Beginner’s Guide: Starting Your First Winter Garden

This is my first year where I’m going to try and do a winter garden. I don’t have much to add to it at the moment, so a lot of what I Want to plant might not get planted with everything else. But we’ll see how it goes.

What’s my Zone?

Its important to know your zone, so you know what’s good to plant at what part of the year. It will also make books like the western Garden book make a bit more sense. In Redding California, where I’m at my zone is 9b. Here’s a link where you just put in your zip code and it will show your zone,

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov

What to expect?

I’m going into this winter garden with Not a single expectation. I acknowledge that I have never seriously tried to do a winter garden, so I expect a very minimal harvest, if I’m even able to harvest anything. When i look at it that way, it makes just about any small win, a bigger deal, which then gives you the drive to keep trying.

Make it a habit

Due to the fact I was always having to go check on the garden in the mornings before it got too hot, I got in the habit of just doing it at the same time every morning. And I see no reason why I shouldn’t continue that moving into the colder months. Making it part of your daily routine I feel is just better because what would happen to me is I would just not wanna go out in the cold, so my garden then got neglected, and didn’t get fertilized, or touched at all. This year, I’m determined to change that. and it starts with keeping the routine.

Start Small

I don’t plan on making my winter garden as big as my summer garden. Granted, Some of my summer plants that were late bloomers (ultimately my peppers) Will still be going during the first part of my fall/winter garden, i don’t expect them to last the entire winter, I expect them to last a few weeks into it maybe and then start to die back.

I’m looking forward to sharing my winter gardening experience with you!