Winter Gardening

"The pleasure of year-round gardening is one of the greatest tranquilizers there is. In a world filled with tension and frustration, you can enter your greenhouse, close the door, and shut yourself away from all the world's problems. There's something soothing about firming seeds in the soil and tending plants under glass while raindrops and snowflakes fall against the panes." George and Katy Abraham, Organic Gardening Under Glass, 1975.

Today was sunny and mild so I went to the greenhouse to see what had survived the single digit low temperatures of the previous week. Winter gardening in an un-heated greenhouse is somewhat new to me, so I was not sure what to expect. Several of the greens I planted are capable of withstanding a solid freeze, then when thawed on sunny days show no sign of damage and are perfectly fine to harvest. I found enough varieties to make a nice mesclun and also dug some very sweet carrots.