Excuses, too; or thinkin' won't get it dun.

[digitS']

This is probably Eliot Coleman describing Guidelines for Winter Harvesting. The authors are just listed as Johnny's research team. Coleman has worked for Johnny's for years:

"Seed so the plants are at marketable stage before the 'Persephone period,' when day length is below 10 hours and plant growth essentially stops. Mature plants can continue to be harvested even though growth has ceased, and you won't have to worry about the crop becoming overmature or bolting until the days lengthen in late winter."

I checked aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/Dur_OneYear.php . The last day here for 10 hours of daylight is the last day of October.

If you go to this webpage (link) and click on the "For Winter Harvest" picture of row covers under a plastic tunnel - you will see the vegetable varieties that Johnny's recommends for this technique.

Steve

 

[Jared77]

So was the book worthwhile? Was he storing more mature plants and relying on the decreased light to slow their growth so he could harvest them throughout the winter? I've seen his book but have yet to order it. Just been too busy here too. I wondered how he got a long enough photo-period to get reasonable growth to harvest anything. Interesting idea. Selecting and getting the right varieties would take a bit though. I wonder how long he kept trying this till he got it right?

 

[digitS']

This "Persephone period" is a little too mythical for me. Plants can grow in a greenhouse with less than 10 hours of daylight. When I first began working for the rose greenhouse, there was zero supplemental lighting. Even after the lights were installed, they were not close enough to account for 50% of the required light. There was a great improvement in winter growth but . . . And, flower holidays ~ Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day ~ darn right those roses were growing & blooming.

Light is one thing. Freezing temperature is something different.

I think gardeners, an optimistic bunch, are a bit too optimistic about growing plants late in the year. Even frost-hardy plants that I have grown slow to an absolute crawl once they have experienced a frost. Two or so frosts and it is full stop! Anyway, I'd like them to be of harvestable size by the end of October. I really think that they will just sit there until about the 1st of March. Hopefully, they won't toughen or, otherwise, deteriorate.

Steve
Oh the book?! I don't even find it in the local library any longer! Coleman, however, has a newer book on the same subject .

 

[Jared77]

See I was thinking light or lack there of would get ot them before the temperature would in a greenhouse setting like that.

 

[ducks4you]

You know I'll bet you overwinter some things in your windows like I do. I always dig up my geraniums and they're by the windows upstairs every winter. How about you grow some vegetables inside during the winter. There are MANY PEOPLE without yards who are growing lettuce and salad stuff in the apartment windows.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/home...oors-small-space-gardening.aspx#axzz2c4YPimwS
http://inhabitat.com/maximize-your-south-facing-windows-to-grow-food-all-winter/windowsill-lettuce/
http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Lettuce-Indoors
How about onions indoors?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DktN3R6qDFQ
http://lifehacker.com/5473032/grow-an-endless-supply-of-onions-with-old-onion-bottoms
How about indoor celery?
http://makezine.com/craft/how-to-grow-celery-indoors/
...and...
http://www.gardenstew.com/about7799.html
How about growing tomatoes indoors"?
http://www.tomatodirt.com/grow-indoor-tomatoes.html




we may never go outside again

 

[digitS']

Wow! Ducks'!

I do have one good south window.

However . . . I sit here . The tree just to the south drops its leaves and the winter sun angle drops below its bare branches. I bring in my little old table that I've been using for 20+ years and cover it with foil & newspaper . . . and cookie boxes of starter mix and seed. At that point in time, I have to sit a little sideways to use the computer! There is also a west window here but my view is out to the road from under the deck roof. No sunlight there. The dining area's south window is also under that deck roof. I don't like deck roofs :/.

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

digitS, do you have any east facing windows? They work pretty well, too.

 

[digitS']

You know what?

This little house is seriously "eastern exposure challenged!" Sometime about 1970, the owner had a room built onto the east side. It eliminated their east facing utility room and backdoor. Those were moved to the west side . . . where the dang deck was built on .

There is one bedroom window that faces east. I like it and it's mine . That's it - 1 east window, but I'd have to toss out the queen-size bed in that little room to accommodate anything more than an orchid.

Steve

 

[so lucky]

You may be forced to make a choice: Do I want to grow plants in the winter, or have a big bed to roll around in?
Otherwise, do you have a darker room that you could put up lights in?

 

[digitS']

What is it ~ 2 months since the idea (job) occurred to me??

Here is the 18' bench, in 4 pieces, drug out of the greenhouse & before it went to the dump:

challenging you once again on your notion that you "want" pictures

Here is about 1/3rd of the space used as intended:

not much better of a picture since it was taken a few minutes after sundown with my cellphone

Bok choy, that had already been transplanted out of a seedbed in the garden - I should have just thinned that bed! Now, they have been transplanted twice . . . I would have taken more but those plants were just so tiny, I didn't think they'd take the abuse. These may be okay, most had a massive root system for tiny bok choy.

Next, I will sow some seeds. I figure that most any Asian green has the best chance here. Twisted-stem mustard probably would be the best choice but I don't want to fill up this small bed with mustard greens! Anyway, I'm not terribly optimistic. Timing is everything in life and this is all about life in my unheated, fall & winter greenhouse. Probably, it would have been better to get these things in here before any frost, about 3 weeks ago. The continuing cool weather outdoors have stopped them in their tracks and they just might bolt right now . . . or, a cooling outdoors and lower sun angle will keep them right where they are until the weather warms in 2014 .

Steve, the anti-JackB