My Great Winter Garden of 2009!
Submitted By: Jody Howe (jodyshowe@comcast.net)

Challenge
We own a wonderful opportunity to create a home for organic food, medicinal herbs, and flowering environment for our family of 3, right in our backyard. I use the garden for summer vegetables but never thought the garden would get enough winter sun behind the ever growing pines and bay trees, plus I was skeptical about growing anything with the 30-40 degree drop of the winter solar altitude.


Solution Details
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Yes, a winter garden can be grown right here in Lafayette! I never realized how easy a winter garden could be until this year. My property’s seasonal sun exposures have changed in 8 years with shortened sunlit winters and increased shade each summer. I thought about moving the garden area but now I’m learning which plants do best where. In September I planted our 10’x5’ x8” deep raised garden bed with broccoli, chard, Italian kale, pea sprouts, 3 types of lettuce, and arugula and yet to harvest beet’s and green onions.

When we first built the raised bed, I laid a quarter-inch screen before I filled the bed with dirt, to discourage any underground creatures from beating me to the harvest. The raised bed also has a drip watering system, which we altered once again last year to reduce water usage.

For the winter garden, I salvaged plexi-glass pieces to build protection for the lettuces from the frost (shown in pictures). I learned I just needed to keep the frost from resting on the leaves and the temperature from the plants seem to maintain a constant mini green house.

During our eight years at this property we have not used any fertilizer or pesticides; just compost, mulch and lady bugs for the roses.

Our yard is terraced with rosemary, thyme, oregano, mullein, chives, comfrey, lemon balm, roses and cactus and a cyclic range of trees. Its boundary fences; some open, some closed, protects the property from large animals.


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Benefits & Payback
I’ve truly enjoyed watching the broccoli grow not knowing it would get so tall, and the leaves so tender. Being big fans of greens we use the broccoli leaves by themselves or mix them in with kale. Tonight I’m trying a potato and green soup! I’ve never had
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better broccoli! Being the salad chef in the house, I love that I can walk outside to pick my salad in the middle of the winter! With such fresh foods on my table in the middle of winter I have to ask what made me think my garden space had to wait till another summer.

So now my visit to the farmers market are just for seasonal fruits, mushrooms, tomatoes, celery, avocado and onions. Come spring I’ll be working to improve my citrus and fruit trees and thinking about what I can grow next winter!


Informational Links

Watch a YouTube video on planting a winter garden in Northern CA.
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