overwintering vegetables

How do you go about growing overwintering vegetables in this area 8a in a square foot garden?

Hi Sunflower, I'm in 8b myself and fairly new to this, but I think you can use row cover over your boxes as it will raise the temp , or a cold frame. I plan on trying to grow some things in my greenhouse to keep the temp up when it is cold out, feel free to correct me anybody!

Hi Sunflower,

The past 4 years I've left my carrots in the box, unprotected. They did fine and handled the short freezing spells OK. Then there was last year. The freezes got down to single digits for more than a week at a time, and I had 5 of them. My carrots turned mushy and tasteless.

I've always covered my beds with plastic to keep the winter rains from flushing away the nutrients. This year, I'll be doing the covered wagon look over half of them, using clear plastic. I'll be covering the carrots, onions, garlic, and broccoli. I direct seeded my broccoli, cabbage, and brussel sprouts under one in early Feb this year, and they did very well. I'll be expanding the number of those squares.

With the little amount of sun I typically get over the winter months, I can't get too enthused about accomplishing much more. I've tried freeze-hardy greens, but they grow way too slow to be of interest.

Any bright ideas on doing covered wagon, etc., while still maintaining a "nice" appearance? I am trying to look forward to the winter for my front-yard garden....

And Boffer -- I had grand plans for trying to let my carrots go, but they started to flower on me, so I pulled them all yesterday. Here's hoping I can get some parsnips going in the semi-shade of my tomatillos.

Megan wrote:Any bright ideas on doing covered wagon, etc., while still maintaining a "nice" appearance?

Hit the farm auctions for a few wagon wheels to lean against the covered boxes. Maintain a sense of landscaping continuity! Add a piece of chain saw artwork as well

Oh dear!

Has anyone tried that kind of gardening in this group? If so, which moon calendar are you following. I am new to this and just collecting information.

I'll plant some carrot, rutabagas, garlic, and onions, soon.

I like your idea of the decorating with an old wheel :o)

Do you all have a separate winter box for gardening like he suggested in his latest book?

Will you do it square foot gardening style? in boxes, under growing lights? I have a 7.5 x8foot house and want to try some greens in there this winter. Hoping to order some growing lights the upcoming month.

Garden Angel wrote:Hi Sunflower, I'm in 8b myself and fairly new to this, but I think you can use row cover over your boxes as it will raise the temp , or a cold frame. I plan on trying to grow some things in my greenhouse to keep the temp up when it is cold out, feel free to correct me anybody!

sunfl0wer wrote:Has anyone tried that kind of gardening in this group? If so, which moon calendar are you following. I am new to this and just collecting information.

I'll plant some carrot, rutabagas, garlic, and onions, soon.

I like your idea of the decorating with an old wheel :o)

I use the tables in the Old Farmer's Almanac print edition.

I have always planned to try using the Farmers Almanac guide, but never get that organized. I feel I have succeeded if get my garden planted at all, never mind co-ordinating it with the phases of the moon.

GK

There are two different types of "sign" gardening, - moon phases and astrological signs. Using the moon phases is easy since one only has to look at the moon to see which phase the moon is in.

There are four phases to each moon cycle. From the new moon (dark) to the half-moon (waxing crescent) is the first quarter. From the half-moon to the full moon (waxing gibbous) the moon is in the second quarter. From the full moon to the half moon (waning gibbous) is the third quarter, and from the half-moon to the new moon (waning crescent) is the fourth quarter.

Crops which grow above ground should be planted in the first or second quarters. Plants which grow below ground should be planted in the third quarter. The fourth quarter is best for weeding or killing unwanted plants such as poison ivy.

Some people also use astrological signs for planting. Some signs are fruitful, others are barren, and some have specific qualities. For instance, Libra is known for flowers. It is said if you plant veggies during the sign of Libra, they will flower all summer and set little fruit. It is said if you plant during the sign of Gemini the twins, you will get many "Siamese" veggies, or two grown together. These signs only last two or three days and one must use an almanac or planting calendar to determine them. So one should first look for the correct moon phase, and then find the good planting signs within that period.

I know scientifically there is no proof that there is any benefit to using the signs for planting and harvesting, but Grandma always did it and I follow them when it's convenient. In my experience there seems to be something to it. (Or else there have been a lot of coincidences through the years.) Who knows?

At the risk of being a wet blanket - the reason there seem to be so many coincidences can often be attributed to remembering when it turns out like you thought and forgetting when it doesn't or blaming other factors. It is called confirmation bias.

The moon makes a little more sense since there is light involved and the change of light can be detected on earth. And who knows what bugs are effected by the changing light of the moon. But anyway. I sat on my hands for as long as I could! Sorry!

very cool Ander...I love stuff like that..it's so fun.

I've always been interested in learning more about both topics (moon phases and astrological signs) in general, not even gardening related but just in general, but just never have devoted the time. Very cool, thanks for sharing.

I have been planting by the moon for about a year now and this last year has been my best year ever for veg's. There dosn't seem to be a huge difference in growth but I am sure the seeds strike better if planted by the moon. I did keep some records on production as I had also planted some things when I got round to it. Good, fair, poor production was the guide.
I am keeping some records this spring on germination times and will plant some squares any old time to try and get a comparison. Should be interesting.
Will keep you posted.
Cheers Ray Down Under

Chopper, I don't think you're a wet blanket at all. I've wondered about confirmation bias myself. But it does seem to have some effect for me that goes beyond that, especially the moon phases for planting and harvesting, so I don't know. There is some scientific evidence that seeds germinate according to the moon phases, but I have no problem with anyone who says it's a crazy idea and a waste of time. When we farmed 2300 acres of wheat, milo, and soybeans we certainly never stopped the planters to wait until the moon was right. Each day's planting would have been averaged into the total yield so there would have been no way to determine a difference anyway.

I'll be interested in seeing how Ray's experiments turn out.

If nothing else, for me it's carrying on a family tradition that makes me feel I'm honoring people in my past who spent their entire lives connected to the earth. They believed, so I'll pass their knowledge along and others can judge for themselves.