I recently moved up to Portland and have a killer south facing patio that is great for gardening. At least it was it the summer and fall. Now that winter has set in and the temperature’s dropped below freezing and we’ve had snow followed by more snow followed by more snow, gardening is getting a little bit tougher.
I knew that the snow would pretty much destroy any crops I had going. To help give them a fighting chance I set up a nice little tent. Using an 8’x10′ plastic tarp and some polyester string I set to work setting up camp on my patio.
The tarp is draped over the railing to form the ridgeline and the corners are tied out to spots on the railing with tautline hitch knots. I originally tied the string to the tarp with bowline knots, but later changed them out for some caribiners to make it easier to set up and take down.
The tarp worked pretty well. My collards, swiss chard, and broccoli are all doing well. It did not, however, help protect my succulents against the cold and I lost a few old and sentimental jades. I’m sad to lose them, but I guess lesson learned. Succulents come inside during the winter from now on.
Hopefully by next winter I’ll be able to get a more enclosed greenhouse set up to help keep the cold to a minimum.
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