The Secret Life of Plant People, Part 2

What do growers and farmers do in the winter if there are no plants to grow? How do they prepare for the spring?

During the winter, farmers typically have already harvested their crop in the fall and either left the field fallow (unplanted) for the winter, or a season so that the soil can rest or regenerate , or cover crops can be planted which helps to manage soil erosion and contribute more nutrients to the soil. Some of these cover crops can be harvested, while some just get turned over in the spring when the next round of planting begins.

For greenhouse growers downtime in between plantings can be a few weeks to a couple of months depending on the plant. Most of this time is spent sanitizing and cleaning out the greenhouse as well as restocking supplies and getting ready to grow the next batch of plants. For indoor vegetable plants such as tomatoes and peppers, new plants are started in February while a shorter duration plant such as lettuce may be harvested and replanted every few weeks. For flowering plants, the majority are started three to six months before they are due to be sold to garden centers with a few exceptions such as orchids which take almost two years to grow before getting sold.

For both indoor and outdoor growers spring is a busy time of cleaning, planting and planning how to keep everything alive! Light levels are brighter and longer in spring and summer, temperatures are warmer, and the plants are fully grown before you know it!