by A.J. Coltrane
This will be our second year of winter gardening. In year one I made spreadsheets like this Seed Germination Times And Temperatures. Days To Maturity. And Plant Minimum Temperatures. NW Edition.
Last year our main microclimate (in the back yard, under the 2nd story deck) was too cold and dark, so the output was only marginally worth the trouble. At best. A good summary post with multiple links is here.
This winter we’re going to put the new salad table right by the front door (and kitchen). As of right now I’m leaning against using a row cover, with the idea that if clipping a few greens is super simple and quick then we’re much more likely actually harvest salad for dinner — standing around in the cold rain while messing with a row cover didn’t go over so well last year.
Having said that, here are the seeds we purchased:
| Description | Minimum Temp |
| Bloomsdale Savoy Spinach Conventional & Organic | 5-10 |
| Coriander-Santo (Cilantro) | 10 |
| Dill-Fernleaf | 30 |
| Guardsman Onion | 5-10 |
| Miners Lettuce | 5-10 |
| Red Baron Onion Conventional & Organic | 5-10 |
| Roquette Salad Arugula Conventional & Organic | 5-10 |
| Super Sugar Snap Peas | 15 |
| Vit Corn Salad (Mâchè) | 5 |
| Winter Density Lettuce | 5-10 |
That “5-10” for the Arugula and Winter Density lettuce might be a little optimistic. 20F (or freezing) might be closer to the truth. The dill we’ll harvest and freeze as dill butter when the weather starts turning chilly.
The onions (and last year’s saved garlic) will be transplanted into EarthBoxes once the cucumbers and basil are done for the year. Our regular whisky-barrel style containers don’t seem to drain well enough for alliums to avoid rot. In this case, I’m thinking using row covers to keep the snow off might be the right idea.
Now it just needs to quit being a million degrees outside so that the new plants won’t bolt immediately.
FlatbreadGarden 