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Don’t stop gardening just because it’s winter: Use these tips to garden all year

Living in Utah it gets cold! Most of us in the Salt Lake area are in Zone 6, which means temperatures as low as -10 degrees! The fact of the matter is even your colder weather broccoli likely can’t survive that out in the open. Did you know you can still grow a garden in the winter though? That’s why I jumped at the chance to buy BigLots’ walk-in greenhouse this fall for just under $60, as you can learn about in the above video.

Around the end of each summer BigLots and other gardening stores put many of their gardening supplies on sale or clearance to make way for the reduced demand during the winter. This is like Christmas for us winter gardeners! This past summer I found this plastic greenhouse for right under $60, and if you keep it protected from wind and snow, it does the trick! Throw some of your cold weather vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, brussels sprouts, and other greens, and they’ll last all winter in temperatures that even without a heater will typically be about 10 degrees warmer than the outside air. (Just keep in mind the plastic on this greenhouse is weak, so you’ll want to protect it from heavy snow!)

If you don’t want to foot the $60 for this or a similar inexpensive greenhouse, you can still get away with a winter garden. Take your garden indoors! Buy a simple Hydrofarm grow light kit from Amazon, add it to a timer to keep the lights on 12 hours a day, and most plants can survive the winter under those conditions with a proper watering schedule. In my house I already have tomatoes, peppers, and limes growing and it’s January! I can’t wait for my Papaya tree to grow.

Having a winter garden is a therapeutic way to beat those winter blues. I keep my plants in my home office where I spend most of my time, and when I need a break I go tend my garden. It gives me a feel of summer days, and the extra light on the plants doesn’t hurt as well.  For the “plant addict” like me, it’s the perfect therapy for what would otherwise be a garden-less 6 months of the year.

So next time you see that garden clearance, look for items available to keep your garden going even in the wintertime! It’s completely possible here in Utah, and with some practice, you’ll be a pro at it in no time.

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