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Winter storage

Fri, Dec 18, 2009 21 Comments

Farm gear stored in hoophouse

[Backpost for Dec-14-2009] Snow’s here—it’s definitely overwinter storage time! Winter storage is a little different every year, as needs, facilities, and plans change. This time around, a fair bit of gear is in the 20’x32′ (~6×10 m) hoophouse, with its full sun exposure and fairly extreme temperature spread (from double-digit subzero at night, to 80-100°F/25-38°C on a sunny day!). Sooo, you don’t want to be storing just anything in there. Anything that’s damaged by freezing isn’t a good idea. And plastics that aren’t UV-resistant will break down, fading and weakening (really, most plastics not meant for constant outdoor use should probably be kept out of the sun whenever possible). Here, it’s mostly wood—extra rough cut cedar from a project a couple of years back, tomato stakes, tables, farmers’ market display trays—which is OK, and I’ll get the plastic items under cover. Except for checking the snow load on the hoophouse after big storms, that’s all she wrote until early spring. The outdoor part of veggie farming in our growing zone will now take a bit of a snooze…

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Topics: Fieldwork, Greenhouse, Tools Tags: Autumn, overwinter, snow, storage, Summer, Winter

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julie says

    Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    Hey Mike,
    Very impressed with your year at the new farm.  This pic looks soooo familiar, ha ha.  We just got 2+ feet of snow.  Before that it was so muddy I could not even get to the tunnel!  I would like to try growing over the winter but have no where else to store my stuff.  Until that gets resolved, it is non producing.
     
    Have a wonderful holiday and successful new year.
    Julie

    Reply
  2. Rich@NY Homesteader says

    Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    Nice greenhouse, I have one that is not hooped but slant roofed I used garden fencing under the plastic to take the snow load. works OK if I get out and see to it the big heavy snow is swept off.
    I see you have a nice tractor with a front end loader on it I wish I had one of them! peace to you and yours this holiday season.
    Regards,,
    Rich@ NY Homesteader

    Reply
  3. HappyHermit says

    Fri, Dec 25, 2009 at 10:12 am

    Hope you have and enjoyable holiday of some sort

    Reply
  4. Lowell says

    Fri, Dec 25, 2009 at 9:04 pm

    Great site!  I love reading your entries and keeping up with the monthly happenings. Thanks for the pictures. It brings back memories of growing up on a small northern Minnesota farm with a large garden.

    Reply
  5. Reeta Sethi says

    Fri, Dec 25, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    Earth Day – Reusable Bags, Grocery Bags, Totes, cotton bags
    Earth Day 2010 all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography,we all have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment. Our mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable environment. We at <a href=”http://www.crafts-and-creations.com”> Crafts and Creations</a>, encourage registered charities and offer them eco-friendly cotton canvas fabric bags / totes at no profit no loss basis.
    We wish to encourage Teachers, Schools, Universities and Churches to promote this campaign across the world. Each one of us has to strive to create a healthy and sustainable environment and inform the public about the environmental issues – locally, nationally and globally.
    Earth Day 2009, April 22 marked the beginning of The Green Campaign. Let us use, <a href=”http://www.kaasni.com”> Organic Cotton bags</a>, green totes, cotton bags, canvas bags and avoid usage of Plastics which are majorly responsible for the present Global Warming.
    The desire is to broaden environmental sustainability by reaching out to all segments of the world by combing interactive social networking with proven environmental and behaviour. We welcome suggestions from people from all walks of life using a compressive web-based blog <a href=”http://cottoncrafts.blogspot.com/”> Earth Day Blog </a>

    Reply
  6. Lynn says

    Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 6:51 pm

    Lynn from Manitoba says you best be posting more dang it.

    Reply
  7. Vegetable Garden Blog says

    Sun, Jan 03, 2010 at 12:38 pm

    I cant wait for the snow to go away and for spring to break through there.  I love reading about your garden/farm and seeing the inovative stuff you do!

    Do you ever use the hoop hose to hold your compost durring the winter and keep it somewhat warm?

    Reply
  8. Chelsea says

    Sun, Jan 03, 2010 at 11:10 pm

    I am new to your site and was really pleased to come upon it. I have 2.5 acres and am into my second year of trying to make a go of a ‘small farm’. I have found your site to be a great motivator.
    Chelsea
    BC, Canada.

    Reply
  9. Liz says

    Tue, Jan 05, 2010 at 6:11 am

    Good luck in the snow – we actually have some proper snow here in the UK so can kind of understand how you feel! Trying to figure how to get m leeks out of the frozen soil. Any tips?

    Reply
  10. YDavis says

    Wed, Jan 06, 2010 at 1:54 pm

    Hello, I found your blog when I googled floating row covers. You have a very nice blog. I’ll be sure to check back often.

    Reply
  11. James says

    Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 5:28 am

    I wish I had storage like that! Great blog, really enjoyed reading it last year and look forward to your posts in 2010.
    Best wishes

    Reply
  12. Tractors says

    Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 10:42 am

    Love the posts, looking forward to many more over 2010.

    Reply
  13. L.Bo Marie says

    Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 10:43 am

    I was dreaming about spring and plotting out what I can grow next season (I’ve got a yard this year!!!)…
    anyway, I found this… and thought of you. (in case you’ve been missing it)
    http://www.seeds.ca/sl/csci/index.php?psp=Amaranth

    Reply
  14. Lynn says

    Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 3:49 pm

    got my first post up….check er’ out.

    just went and tapped some maple trees, let you know how that turns out.

    Reply
  15. farmhouse says

    Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 11:54 pm

    this is great..sites

    Reply
  16. Edie Frederick says

    Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 12:01 am

    Mike, tinyfarmblog is my favorite place on the Internet. I am wondering what kind of plastic cover you use on your greenhouse? This spring we will put up a standing-room hoop house based on a perfect old foundation on our 18,000 sf lot. The earliest photos of our town show a house on that foundation ~ 1883. We are experienced gardeners & grow in zone 4 at elevation 6500 ft. With this greenhouse we plan to heat below the soil with plastic pipe like a floor. Our heat source will be hot manure, probably enclosed in a big cold frame like the old french market gardeners hot beds. We will circulate the heating medium via a solar panel & small pump. My friend Bill Pereira of “Big Chief Organics” has built a dozen gardens with this setup for extending the season in the chilly, maritime Carmel Valley near his family grass-fed beef ranch. I love good experiments. I look forward to sharing how we get the top taut — my son is a deep-water sailor so he knows sheets in the wind.  :-)  I am looking for the best cover material — if you have a favorite.
    EF

    Reply
  17. Zach French says

    Thu, May 27, 2010 at 4:19 pm

    Number 1 grade Cedar

    http://www.discountcedarfencing.com

    Reply
  18. Jay@ free shed plans says

    Thu, Nov 04, 2010 at 4:19 am

    Great site and that’s one nice greenhouse. Everytime I visit here, I usually spend more time reading your posts. You have so much information that makes me keep coming back.
    Jay

    Reply
  19. Woodsman says

    Sun, Feb 27, 2011 at 8:15 am

    Really cool site! with the snow melting our Greenhouse is coming along great, we have a 20ft one from http://www.lodge-tech.net   and for strength and simplicity they can’t be beat.
     Putting a small woodstove in it, now they have a unique Veg Oil Stove that can be used as C02 generator as well as heater~  
                                                        Thanks~

    Reply
  20. growing seeds says

    Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 10:37 am

    thanks for the blogs. i simply love reading them! keep it up!

    Reply
  21. sungreenhouses says

    Sun, Oct 16, 2011 at 10:12 pm

    Glad to visit your blog from google.com
    You have done a good job.
    May I have a newsletters from your site?

    Thanks.

    Bing

    Reply

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