winter garden

[Camilo Garcia]

I am writing this to add to the winter garden discussion that was up when I first started reading this blog. I am posting a photo that shows how I've grown winter vegetables indoors. I like 5 gallon buckets because they are sturdier and easier to move than regular plant pots and I start the plants in the bucket to avoid problems with transplants. And as the photo shows I actually switched to the square buckets (delis and restaurants, mayo, etc) because they are slightly smaller, therefore lighter, and easier to store and pack in tight when space is limited. I cut small holes for drainage in the sides of the bucket just above the bottom so that some water pools, but it is in a gravel layer less than 1" deep. When I drained from the bottom, I found that the whole bucket of dirt could go dry and that will kill a plant. At least at the wrong time; I'm still learning the finer points. . .

I compost from the counter directly under the top layer of mulch. Around 2" cover is more than enough to keep odors and flies away; I use a mixture of straw and leaves as a cover over the composting layer. I have had the best results watering constantly in small amounts -- I dribble my drinking water from the glass or whatever at random, as I share the house with the garden. From just before first freeze until sometime in spring, it's like having a roommate for a while.

The picture is from inside a south-facing window in Alpine, TX, in winter around new year's day 2003. My first attempt was in 99, outside Austin, and this method has worked consistently. As you can imagine, it does wonders for the house as well as the plants, even adds needed moisture in those homes where that is a winter issue. So it's a little late for this year, and it should not replace your greenhouse if you do that, too, but it's definitely worth trying, especially for peppers and tomatos.

Please note that these plants are not naturally perennial and it's rare to even get a 2nd year out of them. So you start new plants every few months and have year-round produce. Start small and don't be afraid to kill a few, they make great compost. There are probably a dozen black pots in the photo; I don't remember what's in them (probably ornamentals and herbs) and they are of course fine for plants that will stay small.