10 Ways To Extend The Growing Season

When I first started gardening, I used to get kind of bummed out at the prospect of the end of the gardening season.  But as I learned more and my proficiency increased, I started dabbling in extending the gardening season.  

When we lived on the west coast, I could pretty much have something growing all year round thanks to a small greenhouse in our backyard. But here in Maine where I don’t have the luxury of a greenhouse and the season is much, much shorter I’ve learned to adapt. 

While I do appreciate the winter rest that inevitably comes each year, I also like learning different ways to extend the growing season. Even if I can get an extra few weeks on both ends of the growing season, it’s totally worth it to me. 

Each year I feel like I pick up a new trick {I’m still learning} but here are my favorite 10 ways to extend the growing season I’ve learned so far. Maybe you have one or two you can add to the list? If so, I’d love to hear about it.

Here’s 10 ways to add a little more garden to your year:

Build a hoop house.  

These are essentially CHEAP ways to build a quick greenhouse.  They are very effective at keeping the frost off of plants, and really do work at keeping the soil warmer.  Add them to either end of the growing season.

Grow cold weather friendly crops.  

Cabbage, Kale, Mache, Winter Lettuce {when covered with a cloche or hoop house}, and spinach are pretty dang forgiving in the late fall to early winter months.  In fact, a couple of them actually taste sweeter after a light frost.

If you decide to build a hoop house, plan on overwintering your cooler spring season crops.  Plant them in the late fall/early winter and cover the hoop house.  As soon as the soil is warm enough, nature will take over and voila, super early spring garden. {Crop examples:  spinach, arugula, lettuce, kale, carrots, onions, peas, beets, parsnips, etc.}

If you aren’t into starting a crop of lettuce for the fall indoors, you can try placing shade cloth on the soil in late summer/early fall to cool down the soil so your crop can germinate outdoors.

Pick frequently.  

Sometimes people cut their season short by not picking frequently enough.  Picking signals to the plant that it needs to keep producing.

Weed religiously.  

Weeds take valuable nutrients from the soil, giving you shorter yields.  It’s a pain, but you have to do it regularly.

Succession plant.  

Grow the same crops over and over by spacing them about 2 weeks apart.  It means you won’t just have beans for a couple of weeks, but rather all summer long.

Baby your soil.  

Soil problems and deficiencies can cut a growing season short.  If you plant to grow into the fall and start early in the spring, crop rotation and compost will benefit your soil big time.

Garden in raised beds.  

Raised beds keep the soil warmer for longer.  They also prevent against walking on and compacting the delicate natural balances of organisms in the soil.  Good, warm soil will extend how long you can get things to grow.  Plain and simple.

Use floating row covers and pay attention to frost warnings.  

Even if you decide not to use a hoop house, you can protect against one measly little frost by covering your plants when a frost is imminent.  You can buy row covers, but honestly, an old sheet will do the trick.

I know I have some readers that are master gardeners, so how do YOU extend the growing season? I’d love to add a few more to my list. 

~Mavis