Have a Year Round Vegetable Garden

If planned correctly and climate conditions cooperate, it is possible to have a year round vegetable garden. If you live in an area that has warm, cool and cold seasons, choosing a combination of warm and cool season plants will allow you to have fresh vegetables all the time. Warm season plants will not tolerate much of a frost, but cool-weather plants will tolerate frost conditions and some even thrive at that time. For climates with extremely cold conditions, some of the growing may have to take place in a hot house or cold frame.

To plan for a year round vegetable garden, it is necessary to know what planting zone you live in. If you do a web search for "worldwide planting zones," you will find maps for each continent that illustrate the planting or plant hardiness zones. Choose the vegetables you plant according to zone and vegetable preference. Warm weather plants can be started from seeds in January. They will be ready for planting in the spring, usually from April to June. Cold-weather plants can be started from seeds in July and be ready for planting in August and September. If your climate has cold temperatures, below 30 degrees for an extended period, you will not be able to plant anything outside except maybe frozen vegetables.

If you invest in a hot house, check with the local building department in regards of size. Most municipalities have a zoning code that regulates the size of a greenhouse before it is subject to tax. A green house over a certain size is thought to be used for business and profit purposes. A greenhouse under a certain size is thought to be used for personal use only. Other zoning issues may include location of the structure in relation to property lines and coverage in regards to the entire building coverage being a certain percentage of the total lot size.

If you are planting and growing in a hot house, you will most likely plant in containers or raised planting beds. Raised planting beds do not have to be anything extravagant but substantial enough to hold the weight of the soil.

Plant the vegetables in the raised planting beds with the same depth and spacing as an outside garden. The warmth for the garden will come from a combination of sunlight and artificial heat. Do not forget to water your garden regularly. Do not let the soil dry out, but do not over water or let water puddle. Too much water will cause root rot while dry conditions will cause the roots to dry out, and plants to die.

Plantings for your outside garden can be started in the green house over the winter, and when planting season rolls around, your seedlings will be grown and ready to move outside. With careful planning and a combination inside/outside planting and growing for those living in cold climates, anyone can have a year round vegetable garden. There is nothing like picking your own fresh produce and bringing it right to the table.