Growing Deck Garden Vegetables in the Dead of Winter
It’s the dead of winter, but that does not mean that your green thumb needs to go to waste. It is still possible to have deck gardens in the winter months. Growing winter vegetables in northern climates on your deck is doable provided that you have the right plants, they get adequate sunlight, and are protected from frost and snow. While it may be a little more work, and it’s far easier to simply buy your vegetables at the store, you just can’t beat the satisfaction of growing your own edibles in the winter if you have a green thumb like me.
The Right Plants
Some deck gardens simply do better in the winter than others, here are some cold resistant, hardy plants to try:
- Carrots
- Savoy cabbage
- Spinach
- Green and white chards
- Perpetual spinach – a chard that has a spinach taste.
- Dark blue-green leeks
- Blue max collards
Getting Adequate Sunlight
Which way does your deck face? South facing decks in the northern hemisphere get the most sunlight. This is an important fact because the winter sun is very weak, and your plants will need all of the sunlight they can get!
Protecting Your Deck Gardens
The warmer your deck gardens are kept, the better they will thrive. Here are three ways of protecting them:
- Cloches are rigid enclosures for individual plants. You can either buy them or get creative and use anything that’s transparent enough to let sunlight in, or durable enough to keep the elements out, while accommodating the size of the plant. They should also resist getting blown away by the wind. In sunny weather, the plants will need a bit of ventilation to prevent overheating.
- Use row covers for larger numbers of plants. As the name suggests, they’re elongated so that a row of plants are covered. If you are a DIY person, there are a variety of ways of constructing them. Erecting hoop structures at regular intervals and covering them with a clear plastic sheet that is fixed in place is all it takes. Many have had success using PVC piping for the hoops but any rigid material that’s easily worked with will do. You can even make a half tunnel with chicken coop wire and cover it with plastic. The clear plastic should be durable to resist wind, and you should also avoid flat roofs because of the fact that they don’t shed snow.
- You can also make or buy a mini-greenhouse. Some people construct a framework from PVC piping and cover it with a clear plastic sheet. Others have used small tent frames covered with plastic. However, there are many ways of making a mini-greenhouse. A Google search for “4 tier mini greenhouse” and “greenhouse tents” will yield a number of small and inexpensive tents or enclosures that will fit on your deck.
If you would like information on caring for your deck this winter, contact us at DeckMAX, we have the products and services to help get you through the winter.
