Well, maybe not year round. But, as I was in the middle of potting up my pepper plants, I was thinking of how nice it would be if we could garden more than 3 months out of the year. Here where I live we have about 100-110 frost free days each summer. It is a very short growing season.

Not only do our frost fee days limit us as to what we can grow, but the ground temperature is quite a bit cooler. There are a few things we can do to raise the temperature where we plant. I mound my rows so that they get more sunlight hitting not just the top but the sides throughout the day. I also don’t mulch early on in the season as that cools the ground, not what we want. I will often cover the ground with black row covers. This helps to heat the soil, at least the surface just a bit more. Everything helps.

This makes at least the top 6 inches warm enough for cold weather gardening. Things like normal tomatoes and peppers, corn and cucumbers, and other warm weather plants can’t grow outside. But they are developing some hybrids of each of these that can grow in the shorter, cooler season. They often work best in pots.

Greenhouses extend the season even further. They also increase soil temperatures so warmer climate plants can thrive more readily here. I have only had my greenhouse for one season, but I am loving the larger variety of plants I grew last year and look forward to all the plants that I am planning to grow this year.

My gardening season began in January. I planted onions, Rosemary, Celery and Thyme. They are growing really well and I have had to pot them up already. I was also able to give away extra plants to friends.

In February I planted hot peppers – 2 varieties – jalapeno and wax, as well as Marigold’s. I have heard that Marigold’s help reduce aphids so I decided to try that this year. I will still have to mitigate pests, but hopefully it’ll reduce pests and they’re beautiful, so there’s that.

March is here and I have planted Sunflowers, Alyssum, Oregano and a mixed Sweet Pepper so far. At the end of this month I will plant Broccoli, Cauliflower, 2 types of Cabbage, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes. They usually grow pretty well. The last week of March I will probably plant my squashes – zucchini and a Butternut variety. I will be gone part of April so those will just get a better jumpstart.

When I get back to Alaska the end of April I will get my greenhouse going, transplanting the peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I haven’t decided if I’ll just plant sees for green beans in my greenhouse or if I’ll plant seeds just before I leave to give them a jumpstart as well.

I love having my hands in the dirt, even if it is inside. I am also grateful for the realization that I get to garden 9 months out of the year, just some of it is on a small scale that increases in size until my window sills are bursting at the seams and we’re ready to get everything outside.

Featured Artwork: