I Love Winter Gardening!

First: Yes, you can participate in the delight of winter gardening! Many people wrongly assume that there is no such thing. The truth of the matter is, depending on where you live, there are plants that can yield for you all twelve months.

Second: There are two basic components to successful winter gardening - Plants selection and ground cover. Let's look at each of these components individually.

When it comes to winter gardening, remember that it involves more harvesting than growing. Basically you should be looking to grow vegetables in late Summer and early Fall so that you can harvest them in Winter. With the right plants and some tending and covering, you will be able to fill your table with beautiful vegetables.

Here are some of the best plants:

* broccoli
* cabbage
* kohlrabi
* leeks
* radish
* lettuce
* turnips
* Brussels sprouts
* kale
* peas
* carrots
* cauliflower
* chard
* mustard
* onions
* garlic
* beets

Check the ability to grow these plants with a hardiness zone map of the area in which you live. A late Summer or early Fall planting of these varieties, coupled with the proper ground cover during the cold Winter months, will provide you a nice harvest.

There are several methods and products that you can use to provide your plants the needed warmth during your winter gardening. The range of materials used is from natural to full structural coverings. Choose the method or material that works best for you.

Here are some of the best coverings:

* leaves
* straw
* pine needles
* frost cloth
* plastic sheeting
* bed sheets
* newspapers
* a cold frame
* discarded window panes
* plastic milk jugs

Your aim in winter gardening should be to capture the natural heat from the ground and keep it trapped around the growing area using layers of the above materials. That is why root vegetables or those that grow close to the ground are ideal vegetables to grow in winter.

Remember to remove the covering in the morning in order to allow sunshine and air circulation.

There you have it - some basics to consider as you get started with the fun of winter gardening.

Have fun!

Dear Food Growing Enthusiasts,

I'm thrilled to be part of Frank's I Love Winter Gardening Squidoo Lens, and equally thrilled to have this opportunity to tell you a little about my unique method of growing food.

Following my method, you will set up a living, breathing ecosystem that's made up of edible plants. Once it is set up it requires very little attention but will feed you and your family an abundance of fresh, healthy food. In fact, my garden, which is about 15 by 15 foot, slashes $5000 off my annual grocery bill and only takes about eight hours of effort per year. That's the equivalence of making $625 per hour. Not a bad hourly rate for a gardener!

The Food4Wealth package includes an eBook and over an hour of video tutorials. It's been written in easy-to-read language and set out as a step-by-step manual that any person, regardless of their education, can easily follow. The secret behind the method is in the way the plants are arranged in a fashion that fills the niche spaces very tightly. If that sounds technical...don't worry...it's far easier than traditional gardening.

Filling the niche spaces gives you so many benefits apart from just massive yields. You will also have a garden that naturally repels pests, has well-balanced, fertile soils and does not require any difficult management strategies. And best of all, it will supply fresh, healthy organic food for you and your family every single day of the year. It's a simple, yet prolific way of growing food in a small area, and from the results I have achieved in my own garden, I can say, with absolute certainty that this is the way we will be growing food in the future. It's the perfect method for people who have little time but want big results. I am very happy to answer any questions you may have in regards to the method and would love to hear about your 'food growing' journey. You can contact me at jonathan@freshfoodgardenguru.com. I look forward to hearing your story and wish you all the very best.

Jonathan White, Environmental Scientist and Author of Food4Wealth.