Prolonging Your Harvest Period: A Guide for Gardening Enthusiasts

In our region, we get approximately 150 frost-free days. But why settle for less? Here's how to stretch your garden's season for longer harvests during cold months (and earlier in the spring).

10 strategies to extend your gardening season

Eager for earlier starts and extended harvests? Here are ten tactics to help you make the most of your garden, regardless of the climate.

1. Start your seedlings indoors

Starting seeds indoors can give your plants a significant advantage, especially in areas like Indiana where the growing season is too long for certain crops. Utilize your south-facing windows and consider grow lights for an extra boost. Remember, some plants like onions need to be started earlier (10 weeks before your last expected frost), while others need just a little head start.

2. Embrace cold-hardy veggies

Certain crops thrive in cooler temperatures, such as peas, lettuce, and kale. Understanding which types are best suited for cooler climates can help you plan your garden for better yields and season extension. Opt forplantingsearlyin the spring and fall to take advantage of their resistance to cold weather.

3. Raised beds

Who knew raised beds could be so beneficial? Apart from being aesthetically pleasing, they warm faster and take longer to cool, allowing you to plant cool-weather crops earlier. Additionally, they're perfect for succession planting—empty beds are ready for the next crop when required.

4. Cold frames

Protect your veggies from early fall frosts with simple cold frames. These mini-greenhouses, made of old windows, clear plastic, or similar materials, create a warmer microclimate, extending the growing season by almost 60 days. Lettuces, herbs, brassicas, and cool-season crops work best in cold frames. Don't forget to vent them on warm days!

5. Greenhouses

While greenhouses can be expensive and space-consuming, they provide year-round growing potential and a safe place to start those seeds indoors. Carrots, greens, radishes, and other cool-loving vegetables can thrive even in the coldest winters, and greenhouses also safeguard delicate seedlings from chickens and strong winds.

6. High tunnels

Although high tunnels don't offer a full year-round growing season, they extend it by about 6-8 weeks. Made from steel hoops covered with polyethylene, they're a low-cost alternative to greenhouses, ideal for vining plants like peas and tomatoes. Like cold frames, they need to be vented on warm days.

7. Row covers & low tunnels

Low tunnels, created from PVC pipes and thin plastic sheeting, provide similar protection as high tunnels. You can't walk through these, but they offer the same benefits, plus added pest control. Vent them when needed, and make it a simple and inexpensive project for a beneficial extension of your growing season.

8. Hot caps & cloches

Protect small seedlings from cold winds and early spring frosts with "hot caps" or cloches, made from milk jugs, soda bottles, or purchased hot caps. Simply position them over seedlings, vent during the day, and enjoy a head start on your garden.

9. Hot beds

Transform cold frames into hotbeds by layering styrofoam insulation, sand, soil, and heat tape, ensuring a warm environment for early transplants. Once the heat is no longer needed, transition the bed to standard use.

10. Mulching

Mulch does more than just beautify your garden—it also reduces weeds, retains moisture, and provides warmth to the roots, helping your plants last longer in cooler conditions. Consider adding a thick layer of mulch to your garden beds this season.

Regardless of the methods you choose to extend your garden season, start small, learn, and improve each season. Each step brings you closer to gardening year-round!

Prolonging Your Harvest Period: A Guide for Gardening Enthusiasts