Turner at first grew vegetables for her family in an unheated greenhouse. When she saw she had plenty of produce left over, she decided to take up commercial growing, expanding from one greenhouse to three. She admits she's had to cope with some obstacles. Snowmelt often seeps into the greenhouse and effectively floods her vegetable beds. To compensate, Turner plants on platforms of earth.
Summer is clockwork.
Winter is not. About a dozen growers and farmers in Maine are planting for winter harvest, said Russell Libby of the Maine Organic Growers and Farmers Association. All 12 farms are certified organic. According to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association , only 12 farms in New England are currently attempting to produce in winter, but this number is growing. Ellie MacDougall of Blue Sky Farm has been growing a winter harvest for about three years.