4 Things To Do During The Winter So That Your Plants Thrive Year Round


If you’re the proud owner of a Planta greenhouse, you’re probably excited to learn about all the ways you can extend your planting season! As we get ready for the colder months, it’s essential to start making a growing plan for winter. So without further ado, here are our four tips for maintaining a healthy garden from fall through to spring. 

1. Check Your Sunlight

If you’re choosing a location for your first DIY greenhouse kit, it’s recommended that you face it somewhere on the southern side of your home – particularly to make the most of those few sunlight-filled hours throughout the winter months. However, it’s important to note that as we enter fall and winter, the sun starts to shine at a lower angle in the sky. So, to ensure your garden is getting all of those precious sun rays, we suggest following these growing tips:

  • Assess where the sunlight is coming from: It’s really important to know what direction the sun is hitting your greenhouse so you don’t accidentally plant taller plants that will tower over the rest of your garden.
  • Prune your outdoor garden: If you have any bushes or low-hanging trees that are giving your greenhouse some shade, make sure to trim them back ahead of winter.
  • Research your plants: Some plants need less daylight than others. So try to set up your greenhouse so those sun-loving veggies will be at the front and able to bask in those rays as much as possible.

2. Warm Up The Soil

Let your soil soak up as much sunshine as possible before the dark, cold days start rolling in. As the days get shorter and the temperature is cooler, there are a variety of ways to keep your soil warm enough to continue sowing your crops.

  • Raised garden beds: These offer better drainage and will warm up faster than planting directly in the ground.
  • Dark compost: Not only will compost continue providing nutrients to your soil, but it’s typically darker and will absorb more sunlight.
  • Mulch: Straw, bark, leaves, and more will help keep your soil insulated and warm enough for new plants. 

Learn more about how to winterize your greenhouse and harvest tasty vegetables all winter long.

  

Customer image of Planta Sungrow greenhouse with raised garden beds

3. Succession Planting

Unlike your summer garden, your winter harvest should be consistent throughout the entire season. Succession planting is essentially planning out your garden row by row to ensure that vegetables are continually growing or repopulating while you’re harvesting something else. This is a great way to plan ahead and minimize your risk if temperatures plummet or you accidentally leave the greenhouse door open one night. Not to mention, this system guarantees that you’ll regularly be able to enjoy fresh food from your DIY backyard greenhouse garden instead of once or twice throughout the season.

It can be a little complicated knowing where you’re at in your succession planting cycle, so we recommend using this garden planner tool to easily schedule your harvests.

4. Companion Planting

This is the practice of planting different crops together that will protect each other from pests, improve soil fertility, enhance each other’s growth, and much more. Particularly in the cooler months, it’s wise to use every tool at our disposal to ensure our greenhouse gardens will thrive. Some of the most popular cool-hardy vegetables and their companion plants include:

  • Carrots: grows well with cabbage, chives, potatoes, leeks, and more.
  • Peas: grows well with chives, mint, radish, turnip, and more.
  • Radishes: grows well with chervil, lettuce, nasturtium, and peas.
  • Broccoli: grows well with oregano and other brassicas.

Learn more about the benefits of companion planting and other recommended cold-hardy vegetables to plant for winter.

While these are a few tips to plan ahead for growing in the wintertime, there’s still plenty of other things you can do to get ready for the cold months ahead. Read our extensive guide on how to prepare your greenhouse for the fall so you can grow successfully year-round.


Customer image of Planta Sungrow greenhouse in Quebec, Canada during winter

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