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How can you grow vegetables in the winter? Don't you need to burn a ton of fuel to keep the greenhouse hot? These are some of the questions I often hear when I tell people I work on a farm in the middle of January. I think one of the most interesting and common misconceptions about winter greenhouse farming is that the greenhouse needs to use a lot of heat to grow food. The truth is plants are incredibly resilient and creative organisms that find ways to not only survive in cold temperatures, but thrive in changing environments. Spinach and carrots for example go through a process of converting starches to sugars to adapt to the fewer hours of sunlight during peak winter months. This produces a healthy plant and creates an even sweeter taste that is more attractive to people. What I find most incredible about the greenhouse I work in at Stone Barns is that even though the soil is directly in the ground and not in soil pots or benches, the deeper soil levels naturally maintain a temperature roughly in the 45 degree level where as the ambient temperatures can reach below freezing if not heated. Understanding these basic soil facts allow us to work with earth's natural heat to create an ideal growing environment while maintaining a very low energy input usage. We are attempting to produce produce that is best suited for the natural environment we are growing in and by keeping the surface levels of the soil just above freezing, we can grow fresh food all winter long. So how do we keep the soil levels above freezing if the ambient temperature can drop below freezing? Last year we discussed the benefits of...
