Sleeping in the southeast corner of Wyoming, we’re in zones 4 and 5. Yet, it’s possible to harvest fresh vegetables during the winter, even after below zero weather. Here’s how it’s done.
I accept single layer greenhouses without any additional heat. Crops inside include bok choy, turnips, lettuce and Swisschard plant – all known for their resistance to colder weather, but not the nearly cold hardy of vegetables. The crops are located in raised beds made of 55 gallon steel drums bring down in half so they stand about 1.5 feet above grade level.
The advanced beds absorb heat readily, but they also apply off heat more readily to their surroundings. Additionally, in that respect is no other source of heat, other than the sun, and no heat storage mechanism other than the surrounding soil.
The advanced bed steel drums are covered with a 6 mil poly covering. It drapes across the drums and is waited of the plants by PVC hoops that arch across in several places.
Regular after 36 hours of continuous below zero temperatures, that bottomed out at minus 14 F, we’re still able to harvest our vegetable crops with little damage to their quality. To keep things in perspective, minus 14 F is 45 degrees below the point at which water freezes. Not exactly the type of weather that most would associate with vegetable gardening, but a good test of winter vegetables and their hardiness as bolstered by double layer protection.
Afterward our spell of bitter cold, I waited a day approximately to allow the temperature in the greenhouse to get comfortably above freezing before I checked on the “subject” vegetable crops. All plants looked like they had taken a bit beating, but none were picked apart out, blocked away, or otherwise destroyed by the bitter cold. They all looked like they comprised on tour to recovery. It was really an amazing sight.
I reaped the bok choy and found the ground in its raised bed to be frozen solid. The plants were fine, but the ground was solid as a rock. I had to cut it off just above base level in society to harvest it. A 6 turnips were also harvested. A strong pull on the tops freed them from the icy grip of well composted soil. The long tap root advanced with the swollen part of the turnip root encrusted with frozen soil.
In the midst of serious winter weather, we were harvesting vegetables planted in the fall. Just think what dismissed additional row covers, cold frames and sturdier winter vegetables.
Whenever you believed that vegetable gardening was just for summer, my experience shows otherwise.
Tags: vegetables