Gardening in the Snow : the UMFK Winter Garden Greenhouse
By Dr . Kim Borges , Professor of Environmental Studies and Greenhouse Project Coordinator
When you think of Northern Maine in December , garden fresh greens are not the first thing that comes to mind . However , students at University of Maine at Fort Kent were busy harvesting greens from the unheated campus greenhouse on the coldest day of the semester . After cutting the crops , the students trudged through a foot of snow to bring their harvest inside for washing and packaging . Bags of spinach and Asian greens were then brought to the local food pantry the next day .
The campus greenhouse , which is a high tunnel structure that operates without the use of supplemental heat , produces cold hardy crops from fall through spring . The “ UMFK winter garden ” is one of few facilities that operate on a campus located within a region of long , harsh winters ( USDA growing zone 3 ). The greenhouse is based upon a model used by internationally recognized farmer and writer Eliot Coleman of Four Season Farm in Harborside , Maine . It supports UMFK ’ s mission to emphasize environmental stewardship and rural sustainability through an education that features experiential learning .
Student activities in the greenhouse combine academics , scientific research , and service . The purpose of the project is to engage students in hands-on learning about sustainable agriculture using an innovative approach to growing crops , while producing a tangible product for the benefit of the local community . The students plant cold-hardy crops in weekly plantings inside the greenhouse from late summer through early fall . In late October , they cover the plants with lightweight fabric sheets called floating row covers . The covers are like blankets that let in light and provide some protection from the cold . Plants become dormant , or grow very slowly , and resume growth in early spring . Harvest of crops starts in October , and continues into mid-spring , when warm season crops are planted for harvest at the end of the academic year in May .
This past fall , Environmental Studies majors worked in the greenhouse as part of a fall semester Environmental Science course . They have learned about agriculture , soil science , and organic growing . while developing their gardening skills . The students planted carrots and several types of leafy greens including spinach , arugula , Asian greens , and mache . The bi-weekly harvests started in October and continued until the semester ended in mid-December . The students were surprised to find that the crops continued to grow even when the temperature in the greenhouse dipped below freezing .
According to one student , “ Something I have learned from growing and harvesting crops in the greenhouse is how much we can affect the temperature with a simple row cover , and just how many harvests can be obtained after the normal harvest season ends .” In fact , students are using the greenhouse as a laboratory to understand exactly that question : What are the conditions needed to extend harvest dates and maximize yields ? They want to learn which crops are most successful in our harsh winter climate , and how best to grow them .
In one research study done , students sowed crops in plantings one week apart through early fall . They were measuring growth weekly , as well as the time it took plants to reach harvestable size . From this information , students hoped to determine the optimal planting times that would yield the most abundant harvests into December . In another research project , students used data logging sensors to take hourly measurements of temperatures
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