We have interesting growing conditions here in Dallas Texas. I say this because one day it was 80 degrees F and the next night it was 25 degrees F! That is quite a shift to make, am I right?! I have to say hats off to you Northerners, I don’t know how you do it! I am a hot weather kind of gal. However, I am thinking that there is usually a g-r-a-d-u-a-l build up to Winter in most places. Not a Summer/switch gears, surprise it’s Winter! Well, here it is exactly that!

Again, not complaining. As I knocked the ice out of the rabbit’s water crocks, I thought, “I am soooo glad I don’t have to do this everyday!” If you are a southern gardener, then you know ;that this freeze means it is game over for food production…..or maybe not? What about a Winter garden?

Some of my favorite Winter garden crops:

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Here at Bloom Where You’re Planted we garden all year. I say, “Jack Frost, bring it!” Nothing is going to stop me from feeding my family ALL YEAR! Although when you have Jesus Christ walking with you, well, let’s just say you have quite an advantage! After all, Jack Frost is a mythical weather guy, while Jesus Christ is a real, rose from the dead, let’s walk on water kind of guy! He knows how to pull some really spectacular feeding the family miracles!

What you need to Winter garden:

• pvc pipe: I use 1/2″ x 8′ pvc, 4 poles per bed, bending them over to make a kind of covered wagon looking frame.
• frost cloth:  Now for the cover cloth. Cover frost cloths (polyester fibers bonded loosely together) come in all sorts of different lengths and thicknesses. You will base your thickness on how harsh your Winter is. Obviously the lower the temperatures/severe your weather is, the thicker your material will need to be. However, you want to get the most light in that you can possibly get. I will link up to a roll of frost cloth that I used at the bottom of post. It gives me 6-8 degrees of protection with 50% light penetration. The best thing about it is that it is thick enough to use year after year, so it is a one time expense. It comes in a roll 12’x 250′ long, so I could cut it to fit my 8′ x 4′ beds. Don’t forget when you cut it to leave several extra feet at the end to gather around each raised bed end openings and anchor down with a brick. In the Dallas area Northhaven Gardens: https://www.nhg.com/ also sells frost cloth by the foot. They will cut it for you off of an 10′ wide roll(which perfectly covers a 4′ raised bed with hoops) so be sure to know long you need before you go purchase some.
• bricks: to weigh down cloth around beds or clips to secure cloth

We made a video of exactly how we do this Winter growing. You will see in the video that I had ordered frost cloth that was way too thin/flimsy. I have found a frost cloth that is heavier weight that I am very happy with. I will be able to use it year after year in my Winter garden. I left a link below the video.

Enjoy the video and see how we stumble through another year of Winter gardening. I say stumble, but last year I had more kale and spinach then I knew what to do with! Each year we have different challenges and trials, but we keep the hope and maybe find ourselves stronger at the end of the hard times!

A lot of people ask me: Can I use plastic drop cloths to cover my Winter garden?

Cloth vs Plastic covers could be a whole different post. Briefly some things I like about cloth covers are: lets moisture in, lasts season after season and doesn’t blow off so easily because the air goes through it some what. The final and most compelling reason I like cloth better is because on those beautiful warmish days here in TX it REALLY heats up under that plastic! The Winter crops LIKE it a bit chilly, NOT Texas greenhouse hot!

If you have never gardened through the Winter before I challenge you to try it this year. It is fun and easy. Your friends will be amazed as you show off your harvest of kale and Brussel Sprouts and exclaim confidently, “Jack Frost, I scoff at you! Bring it, my frosty friend!”

Happy Winter Gardening, Dash & family

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