15 Spring Hacks for Gardeners with Short Growing Seasons
Do you live in an area with a short growing season? If so, there are several short growing season hacks to take advantage of. In this article, horticulture expert Matt Dursum covers the best spring tricks to try in your garden.
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If you’re in the northern Midwest, Alaska, and northern Maine, you live in an area with a short growing season. As gorgeous as winter weather can be, you have less time to grow your favorite plants. On top of that, it’s more difficult to grow garden favorites that require more heat and longer periods of frost-free weather.
Short growing regions can have less than 120 days of frost-free weather. This makes it difficult to start many crops and popular flowers. What’s worse is unpredictable weather that can destroy your garden with little warning.
Although you can’t change nature’s weather patterns, you can follow a few tricks to get the most out of your growing season. Let’s dive into the 15 spring hacks for gardeners with short growing seasons.
Choose the Right Seeds
If you have a short growing season, hacking your garden begins with picking the right species for your climate. Many edible and ornamental plants have evolved in cold climates. These plants are used to harsh winters and a lack of sunlight early in the growing season.
By picking climate-appropriate plants, you’ll have less to worry about in the unpredictable weather. You’ll save time and energy while reaping the benefits during harvest. Plus, many of these species help cultivate a healthy ecosystem in your cold-climate garden.
For edibles, try growing cold-hardy varieties such as turnips, arugula, and spinach. Some species, like spinach, will re-sprout the following spring. You can sow many of these seeds in the ground shortly before your last frost date.
Choose Plants That Mature Quickly
When you have a short window to grow your plants, you probably don’t want to wait around for them to mature. Unless you’re growing an indoor garden, stick to plants that mature quickly.
If you have less than 120 frost-free days, look for species that mature in under 100 days. Plants like arugula, radishes, spinach, and turnips grow extremely quickly. Some radishes are ready in a month, while arugula takes only a few weeks!
With this in mind, dedicate each garden bed to growing multiple varieties of quick-maturing plants. You can even grow some slower-maturing plants like tomatoes, just in case. The goal is to get as many harvests as you can in a short amount of time.
Plant Crops to Store Over Winter
If you live in an area with a short growing season, you probably deal with serious winters. If you want to savour your delicious through the coldest months, grow plenty of storage crops.
These plants include pickling favorites like beets, carrots, and turnips. Other crops like garlic, onion, and winter squash can be cured and stored for months. Prioritize varieties bred for storage or curing.
You’ll be able to store these crops away or preserve them by fermentation, pickling, or drying. In the spring, try to learn as many storage and preservation hacks as you can.
Start Growing Cold-Climate Fruits
Spring is the perfect time to plant cold-climate fruit trees. These trees are adapted to the short growing seasons and frigid weather of the northernmost climates in the US.
In the spring, as the weather starts to warm up, plant your favorite bare-root fruit trees in well-drained soil. Wait until the soil is completely unfrozen before planting. Once the temperatures warm up during the summer, your trees will take root and put on new growth.
There are several amazing varieties to choose from. Even in the coldest regions of zones 2 and 3, you can grow multiple varieties that produce tons of delicious and nutritious fruit. Below are several varieties to prioritize in your short growing season garden.
- Cold-hardy apples
- Haskap Berries
- Bearberries
- Nanking cherries
- Currants
Start Your Seeds Indoors
Just because your area has a short growing season, doesn’t mean you can’t plant hack your garden plan to grow your favorite warm-climate crops. This spring, start your favorite seeds indoors long before the start of the season. This will give you plenty of time to cultivate healthy seedlings and acclimate them to the outdoors.
Buy healthy seeds for crops like peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens, or your favorite flowers. Cold-weather crops like broccoli, cauliflower, and beats are also easy to start indoors.
To start, find out your average last frost date based on your area. Check the Old Farmer’s Almanac website and enter your zip code. Next, look at your seed packet to see how many days before the last frost date to start the seeds indoors. Count back the number of days and start your indoor seedlings close to this date.
Create a Cozy Indoor Space for Your Seedlings
If you’re starting seedlings indoors in a cold climate, you’ll need to maintain a warm and sunny environment inside. If your seedlings are exposed to cold weather or long periods of low light, they’ll die quickly.
If you have a short growing season in high-altitude regions, you may get away with windowsill growing hacks. Make sure it’s south-facing with plenty of direct sunlight. Keep your seedlings away from the window to prevent them from cold exposure.
Northern latitude locations like Alaska, northern Maine, and northern Minnesota, lack sunlight during the early spring. In these locations, you’ll need indoor grow lights for your seedlings.
Besides light, keep your indoor temperatures warm and stable. Avoid keeping your starter trays near cold drafts or open doors. Avoid heaters or areas with unstable humidity.
Harden Off Your Seedlings
Once your seedlings mature and the outside air temperature is consistently above freezing, it’s time to transplant them outdoors. Before you rush to get them in the ground, harden them off first.
Hardening off is a process where you slowly expose your young plants to the outdoors. This helps them acclimate to the stresses of being outdoors, i.e., shifting temperatures, direct sunlight, and new soil. If you plant your seedlings directly in the ground, they may experience extreme shock in their new environment.
Once your seedlings are ready to be planted outdoors, bring them outside and keep them in the shade for a few hours. Bring them back inside for the night and repeat while slowly giving them more time outside and in direct sun. After a few days spent in their containers under full sun, they should be ready for planting.
Practice Succession Planting
Succession planting is a handy hack for growing food in any climate, especially cold ones with short seasons. It allows you to extend your harvests and enjoy multiple varieties of the same plant.
To do this, you’ll intentionally stagger your spring planting schedule. Start one crop indoors before your average last frost date. Wait a few weeks and start another batch of the same variety or different varieties to shake things up a bit.
As one batch of seedlings goes into the ground, you’ve already started the next batch. When summer comes, you’ll have multiple harvests throughout the frost-free season.
Try Companion Planting
When the weather warms up enough to garden, consider companion planting, also known as inter-planting. This is the process of growing multiple crops together in the same space. By using this hack, you’ll utilize beneficial aspects of each species to benefit their neighbors and maximize yields during your short growing season.
Growing multiple companion varieties together helps improve the soil. While one species drowns out weeds, another may fix nitrogen in the soil with the help of beneficial bacteria. Growing these companion plants in your garden helps cultivate a healthy ecosystem, even in cold climates.
One of the best examples of companion planting is the ‘three sisters’ technique. This involves growing corn alongside beans and squash. The squash provides the ground cover and flourishes off the nitrogen that the beans affix to the soil with the help of bacteria. The beans use the cornstalks as a natural trellis so they get enough sunlight. Remember to start your corn indoors ahead of the last frost for best success.
Build High Tunnels
High tunnels are great hacks for extending a short growing season. Once you build them, you can use them to start plants early in the season and maintain them into the winter.
In areas with short growing seasons and unpredictable shoulder seasons, having an extra layer of protection helps young plants. As the weather warms and your seedlings are ready for transplanting outdoors, consider building high tunnels over your beds.
These enclosed spaces let in sunlight while blocking out the cold air and wind. If you want to get even more warmth inside, consider installing heaters. Once the air warms up enough, your plants will be healthier and further along in their maturity.
Set Up Cold Frames
One of the best ways to protect short crops like leafy greens is by building cold frames. Cold frames are incredibly easy to build. They’ll fit over any small plant or garden bed and stabilize the air and soil temperature inside even when it’s blustery outside.
There are several DIY designs to start in spring. The simplest involves using plastic soda bottles. You can create other designs with poly sheeting and plywood. You can even use salvaged doors and windows for the same effect.
Cold frames will extend your season, even when frost is imminent. Besides temperature protection, these setups will help protect your plants from hungry animals.
Don’t Forget Row Covers
Row covers are another tool for extending your gardening window. Although they’re not as involved as cold frames or high tunnels, they can still protect your plants from nature’s worst.
These thin fabrics are usually made from woven plastics. They’re breathable and let natural sunlight filter in. They insulate the ground and trap heat in the soil. The best part is, they help keep harmful insects away from your vulnerable plants.
In the spring, add row covers to your young transplants. Secure the covers to the ground and use plastic hoops to raise them off the ground. The covers will give your low-lying plants the protection they need to flourish in the harsh climate.
Work On Soil Health
Spring is the best time to work on soil health, even in areas with short growing seasons. Soil is essential for healthy plants. Spending extra time making it healthy will have a huge impact on your yields.
Think about each garden bed or container as a tiny ecosystem. For a healthy ecosystem, you want microbes, good drainage, and plenty of organic material. You also want good texture and airflow.
In spring, amend your beds with compost. Consider adding a layer of mulch after planting. Try not to till or disturb the soil unless you’re planting. Microbes, worms, and beneficial fungi will thrive when left alone. You’ll also see more beneficial insects and birds in beds with good-quality soil.
Use a Combination of Bed Sizes
Bed sizes play an important part in creating dynamic gardens. Each bed size has its advantages and ideal crops to pair with it.
Raised beds like these are great for spring planting. They work well for many vegetables, especially root vegetables and herbs. Add a cold frame on top to keep your raised beds warm for longer.
Besides raised beds, it’s a good idea to create ground-level beds for your perennials and native plants. Create the beds in spring and amend the soil with compost and organic material. In the fall, direct sow seeds that need cold stratification over the winter. The following spring, your beds will be full of healthy seedlings.
Grow Native Perennials
Plant native perennials in spring or fall to bring local pollinators to your garden. These plants evolved in your region. Over time, they developed mutually beneficial relationships with the local flora and fauna.
Grow native perennials around the borders of your garden to attract bees, birds, and other pollinators to your garden. Prioritize native plants with epic blooms or plants that produce food.
Plants such as leadplant bloom magically and increase the biodiversity of your garden. Coneflowers like the purple coneflower attract beneficial insects like ladybugs and butterflies. Give these extra protection in zones with short growing seasons.
