Extending the Season

When the cold winds start blowing, it’s a sure sign that winter is on its way. For a gardener it can also be a sad time because all the flowers, vegetables, and herbs you’ve nurtured through the summer are winding down. But you can still squeeze some life out of that garden! Often after the first killing frost we get a stretch of warm weather, so the key is making it through the first cold spell. Although extending the season can be as simple as throwing a blanket over some tomatoes when frost threatens, with new technologies and products, you can be more efficient in gaining extra growing time and protecting tender plants from the cold. “By growing plants in plastic mulch with polypropylene tunnels over them, I’ve been able to harvest peppers and beans into November in my zone 5 Pennsylvania location,” says Mike Orzolek, horticulture professor at Pennsylvania State University.

Here are some ideas for keeping your plants growing well into fall so you can delay the winter blues:

Floating row cover. This lightweight, white, spun-bound polypropylene cloth lets air, water, and sunshine in, but blocks out insects and the cold. Floating row covers work great for protecting plants overnight in temperatures as low as 28 degrees F. For long-term frost protection, set up a tunnel with wire hoops and lay the floating row cover over it. It’s a great way to keep greens, such as lettuce and arugula, producing into the fall. When buying floating row covers for frost protection, get the thickest type available for the maximum amount of protection.

Cold frame. A cold frame gives you even more protection than a floating row cover. Cold frames can be as simple as hay bales propped up for walls with a glass windowpane over the top, or as elaborate as boxes constructed of aluminum and polyethylene with heat-sensitive venting. While often used to transition young plants out into the garden in spring, cold frames are excellent places to grow fall crops or protect tender plants in the fall. In addition to growing edibles and flowers in the ground inside the cold frame, you can move tender potted plants into the frame on chilly nights. The key is to keep the cold frame well ventilated on sunny days. Even at cool temperatures, the sun can overheat the plants inside.

Greenhouse. Of course the ultimate in winter protection is a greenhouse. Whether it’s a four-season greenhouse attached to your house or a three-season freestanding structure for spring through fall growing, greenhouses are no longer a luxury item. There are many smaller structures that are affordable and easy to construct and use. If a greenhouse is more than you need, try a high tunnel house. This is a large grow tunnel that's big enough to walk into. The frame is made of wood or metal, and it has a plastic skin. It’s a great structure for extending a crop of tomatoes, melons, or dahlias into the fall, though it’s not the most attractive structure.

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Charlie Nardozzi, a nationally recognized garden writer, book author, speaker and radio and television personality, has appeared on HGTV, PBS and Discovery Channel television networks. He is the senior horticulturist and spokesperson for the National Gardening Association (www.garden.org) Chief Gardening Officer for the Hilton Garden Inn.