I’m going to rebel against common thought and try winter gardening in Michigan. There is very little information available on it. I don’t think the cold climate is the big deterrent. I think it is a combination of the cold and the lack of sunlight. Michigan is lousy for sunlight in the winter. Compare these graphs.
Seattle vs. Grand Rapids
The data is from city-data.com. The graphs on the left are for Seattle. A city generally considered to be very cloudy. The graphs on the right are for Grand Rapids. Pay particular attention to the areas I circled in red. Grand Rapids receives less sun than Seattle.
My first experiment was to start some simple lettuce in December and provide no supplemental light beyond what the sun provides in a south facing window. It isn’t going well. The plants are tall and leggy and no true leaves have formed yet. I should have started a control group under a grow light to see how they perform. I think I have a project for tomorrow night…Two new 9 cell trays of Black Simpson lettuce. One will go under the grow lights, the other will only receive light from the window sill. Sounds like a fun way to pass the weeks until I can start the seedlings for the garden next year.
