Eliot Coleman's Winter Harvest Book is a great read.

[Dan Halsey, SouthWoods Forest Gardens]

We would do well to all read this book and get together for a
discussion. Some excellent information and guides for winter
harvesting and year around plantings. Although our weather is
different, the sunlight here is the same as at Coleman's Farm in
Maine.

Dan Halsey

[Carol Ford]

I'd be happy to discuss this book, as I've read and skimmed it several
times looking for new ideas. I find many of Coleman's methods useful
for season extension but not all are applicable for our wether
realities on the west central prairie of MN. I have experimented with
many variations of low tunnels and find it difficult at best to secure
them so they can survive our powerful winds. So far, row cover that is
not draped over hoops, but allowed to drape freely over crops survives
the storms best. I would love to hear what successes others have
experienced.

Right now in the passive solar greenhouse, we have thriving greens,
pac choi, broccoli raab, chard, collards, pea shoots and Chinese
cabbage. Broccoli's not growing worth a darn and this may be the last
year we dedicate space to it. So many other crops produce far better
during the solstice weeks. Have had luck intercropping broccoli with
pac choi to get a choi crop before empty space gets shaded by the
broccoli, but the broccoli seems more slowed down by the solstice
short days than the raab. Glad we're on the backside of solstice now.
Bring on that sun!

Carol Ford
Garden Goddess Produce

[Kari Wenger]

Would love to Discuss Coleman's book. Have read all 3 of his books and his mobile hoop house pamphlet. Tried many of his ideas over the last 16 years on large home gardens one in southern MN, one in northern MN and now one in western WI. And still feel like an absolute beginner.
Happy new years everyone,
kari

[Paula Westmoreland]

I think a book discussion is a great idea. Another book you might consider is Northlands Winter Greenhouse Manual by Carol and Chuck. It's an excellent book and suited to our region.
The days are finally getting longer!!! Paula

[Carol Ford]

What has worked best for you, Kari? What methods resulted in the best season extension? Have you ever been able to maintain production in those kinds of structures all winter? What were your most successful crops? What do you want to try that you haven't yet?

Carol

[Carol Ford]

Thanks, Paula, that's kind of you. It's true that so far, the passive solar greenhouse is the only structure that's given me full winter production, but I do realize that many people would like to experiment with lower cost start up options. I wouldn't mind having a mobile hoophouse myself, as that would be a super fun thing to play with for season extension on both sides of solstice. But then, we get one of those killer wind events out here and I see hoop structures ruined by it and realize that I'm grateful our greenhouse has weathered the equivalent of a prairie hurricane without a scratch. 

If we could just lick that wind dilemma, I'd be all over the hoop structure's possibilities because we're going to need all the creative tools we can must as we take over the responsibility of our local food production. I think hoops have a lot more to offer than early and late tomatoes and peppers. I'd love to experiment with them for sweet potatoes, late broccoli, and see just how long they'd keep fall greens going. 

I know at the Food Farm near Wrenshall, they lay that stiff blue foam insulation in the soil around their hoop to get a decent crop of tomatoes and I'd want to try something similar. Then I think about our winds and sigh. When you're doing CSA, it's hard to risk a structure full of food to the mercies of northern blizzards. I hope somebody's had enough success working with this to offer some hope on that front, because I'd love to be proven wrong with my conclusions thus far. Anyone? 

Carol

[Paula Westmoreland]

We installed poly over structures on a rooftop farm this fall to experiment with lima beans, fava beans, etc to see how far we could push the fall season.   The poly was ripped to shreds in the October hurricane as well.  For next season we're looking at a cold frame variation that will be more substantial.  

Farming has always been a challenge in these parts and with climate change we've made it even more difficult but we need to find a way forward.

[Shodo Spring]

I want to be in this discussion! Can you wait until I get back to Minnesota in March?
Shodo

--

Shodo Spring
cell: 907-887-9196.

Uto-an: 907-563-4936
Peak oil happened in 2006:    http://www.postcarbon.org/blog-post/188069-it-s-official-the-economy-is-set

[Shodo Spring]

What's the availability of old storm windows these days?

[Kari Wenger]

Hard to talk about experiences in an e-mail. First I need to clarify that we are not growing commercially, our focus is on home production. 

I like simple the best. Cold frames with the automatic window openers are still my favorite because of their durability and ease.  Carrots buried in straw in a cold frame "candy carrots" as Coleman calls them are a thing everyone should taste and smell. Maybe it is because our noses are so deprived of garden smells in the winter but after I wash one of these carrots I smell it like it is a rose.

Tried many other things but this is our first year with a mobile green house. In the spring we planted in February and had greens, carrots, peas during the "hungry month" of April. Fresh vegetables taste like heaven in the spring. During the summer we had tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in the hoop house until we moved the hoop house over the winter garden the beginning of November.  BTW served a tomato salad for 30 at Thanksgiving. This fall we added a second low fabric hoop over the winter crops in the hoop house.  A plague of rats came in and ate the carrots in one week.  Kale, Asian greens, mustard are still limping by.  We're thinking of starting the greens a little later from the information we gained from the hoop house conference and getting a rat terrier. 

I can't begin to list what I want to try, it makes me want to be 20 again. My partner and I are in negotiations over what of the miriade of experiments we are going to try this year.  Hearing about others experiences and experiments would help us decide.

Best,

Kari

[Carol Ford]

Check craig's list, I'm thinkin'.

Carol

[Carol Ford]

Kari, where are you located? What's the size of your mobile greenhouse? What's the skin on it? Have you been monitoring the indoor/outdoor air temp or the soil temp in the structure? When did your soil freeze up?

Carol

[Robert Frost]

Seems to be an under current of wind problems here in the Central North.  Perhaps a windbreak of hybrid willows could be solution in some cases if properly placed to minimize shading.  Most have growth to 20' in 3 years in many instances, and the coppice has many uses on the farm from mulch to fuel to furniture and plant trellis.  

I will be using Johnny's High Tunnel bender this season for a 35' hoop structure at our suburban home and a larger structure at our market garden for next winter where I will be experimenting with thermal mass storage systems ala Solviva.    As mentioned, a full on passive solar greenhouse may be the final iteration though for durability and insulation. 

Thanks everyone for sharing ideas and inspirations during these dark days of anticipation before Spring!

-Rob Frost

www.onestraw.wordpress.com

On Jan 4, 2011, at 10:30 AM, Carol Ford wrote: