Lettuce in Winter How to Growing Guide

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Wintertime tin be both a welcomed reprieve from gardening chores, or a flavour of dread for the habitation gardener. If you autumn into the latter category, have hope as you can actually abound lettuce in winter and continue your garden growing a little longer.

You lot may have heard of using hydroponics and bogus lights to grow vegetables, such every bit in your basement, merely I accept a tactic to share that volition toll less money and won't be nearly as time intensive. I'll share exactly how to do this.

Lettuce in Wintertime

Can You Abound Lettuce in Winter?

Some years I've been able to abound winter greens with hardly any effort. The hush-hush to growing lettuce in winter – outdoors – is to use a common cold frame box. Tin can lettuce abound in cold weather? Yes. Today I'll explain what a cold frame box is, how we made i and prove yous photos of green lettuce growing and ready to be harvested!

For a trivial background I am located in Northern Ohio and traditionally our zone is 5B although in recent years it has warmed upwardly a bit. Nosotros have iv seasons, and a true winter with frost and so inevitably snowfall.

My winter lettuce growing experience will pertain to my climate. But to answer the question, tin can lettuce abound in winter? For sure it can. All the same, if you alive in a colder climate you tin can all the same endeavor to abound lettuce all winter. Alternately, if you lot alive in a slightly warmer climate yous may observe even greater growing success.

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Lettuce Growing Flavour

Similar near home gardeners who alive in an area with a true winter, I originally thought my gardening and gardening updates would terminate around November. The last thing I imagined was having a report on my garden in Dec, or January.

If you live in the Midwest, past the time we reach January it's commonly xx-degrees out, at that place is a frosting of snowfall and even our rescue dog Lulu is complaining near going outside to do her business concern. Merely, as information technology turns out you tin keep to garden into the winter and grow lettuce in wintertime.

A few years agone, toward the end of the typical growing flavor, my husband finished building us a cold frame box. I tried to observe the directions we used but he did modify them quite a bit in guild for us to garden. There are many means you lot can build a cold frame box but I'll share the nuts. The great office about the cold frame box is it provides an option for growing lettuce outdoors in winter.

Cold Frame Box Lettuce

What is a Cold Frame Box?

A cold frame is an enclosed box with a lid that stays outdoors all wintertime. The hat is usually clear so sunlight tin can all the same enter the box (like a window) and help plants grow. Most often gardeners will grow lettuce in the box during the winter.

A photograph of our box is shown above and as yous tin see on that 24-hour interval at that place was snow covering the box. You lot can still see the outline of the clear panes, the handle to open the box and the pocket-size white vent on the dorsum for air flow.

If you search for "common cold frame box" online yous will find a variety of resource, pictures and plans. Here'southward one tutorial on how to build ane with an erstwhile glass window. My husband fabricated ours from scratch using the following supplies:

• cedar wood (we chose cedar as it'southward more resistant to pests)
• screws
• metal hinges
• cabinet handle
• vent for air menstruation
• plexiglass panels (nosotros used four, or try clear polycarbonate roof panels)
• boiled linseed oil and disposable brush (optional to condition wood)

Cold Frame Box Tips

Our cold frame box measures most 4 feet by 4 feet and at its meridian it's most ii anxiety tall. There is a slight angle to the box to allow for additional light to come into the box. He used a miter saw to cut the wood and a handheld drill to assemble the box.

Then we placed it outside on level footing. He so installed the hat. It is best to identify your box south-facing if possible for the most sunlight in the winter. Besides exist sure to status or amend the soil inside the box if it'southward a brand new planting expanse.

Many wintertime gardening box plans call for using an quondam window or glass door for the lid. You might exist able to detect 1 of these on the side of the road on trash 24-hour interval or buy i by visiting a Habitat for Humanity ReStore location.

Other ideas include asking friends or family unit, looking on Facebook Market place or visiting local flea markets. Many plans likewise suggest making your common cold frame about the size of a door, if using a glass door. This seemed a bit large for our needs and space, we used the 4 plexiglass panels and our box is closer in size to a window.

Ours is more of a square shape, but probably every bit large. The truth is your cold frame box tin be as big or as small-scale as you desire it. The cold frame box also doesn't not have to be air tight and y'all don't want information technology to be in gild to let some air menstruation for the plants.

Don't overthink building your box. If this is your first box kickoff pocket-sized and if you lot enjoy learning how to grow lettuce in winter then y'all might expand the size of your box in the future or add a second box.

What to Grow in Winter?

The box has allowed us to grow lettuce year round. The twelvemonth I took some of these photos had an abundance of lettuce in my box I used Romaine Lettuce which is known to grow well in colder temperatures.

Fifty-fifty though the lid helps insulate the box you demand to go along in mind the basis is still common cold underneath. This year I have planted in my cold frame box:

• carrots
• green onions
• spinach
• kale

Any crops you lot endeavor to overwinter demand to be frost tolerant or frost hardy. Keeping this in mind is how to grow lettuce outdoors in winter. The box acts as a small insulated chamber and keeps the interior temperature warmer than it is outside. This allows plants to keep to grow.

How a Cold Frame Works

The sunday hits the angled lid and it produces heat inside the box to keep crops growing well past the normal gardening flavour. A common cold frame is peculiarly helpful for those in regions where wintertime hits hard – ie. Cleveland. The cold frame box really works much like the milk jug greenhouses I brand every year.

Normally gardening flavour is wrapping up in October. But these photos were taken on December ten when I was still picking fresh lettuce exterior. Deer and other critters such as rabbits cannot get in the box. Without animal predators your chances of success at growing a garden in the winter are much higher!

Planting and Growing Tips

Showtime you demand to build your box and install it in your yard. After that you need to constitute your lettuce. When I grew lettuce in the cold frame I planted the lettuce seeds right after putting my garden to bed. Usually the seed bundle will explain how late in the autumn season y'all can establish.

Typically you will demand to plant before the risk of a fall frost. This allows the seeds to sprout and gain some size and strength before the frost. While the box volition protect the plants, once more remember y'all need to yet be planting frost tolerant or frost hardy plants.

If yous are trying to constitute later in the season, wait for varieties that mature quickly, some greens mature in as little equally 28-days. These frost dates and warnings will vary depending on where you live and as well if it's a common cold wintertime or balmy winter.

Some years we accept had 50-caste days into December! This is not normal but has helped my lettuce abound even longer. This yr I opted to institute my fall crops early on, all the same. You tin can establish the seeds as early on every bit Baronial.

Winter Lettuce Growing

Equally your plants grow yous will need to closely monitor their growth and the weather. This volition crave you to frequently water and ventilate your cold frame (open the hat on warm days, close the hat on cool days/nights). Because of this I would recommend planting more around October or early November.

Overnight temperatures will be more mild and the winter greens won't require equally much care or attention. Pick any diverseness, although I would propose a diversity that germinates and matures apace, such as in xxx days to 45 days, simply in instance wintertime is especially harsh.

Check the dorsum of the seed package for this information. I recommend Botanical Interests as a dandy visitor to purchase organic and heirloom seeds from. Their seed packets are not only beautifully designed, just likewise loaded with data.

Grow Lettuce in Winter

Growing Lettuce Winter

In a higher place you will run across a photo of my lettuce once information technology sprouted. Please proceed in mind that a cold frame box will allow yous to go along growing simply depending on how harsh the winter is, the lettuce may not grow all winter. Personally, I have had success into January.

If wintertime is mild and you harvest the lettuce frequently the cold frame box could continue your lettuce alive until leap. If it'southward a harsh winter (such as it was the yr we made the common cold frame box) my lettuce stayed alive until mid-Jan. Information technology volition also depend on how attentive you are to your box and crop.

Growing Lettuce

Growing Lettuce in the Wintertime

If possible, the cold frame box should be placed facing s. The way a cold frame works is it'south like a miniature greenhouse. I have included a few photos so you can see what the cold frame box looks like inside. I planted a mixed lettuce packet that yr.

You can found arugula lettuce, Bibb lettuce, kale, spinach or other varieties. You could besides experiment with other cold weather crops such as radish, although I take not personally tried this myself nonetheless. I also wonder if some herbs would abound in the common cold frame? My parsley (which is commonly an annual) overwintered until January concluding yr.

Winter Lettuce

More Lettuce Growing Tips

The best role well-nigh having a cold frame box is yous can use the box year-round in your garden. When spring hits only remove whatsoever remaining lettuce, turn the soil and fertilize the bed (utilize my stop of season tips) and plant something new.

Depending on how you construct the common cold frame box, you might remove the lid or simply prop it upwardly during the summertime growing flavor. You as well may open or close the (optional) air vent depending on the weather condition. Really a cold frame works merely like a raised garden bed in the off-season.

Once installed, unless something breaks on the common cold frame box it will require minimal maintenance and should terminal for several years. Y'all can opt to lubricate the hinges with WD-40 if they are squeaky or begin to stick. I also recommend applying boiled linseed oil to the wood at least one time every twelvemonth to preserve and protect the wood.

Growing Lettuce in Wintertime

In Summary

If we had finished the frame sooner the first year I would have planted some broccoli in there too. My communication would be to start your common cold frame project in late summer to make sure y'all accept time to plant your first ingather. If it's too belatedly for this flavour, build a cold frame box in the off flavor and use information technology next twelvemonth.

Think, a cold frame box tin can be as big or pocket-size as yous like. It can be complicated or simple to make. If you lot opt to place the cold frame nigh your domicile information technology volition likewise be like shooting fish in a barrel to harvest. Yous may only need to take a few steps exterior to pick your crop.

This year I decided to harvest the last of my lettuce in early Dec. I have a busy calendar month and do not want to tend to the cold frame, however, in other years I take kept the crop going even longer!

What cold frame questions do yous have?

*This post was originally published in 2022 and has been updated and republished for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Source: https://blog.hollyhammersmith.com/december-garden-update-growing-lettuce-in-winter/