# Planning our cold weather survival gardens!



## international_girl (Jun 22, 2017)

Even though it's the middle of summer and most of us have very nice crops going, it's never too early to start thinking about winter and how we will get fresh food when its icy and dark. 

Everyone has a different situation so I'll start by talking about my limits & goals and then talk about my plan. You can give me feedback if you want or talk about what your plan is for this winter.

I will be growing indoors, zone 5/6. I'm only growing for one person, myself. Additionally, I must have successful crops. Fresh food is scarce in my country in the winter. I can rely on carrots, beets, and potatoes in the shops but they are not always ideal quality. 

This winter I am planning on growing big crops of kale, spinach, radishes, onions (already started), lettuces, small variety of carrots (just in case...), parsley, dill (excellent bartering crop where I live ), and turnips.... 

Because I actually am sort of doing what you might think of as an "urban homestead" by growing food that I actually need in my house this winter, it's important for me that the crops are reliable, fast growing, and nutrient dense. 

While my winter crops are growing in september, I also plant a crop of "baby" crops to be eaten while the bigger plants grow. For example, Kale can grow to be relatively big. So while its growing, I plant kale seeds around the perimeter of the pot, and snip a few leaves off every now and again to eat. I do this until the main kale plant reaches maturity, and then I harvest all the "baby" kale plants. I do this with all my plants, including turnips which have extremely nutritious greens and grow them quickly. 

For me to remain healthy, considering the other food I have access to, I need about 50% of my meals to have a serving of garden veg. It doesnt sound like a lot, but when you cook a few leaves of spinach suddenly you will be very sad and hungry for more, and before you know it you must start from scratch which is not easy to do when light is already gone. 

I considered growing chard but to be perfectly honest, I do not like the stems and they do not have the best leaf-to-stem ratio. I grew broccoli last year but I did not know it got so big! Cold wet winter was perfect and I had multiple harvests of sweet dense broccoli crowns, but I do not have the space to do that again. What other quick growing things should I look into this winter? Any ideas about continuous harvests?


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## RedBeard (May 8, 2017)

You can feed a family off a small aquaponics setup. Plus fresh fish.


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## international_girl (Jun 22, 2017)

RedBeard said:


> You can feed a family off a small aquaponics setup. Plus fresh fish.


I personally cant do this because I live in a city apartment, but I have a question-- is it possible to do aquaponics in a place with very heavy winters? Hmm


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## bacpacker (Jul 15, 2011)

I plan to set aquaponics up in my basement. I'm zone 6/7. And some things will over winter in the ground here, with covering of straw/hay. Most any root crop.


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## Flight1630 (Jan 4, 2017)

Here are some ideas for you. Sorry Cannot do the quotes thing. https://www.thespruce.com/vegetables-you-can-grow-super-fast-2539373


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## JustCliff (May 21, 2011)

You can always make several small hydroponic systems for different plants. This site, although not well organized has an incredible amount of information. The second link will show you free plans on building an 11 plant system. It can even be done without electricity in a grid down situation. 
You will drop a little money on meters but, it is well worth it. 
When you are finished with the nutrient solution, save it to put on your outdoor garden areas.
http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/ 
http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/11plan01.htm


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## RedBeard (May 8, 2017)

international_girl said:


> I personally cant do this because I live in a city apartment, but I have a question-- is it possible to do aquaponics in a place with very heavy winters? Hmm


Aquaponics can be done on any scale. In fact its perfect for small apartments. You can grow the most amount of food in the least space with it. Ya it can be done in our climate you just cant let it freeze. I would do aquaponics before i would hydro. Aquaponics produces it's own fertilizer and you get fish too.


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## RedBeard (May 8, 2017)

No one is going to tell you this because then you wouldn't need the government as much but with aquaponics a city apartment building could actually grow enough food on the buildings roof to feed all it's inhabitants.....


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

sprouting seeds also provides winter greens and doesn't take long


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## ArizonaJones (Jun 27, 2017)

Like most, I would also recommend aquaponics. Systems can be set up for cheap, don't require huge amounts of maintenance, and produce a lot of food, and if you get tired of one thing, you can easily change it out quickly for something else. I've grown tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce in my apartment. If you do grow inside, the best advice I can offer is buy the best grow lights you can find available in your area. Buy once, cry once. If you get a lesser light, one that won't do what you need it to do, then you will find that you wind up buying that light anyway, and will have wound up wasting the money on the lesser light because it doesn't do what you need it to do.


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## international_girl (Jun 22, 2017)

Tirediron said:


> sprouting seeds also provides winter greens and doesn't take long


Good idea to do this with some of my leftover broccoli seeds...


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

international_girl said:


> I personally cant do this because I live in a city apartment, but I have a question-- is it possible to do aquaponics in a place with very heavy winters? Hmm


 You can have hydroponics inside using grow lights. People grow pot like that all the time. I don't like or grow pot but growing plants inside is easy. I wish when we built this house I'd added a solarium or greenhouse in it.


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## Danil54 (May 8, 2017)

Collards & mustard are always a good winter crop. Just harvest like you are doing with your kale. I took the outer leaves to cook with and even can up. Surprising just how long those buggers grew.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Danil54 said:


> Collards & mustard are always a good winter crop. Just harvest like you are doing with your kale. I took the outer leaves to cook with and even can up. Surprising just how long those buggers grew.


 It feels good too to know you grew it and where it came from.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

international_girl said:


> I personally cant do this because I live in a city apartment, but I have a question-- is it possible to do aquaponics in a place with very heavy winters? Hmm


GREAT JOB!!!
If you can grow indoors, you are one step from growing outside.
If you ever get a lot of your own, you will be so ready to do it in the dirt.
In the mean time it is great that you do not let where you are stop you from following your dream of being your on boss, making it happen.
You are blooming where you are planted.
I would love to see what you could do with an acre of land!


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## bacpacker (Jul 15, 2011)

One thing to keep in mind, Hydroponics require fertilizer and PH adjust to be added to keep everything in balance and growing. Aquaponics are fertilized by the fish waste, so you pretty much have a closed loop system with very little added input needed.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

bacpacker said:


> One thing to keep in mind, Hydroponics require fertilizer and PH adjust to be added to keep everything in balance and growing. Aquaponics are fertilized by the fish waste, so you pretty much have a closed loop system with very little added input needed.


 This is true. We tried aquaponics first but the water was hard to keep clean and it will smell unless you have a really good filtering system. Also I think you have to add iron. Maybe put in an old iron untreated pot? :dunno:

But once you get set up then your right it is a good system if you can stay at it.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

ArizonaJones said:


> Like most, I would also recommend aquaponics. Systems can be set up for cheap, don't require huge amounts of maintenance, and produce a lot of food, and if you get tired of one thing, you can easily change it out quickly for something else. I've grown tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce in my apartment. If you do grow inside, the best advice I can offer is buy the best grow lights you can find available in your area. Buy once, cry once. If you get a lesser light, one that won't do what you need it to do, then you will find that you wind up buying that light anyway, and will have wound up wasting the money on the lesser light because it doesn't do what you need it to do.


 And be sure you put them right on top of the plants. Mine got leggy had them too far away from plants.


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## ArizonaJones (Jun 27, 2017)

Meerkat said:


> And be sure you put them right on top of the plants. Mine got leggy had them too far away from plants.


True, but not too close, you don't want to burn the plant. If you can't keep your hand on it, the plant isn't going to like it either.


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## marlas1too (Feb 28, 2010)

I usally have greens (kale,chard and collards) till around feb.here in wv.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

marlas1too said:


> I usally have greens (kale,chard and collards) till around feb.here in wv.


 Greens are really good for you too.


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