During winter in New York State, I start dreaming of fresh greenery as early as December. Going up to the greenhouse in winter feels like an escape to a tiny island of verdure. A mini vacation to someplace different. But not all plants can survive winter in Zone 6a in an unheated greenhouse. However, varieties of kale, such as “Winterbor”, Swiss Chard (“Rainbow”), Tatsoi, and many other “cold hardy” greens can easily overwinter in an unheated greenhouse, or even outside if the winter is mild.

The harvest shown in the photo was originally planted in August and September. The plants don’t grow much during the “dark months” (Nov, Dec, Jan), but come February and March; they can really take off and start to grow rapidly, thanks to greater amount of sun available at that time. It will be fun to experiment with sowing new seeds in February, in the greenhouse, and leaving some of last year’s plants.