I know that it has become increasingly popular to garden year round. Even for those without a greenhouse (me), there are plenty of options to continue to grow produce indoors. Some of them cost a pretty penny and some are a drop in the bucket compared to increasing produce prices. 

The thing is, I consider the winter months to be a bit of a reprieve from gardening. Don’t get me wrong, I still plan, purchase and pipe dream about all the plant babies I get to play with come spring, but winter is for resting.

It’s a Lot

I just spent the better part of a year not only growing food, but preserving it through freezing, drying, and canning. I’m pooped! Plus, we need to eat all of the food we preserved.  

This isn’t to say that I never get my hands in the dirt during the winter. I force bulbs. …Okay, the refrigerator does the forcing, but I plant them. 

Missing the Garden in Winter

I’ve also been known to get overly excited in mid-February (especially on a sunny day) and start all of my veggie seeds, only to have a winter storm roll in and bring another month of freezing temps. Meanwhile my seedlings are stretching their little stems and outgrowing their pots with nowhere to put them. 

It’s better if I just read books about plants or assemble a jigsaw of an English garden or continue to clean the freezer out by making some homemade soup. All somewhat garden related and yet, I am warm, dry and still in my slippers… okay, possibly in my pajamas as well. 

Perhaps William Blake put it best when he said “In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” In which case, I’m going to enjoy the heck out of winter.