How to Extend the Growing Season in Colder Climates

How to Extend Your Vegetable Garden Harvest

1. Plant in Summer

While the days are still warm, plant crops that thrive in fall and can tolerate frost. These include:

  • Lettuce
  • Spinach
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Root crops like carrots and beets

These crops grow quickly in summer heat, establishing strong roots before cooler weather sets in. This head start helps ensure robust growth as daylight shortens and temperatures fall.

2. Carefully Choose the Planting Area

Your planting location significantly affects how long your vegetables will produce. To maximize your growing season:

  • Choose a raised area with excellent drainage
  • Avoid low-lying spots where cold air settles
  • Good drainage helps prevent root rot in cooler months

3. Mulch for Warmth and Protection

A 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch around plants helps trap soil heat and protect roots. For best results:

  • Use shredded bark or straw
  • Apply mulch 6 to 8 inches around the base of each plant
  • Replenish mulch if washed away by rain

4. Protect Your Crops

Use season-extending structures to shield your crops from cold and extend harvest time. Consider these options:

  • Hoop House: A series of metal hoops covered with plastic creates a mini greenhouse. This protects plants from wind and rain while raising the internal temperature.
  • Cold Frame: A box-like structure made of wood, brick, or concrete with a clear lid. It captures sunlight while insulating plants from the cold.
  • Greenhouse: The most effective option, offering consistent light and warmth for year-round vegetable growing.

Outsmarting the weather and extending your garden harvest takes effort, but the delicious results are well worth it.


Julie Bawden-Davis

Julie Bawden-Davis is a bestselling journalist, novelist, blogger, and YouTuber. A prolific author, Julie writes in several genres. She enjoys creating page-turning suspense served up with a dose of romance, garden books that turn any brown thumb green, and spiritual books meant to enlighten and inspire. Widely published, Julie has written 45 books and more than 4,000 articles for a wide variety of national and international publications. She lives in Southern California, where she enjoys sunny, blue skies most days and year-round gardening. Julie gains inspiration from being surrounded by plants when she writes.