This is the first winter I have tried to have a northwest garden. It was a test. As you can see by my photos some things have grown. This is my lettuce box. I planted winter varieties in late Oct. They were only about 2 inches high and we had weeks of early deep freeze. We installed a light fixture and a 60 watts bulbs has been running day and night. During the deep freeze the ground froze hard on this box. It is on wheels and the cold hits it from the top, bottom and sides.
My side garden on the ground, next to the south wall of the house and surrounded by bales of straw did not have the ground freeze. BUT even though protected with a cover the plants themselves froze. I found the plants next to the bales of straw did not freeze. Now with that freeze a month past the plants have recouped and the garden looks ok. It Maybe that seedlings did not survive as far as I can tell. I have been cutting chard and pulling beets and they are fine.
Mostly this is a sleeping garden, a few squares of garlic waiting for spring.
The garden on legs on the North side of the property was planted with fall garlic. It grew slowly with the freeze and for all I can tell will never produce. This box froze solid as it has no protection beneath from the cold. It was covered but that wasn't enough. We shall see when warmer weather arrives. Update late Jan 2010 Lots of garlic and shallots have peeked up. Guess the freeze didn't do all I thought it had.
What did I plant.
Rudolph broccoli
Winter red kale
winterwunder lettuce
arctic kind butterhead lettuce
Giant winter spinach
Provencal winter mix salad greens
5 kinds of garlic (normal fall planting)
I'm not sure what is growing here but it all looks good and much larger and though frozen solid in the roots two months ago it is now growing fine, but slowly. I think soon we will eat it. The chives have come back nicely and I never loose hope when growing things.
This salad box has wheels and I pushed it against my houses outside wall before the freeze.
Any thing that might help my odds.
Update late Jan 2010 We are eating large really tender excellent greens now!
This is the garden on the north side. We flip the plastic back and forth. It's on legs so it froze first, only garlic still growing here.
This garden is on the South wall of our house. I put straw bails along the side opposite the house, I have the thermometer here and by the salad table. This garden is always at least 2 degrees warmer than our back yard. I flip the plastic back and forth by the weather. In summer the high PVC poles and the bean wire will go back on. Oh I can't wait! For now it's left over carrots, some beets, a few plants of rainbow chard, and the herbs.
Click to enlarge 
