[Gardening] Winter Gardens

[Ludi]

We are designing our cold frames to be regular raised beds in the summer, with glazing removed. Anyone else doing this?

Anyone using automatic vent openers? I'm thinking of having long coldframes with three sets of windows each, with the middle one controlled by an auto vent opener (as they are $45 each). The two on the sides would be a little warmer, but the air from the middle one should circulate fairly easily as it will be one long compartment.

Eliot Coleman has some clever ideas about coldframes in "Four Season Harvest" - do you have that book?

[skyemoor]

Eliot Coleman has some clever ideas about coldframes in "Four Season Harvest" - do you have that book?

Yes, and I'm planning on treating the cold frames in a manner similar to raised beds from late spring through early fall (removing the glazing).

There will be times when we may not be around in every instance where the glazing needs to be raised in order to avoid high, withering temps, and I just didn't want to pay $48 for a vent opener for every single cold frame glazing window (of which there may 2 dozen or so). We often take a winter vacation, and sometimes, the weather can jump the 70s in December, which would result in 140F temps in the 'cold' frames, decimating the crop. Or we could forget just once to lower the cold frame windows, perhaps freezing the plants. Hence, we want to have an automated approach.

Here's what some look like;

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

Does anyone know if when you are drying onions, is it ok if they are just really leathery or should they be brittle once dried??

[WisJim]

Does anyone know if when you are drying onions, is it ok if they are just really leathery or should they be brittle once dried??

I notice that some of the onions that we dry never seem to get crisp or brittle, but stay leathery. I aim for brittle, but settle for leathery. I think it might depend on the variety of onion, the season, and the part of the onion that the particular dried piece came from, as I sometimes notice both leathery and brittle on the same tray coming out of the dryer.
We store them in the French-style canning jars (the ones with a rubber gasket on a glass lid that is held to the jar with a wire hinge and a wire latch that can close the jar tightly with a good seal) that are sold as storage jars. We pick the jars up cheap at garage sales, sometimes replace the rubber gaskets, and use them to store the smaller amounts of dried food, seeds, etc.

[cestlavie]

Howdy all,

This year I've planted lots of stuff to hopefully last through the winter months. I planted blue hubbard squash and grey zucchini. My garden this year is 1/2 potatoes (my dad thinks I'm putting all my eggs in one basket), also have a large bed of squash, and a similar bed of zucchini with the rest devoted to corn, carrots etc. I'm ready to give lots my summer veggies to friends & family and hoping to store the carrots in sand in the fall, we'll see how that works out. If I dont grow enough then next year I'll just have to grow more. But at least its a learning year and I'll know just how much I need to grow.

Is anyone else looking around and thinking and acting this way? What are your experiences and what are you doing this year? Last year I didn't have anywhere near this sense of urgency or importance but now its hitting me. Is anyone else out there with the same mindset, of planting and getting ready getting ready for next years food storage? With the rising food and fuel prices never know what to expect for next year...

[Revi]

We have some stuff planted, but my garden isn't big enough to store much. With the rising price of food I think you are smart to grow some storeables. Hubbard squash are awesome things to have!

[Ludi]

Yes, I'm planting more sweet potatoes, turnips, and carrots. Also various beans to dry.

[eastbay]

Tonight for dinner we had zucchini from last fall and blueberries from last summer. We still have blackberries and tomato's from last summer too!

This year we're kicking up the volume a bit and will be cool-storing, canning, and freezing way more than last year. We have space to grow quite a bit more and next year we plan to plant and harvest at full volume.

The plan is to grow enough vegetables and fruit to wean ourselves from reliance on the local organic farm whose harvest we've shared starting last year. They're getting quite costly (next year we've already been warned will be very expensive!!) and the plan is to be on our own after this year.

[thylacine]

I spent some of the weekend digging up a few more square metres of our lawn so that I could put in potatoes. I ache all over, but it's looking good. At least, I think it looks good. Due to having a small backyard, we don't have room for much else out back - so the vege garden has gone out front. A few of the neighbours think it's odd ("are you Earth People?"). Once the potatoes are in I'll then have to find out how to combat the 28 spotted ladybird. That was quite revelation to me, I always thought that ladybirds were good, but not this one apparently!

[WisJim]

We eat mostly what we grow year-around, so we have already planted potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, etc., and of course garlic was planted last fall. We will do monthly plantings of carrots, cabbage, and cabbage family vegetables until Aug or Sept, and we grow lots of dry beans, too, and also 3 or 4 varieties of winter squash. We just finished most of last year's onion crop, and we are still eating potatoes and winter squash from last year's garden. We are eating Egyptian walking onions from the garden now, and eating last years carrots and apples yet, also. The spinach that self-seeded last fall has been big enough to eat for a couple of weeks, and the first planting of lettuce is big enough, too. We sometimes have carrots and potatoes from storage up until we are eating them fresh from the garden. And of course we have lots of dried, canned, and frozen food, too.

[catbox]

We have a big raised-bed garden already and I just added 6 new beds to the mix. Getting ready to fillem with new soil and compost as I write. I'll be getting rid of the driveway by Fall to make for some more raised bed action....we grew several things here in Eugene this fall and winter without even protecting them, so it looks good for next season too.
I have to update our water catchment system as well....

Our little 1/2 acre is slowly turning into a very productive space!

catbox

[Ludi]

We haven't eaten all the winter squash from last year, but I'll be planting some more.

[RedStateGreen]

Yellow ladybugs aren't really ladybugs ... I forget what they are, but yellow=bad, red=good.

I've got a bunch of tomato plants going for canning later in the year. We eat a lot of tomato sauce so this will be great. Also have squash, corn, beans, onions, garlic, potatoes and sweet potatoes planned. We're just starting spring planting season here, so we'll see how it goes.

[Pops]

That was quite revelation to me, I always thought that ladybirds were good, but not this one apparently!

Looks like this Mexican Bean Beetle.

I stumbled on this site - every gardener should mark it I think...
Bug Guide

[allenwrench]

I just started in Feb. Right now am putting in about 14 d and sd fruit trees. Put up fence for orchard this weekend, still need to do fence for garden. (20 x 30 feet) ...wish I started about 2 -3 years ago.

Next year will expand garden to 40 x 50.

[cestlavie]

Tonight for dinner we had zucchini from last fall and blueberries from last summer. We still have blackberries and tomato's from last summer too!

This year we're kicking up the volume a bit and will be cool-storing, canning, and freezing way more than last year. We have space to grow quite a bit more and next year we plan to plant and harvest at full volume.

The plan is to grow enough vegetables and fruit to wean ourselves from reliance on the local organic farm whose harvest we've shared starting last year. They're getting quite costly (next year we've already been warned will be very expensive!!) and the plan is to be on our own after this year.

Wow! Be sure to share your knowledge. I'm sure any peak oil preps that could lead to full self reliance will be greatly appreciated! Its hard to beleive. I'm looking at gas price and hoping that my plants will grow (maybe I'm a bit nutty) - BUT we dont know at what point things will get sour and that keeps me going... I already love planting, its already enough benefit to eat what you produce. I'm just losing incentive to spread the wealth around as I see prices go up. I have to remember that friends and family come first and need to benefit (and see the benefits) of cheap food prices (its for free! and organic...) then maybe, just maybe they'll get interested (and think I'm less crazy). The best way to convince people about peak oil - through positive action! :> :> So I think about producing enough (ok more than enough) food to last myself (and others) throughout the summer but also through the winter... I wish I had a crystal ball (though I probably would not want to use it). The future is so tough...

[eastbay]

Tonight for dinner we had zucchini from last fall and blueberries from last summer. We still have blackberries and tomato's from last summer too!

This year we're kicking up the volume a bit and will be cool-storing, canning, and freezing way more than last year. We have space to grow quite a bit more and next year we plan to plant and harvest at full volume.

The plan is to grow enough vegetables and fruit to wean ourselves from reliance on the local organic farm whose harvest we've shared starting last year. They're getting quite costly (next year we've already been warned will be very expensive!!) and the plan is to be on our own after this year.

Wow! Be sure to share your knowledge. I'm sure any peak oil preps that could lead to full self reliance will be greatly appreciated! Its hard to beleive. I'm looking at gas price and hoping that my plants will grow (maybe I'm a bit nutty) - BUT we dont know at what point things will get sour and that keeps me going... I already love planting, its already enough benefit to eat what you produce. I'm just losing incentive to spread the wealth around as I see prices go up. I have to remember that friends and family come first and need to benefit (and see the benefits) of cheap food prices (its for free! and organic...) then maybe, just maybe they'll get interested (and think I'm less crazy). The best way to convince people about peak oil - through positive action! :> :> So I think about producing enough (ok more than enough) food to last myself (and others) throughout the summer but also through the winter... I wish I had a crystal ball (though I probably would not want to use it). The future is so tough...

After I wrote that I realized maybe I could have been clearer (again). I was talking about if everything goes perfectly, soon we could be self reliant in vegetables and in a few years fruit too. That's the goal. I realize it's only a small part of the overall diet for us but it's important for everyone to remain positive and focused doing everything possible to minimize the impact of The Problem we all face.

[cestlavie]

We eat mostly what we grow year-around, so we have already planted potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, etc., and of course garlic was planted last fall. We will do monthly plantings of carrots, cabbage, and cabbage family vegetables until Aug or Sept, and we grow lots of dry beans, too, and also 3 or 4 varieties of winter squash. We just finished most of last year's onion crop, and we are still eating potatoes and winter squash from last year's garden. We are eating Egyptian walking onions from the garden now, and eating last years carrots and apples yet, also. The spinach that self-seeded last fall has been big enough to eat for a couple of weeks, and the first planting of lettuce is big enough, too. We sometimes have carrots and potatoes from storage up until we are eating them fresh from the garden. And of course we have lots of dried, canned, and frozen food, too.

Wow, good info! I would love to have the variety of food that you eat (all through the winter!). I didnt diversify my crop this year (so *suposedly* now we are at risk of disease). We'll see... I wanted to know if my crop would going to make it through the winter AND if out family could survive on it through the winter so I planted lots of 1 kind of winter squash - however you planted 3-4 varieties. The same is true for potatoes. I'm really glad your now getting spinach, etc. In our (stealth) 'flower garden' our english sorrel is growing like absolutely crazy -- i.e. good enough to eat like spinach (if we are careful - not every day). We can have sorrel soup YUMM!!! Not entirely life sustaining - but certainly is delicious. My dad has a herd of goats - so I'm happy to supplement him with plenty of potatoes (though he doesnt particularly care for them). Anyways, glad to know things are really working out! If you have any successes please let us know. I like the idea of egyptian walking onions if they spread pretty well - anything that spreads well and is edible (except for JA's) sounds really good to me!

[cestlavie]

After I wrote that I realized maybe I could have been clearer (again). I was talking about if everything goes perfectly, soon we could be self reliant in vegetables and in a few years fruit too. That's the goal. I realize it's only a small part of the overall diet for us but it's important for everyone to remain positive and focused doing everything possible to minimize the impact of The Problem we all face.

Thanks for clarifying. No problem, every step, every bit counts! I guess thats why they say that you cant survive it alone... :>

[jdumars]

The short answer to your question: YES

I am looking at 96 quart jars that will be filled by the end of the Summer with green beans, tomatoes, corn, soups and such. We've got the following planted so far:

~ 300 onion plants
~ 100 sweet pepper plants
~ 50 hot pepper plants
~ 500 bush pea plants
~ 40 cabbages
~ 50 broccoli plants
~ 1/8 acre of mustard greens + various other greens mixed in
~ 200 potato plants
~ 300 bean plants
~ beneficial bug mixes
~ poppies
~ wild flowers
~ herbs: oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, tarragon, curry, angelica, lavender, parsley, cilantro, sage, mints, bay

Soon to plant:
~ 1000 corn plants
~ tomatillos
~ sunflowers
~ amaranth
~ millet
~ sesame
~ sweet potatoes
~ turnips
~ beets
~ carrots
~ sorghum
~ cantaloupe and other heirloom melons
~ cucumber
~ black eyed peas

We've already made 5 gallons of low-acidity vinegar, and will be making 10-20 gallons more of medium and high-acidity for canning. We still have peppers from last year, as well as sweet potatoes, garlic, winter squash, frozen berries, and a LOT of meat. I have been buying a lot of salt, rice and canning jars. This is all stuff that will be virtually impossible to get later. I also just picked up 1000 rounds for target practice with the ol AK-74.

We've all been warned. There's no excuse to not be preparing right now. You will NOT have an opportunity later.