- 1). Choose from a wide variety of vegetables that are tolerant of the cold. Some of the vegetables that do best in cold temperatures are kale, spinach, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, turnips, cabbage, oriental greens, rutabagas and certain kinds of lettuce.
- 2). Plant the vegetable seeds or plants as normal, but for your winter garden, do the planting in late summer, giving them plenty of time to grow strong before the winter.
- 3). Lay down a thick layer of straw all over your garden once cold temperatures arrive. This will help insulate the plants.
- 4). Build a temporary, adjustable greenhouse for your vegetable garden by lining the perimeter of the garden with bales of hay or straw, then stretching sheets of clear plastic across the garden. Measure the garden to determine how long your sheets of plastic should be, lay the sheets out flat and seal the edges together with some duct tape. Stretch the plastic from the bales on one side of the garden to the other, and place bricks on top of the plastic and bales to secure it. Cut a few holes in the plastic to allow for some ventilation. This type of adjustable greenhouse will allow you to easily pull the plastic back and forth, depending on conditions. Allow the plants open air on warm days, and then cover them in the mid- to late afternoon to trap heat for the night. Pull the plastic back again the next day in mid-morning. You will have to water less because the plastic will trap condensation.
- 5). Paint plastic jugs black and fill them with water. Allow them to sit in the sun all day, absorbing heat. Set the jugs around the vegetable plants in the early evening. The water in the jugs will slowly release the absorbed heat throughout the night, gently warming the vegetables and the entire area under the temporary greenhouse.
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