Over the next four weeks, we will be posting a series related to the topic of “Homesteading in the Winter.”
Each Thursday there will be a new post on a different issue associated with the needs and unique challenges of living on a homestead (big or small, urban or rural) during the winter. I am teaming up with several other bloggers to bring you this series and couldn’t be more excited.
Today’s topic is “Cold Weather Plant Protection.”
Hoop Houses
We make homemade hoop houses on our homestead. I wrote a post about how we improvise them using masonry ladders a while back.
My friend Heather, The Homesteading Hippy, also did a post not too long ago on how she made a hoop house to extend her growing season. You should check it out.
Row Cover
Pretty simple idea row cover Dalen HG25 Gardeneer By Harvest-Guard Seed Germination & Frost Protection Cover is just any fabric you can use to cover your plants and protect them from frost. To get the most bang for your buck, the fabric should not be touching the plants themselves, which is why it is good to use it in conjunction with some type of hoop house.
Growing up in Florida, my parents would just use a lot of old blankets and sheets to protect our plants. Personally, I try to use Agribon or other specially designed fabric to protect my plants. The problem I have is finding the stuff! It seems that row cover only shows up on the shelves the DAY of the expected frost. Whatever happened to planning ahead?
Cold Frame
A cold frame is basically a mini greenhouse. Generally, they are seen as boxes with glass or plexiglass on top and are placed directly on the ground to protect growing plants. Different plexiglass or even correx sheet options you can check at online shops that sell different wood sheets.
The cold frame that I use is elevated. I use it to start seeds and keep my late winter/early spring seedlings protected from low temperatures. (I wrote about growing with a cold frame here.)
Cold frames are very simple to build and use. DIYs abound on the internet.
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is one of the best options for protecting your plants if you have the money and space. I dream of having one, one day in the future, but I am reluctant to do it on our current lot, as space is at a premium.
I think that about summarizes our winter plant protection on our homestead. What am I forgetting? What do you guys do where you live?