What have you grown outside of season, and how did that go?
What Happens When You Grow Corn in Winter?
- Thread starter Mandy Onderwater
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In a sense we only have two seasons…winter and growing season. We can have better or poorer results if our timing (or the weather) is off. We primarily have to concern ourselves with frost dates and then a bit around whether a crop plant prefers cooler or warmer weather. For example, if we plant most radishes too late in the spring, and the weather gets warmer, they’ll produce no root and simply bolt, going to flower.
Part of the reason we enjoy watching Mark’s videos is for the year-round variety (which we’re jealous of) and some of the different varieties of plants that can be grown there that we can’t here. There are a few things we grow that we don’t necessarily see on SSM, but don’t know whether that is due to plants not liking the climate, or the family not caring for the plant. I presume that we won’t see fruit trees like apples due to insufficient chill time…of course, that is more than made up for with citrus, banana and some more exotic fruits.
Part of the reason we enjoy watching Mark’s videos is for the year-round variety (which we’re jealous of) and some of the different varieties of plants that can be grown there that we can’t here. There are a few things we grow that we don’t necessarily see on SSM, but don’t know whether that is due to plants not liking the climate, or the family not caring for the plant. I presume that we won’t see fruit trees like apples due to insufficient chill time…of course, that is more than made up for with citrus, banana and some more exotic fruits.
In your case @DThille , you would probably experiment in seeing which crops may survive overwintering and which ones won't. That way you could have certain areas with crops that don't (necessarily) need to be re-sown.
On top of that perhaps it's learning when to start seeds and when to plant them outside as well - along with how to protect seedlings if snow did happen after planting them. Perhaps by using covers.
Or you could try your hand at growing indoors/in the shed
Yes, we can grow year-round (I'm also in a sub-tropical climate), though each season brings their own troubles. Mark lives quite a bit further south from me and is able to grow lettuce, whereas I continuelly have them bolt on me - even in winter. And as I mentioned in another post, I can't always grow things that I want to - like rhubarb. Many other cooler climate fruits and veg won't thrive in these hotter climates, so they do "limit" you in a way. Thankfully supermarkets are still here to supply what we can't
In the future I hope to learn more about my climates so I can grow more exotic fruits and veg than what I currently grow. I am actually interested in bananas, as many people say they are much sweeter when grown yourself.
I do miss growing my own pears though - they are so tasty!
On top of that perhaps it's learning when to start seeds and when to plant them outside as well - along with how to protect seedlings if snow did happen after planting them. Perhaps by using covers.
Or you could try your hand at growing indoors/in the shed
Yes, we can grow year-round (I'm also in a sub-tropical climate), though each season brings their own troubles. Mark lives quite a bit further south from me and is able to grow lettuce, whereas I continuelly have them bolt on me - even in winter. And as I mentioned in another post, I can't always grow things that I want to - like rhubarb. Many other cooler climate fruits and veg won't thrive in these hotter climates, so they do "limit" you in a way. Thankfully supermarkets are still here to supply what we can't
In the future I hope to learn more about my climates so I can grow more exotic fruits and veg than what I currently grow. I am actually interested in bananas, as many people say they are much sweeter when grown yourself.
I do miss growing my own pears though - they are so tasty!
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It's interesting how we have nearly the opposite problems...you're too hot / not cool enough to grow certain crops while we get too cold / have too short a growing season to be able to grow more variety.
We did recently see a shed as part of a display that was mostly windows...not quite a greenhouse but pretty close. Next time we are in the area we'll have to take a closer look. We can use things like greenhouses, tunnels, and cold frames to extend our season. Part of it is seeing how far we want to go. There are some agricultural crops that are sown in the fall so are able to come up early in the spring. The idea of succession crops here is just a bit limited as there is a short enough season that we'd need to use short season crops and some of those (like radishes or lettuce) will bolt in our summer heat. It's predicted to get back into the low 30s C here by the weekend...I may be a puddle of melted goo soon.
It looks like my Beedle pear didn't come back after the winter - it may be growing from the rootstock but I don't know what that is. I guess I'll need to look for a replacement, along with my Patterson Pride plum.
We did recently see a shed as part of a display that was mostly windows...not quite a greenhouse but pretty close. Next time we are in the area we'll have to take a closer look. We can use things like greenhouses, tunnels, and cold frames to extend our season. Part of it is seeing how far we want to go. There are some agricultural crops that are sown in the fall so are able to come up early in the spring. The idea of succession crops here is just a bit limited as there is a short enough season that we'd need to use short season crops and some of those (like radishes or lettuce) will bolt in our summer heat. It's predicted to get back into the low 30s C here by the weekend...I may be a puddle of melted goo soon.
It looks like my Beedle pear didn't come back after the winter - it may be growing from the rootstock but I don't know what that is. I guess I'll need to look for a replacement, along with my Patterson Pride plum.
Same problem, just other ends of the spectrum, haha.
I've seen people who put windows (insulated) on their sheds to allow light in to be able to grow plants indoors without immediately having to go out and buy growlights. One thing that was often overlooked was that they didn't take in account on which sides the sun would be. Knowing that could limit cost and show you what locations might suit best to grow plants inside of the shed (most people like to still have a "shed" inside their shed.
It's funny how 30 degrees suddenly doesn't seem all that horribly hot anymore since living in Australia. We start to bother after 35 degrees, really; 39 is near unbearable to me. Even as we call our "winter" cold, we still wear shorts, summer dresses, and so on. It's really just overnight that is cold. It's been 4 degrees here (which is as low as it'll go here), but during daytime it's still around 23 degrees. It's mad.
Oh no! You did have a harsh winter season this year after all... hopefully next couple winters will ease a bit.
I've seen people who put windows (insulated) on their sheds to allow light in to be able to grow plants indoors without immediately having to go out and buy growlights. One thing that was often overlooked was that they didn't take in account on which sides the sun would be. Knowing that could limit cost and show you what locations might suit best to grow plants inside of the shed (most people like to still have a "shed" inside their shed.
It's funny how 30 degrees suddenly doesn't seem all that horribly hot anymore since living in Australia. We start to bother after 35 degrees, really; 39 is near unbearable to me. Even as we call our "winter" cold, we still wear shorts, summer dresses, and so on. It's really just overnight that is cold. It's been 4 degrees here (which is as low as it'll go here), but during daytime it's still around 23 degrees. It's mad.
Oh no! You did have a harsh winter season this year after all... hopefully next couple winters will ease a bit.
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I recall attending a convention in San Jose, California one January. Temperatures were in the mid-teens and after the event was over some of us walked outside for a meal as our flight out wasn’t until the next day. You could play “Spot the Canadians” as we were lightly dressed (one in shorts and a t-shirt) while the locals wore down jackets.
When I lived in The Netherlands I would often still wear summer clothes even whilst snowing (think -2 celcius) - never had an issue. Now anything below 15 feels a little chilly. Below 10 I'll wear warmer clothes. It's interesting to see how the body reacts to living in different climates. Somewhat makes me understand how certain plants may feel if grown in "wrong" temperatures.