the grow lights and the fertilizer rotation will begin. When they are about 4” tall, they will go to the greenhouse and remain under lights with a fan going in the room, and they will be on a timer for light control. Then, we wait.

New dream plants for my garden this year includes Loofa, Tri Colored Corn, a yellow tomato, rutabagas, and leeks. And I already have a patch of soft wheat in the works. I have grown wheat before, so, just growing for serious volume this time.

The whimsy garden itself will be full of carrots, cucumbers, mixed greens, summer squash, beautiful flowers and herbs which will keep the kids picking, munching, reading, and exploring for another season. I look forward to it and embrace every moment. This is my dream and I hope at least some of it is realized.

What plans do you have for your special space this year?