[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…
Still snow. Been trudging rather than shoveling because I keep expecting it to…
Reader Interactions
Comments
Juliesays
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
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
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.
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>
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?
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.
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?
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
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
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
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~
Julie says
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
Rich@NY Homesteader says
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
HappyHermit says
Hope you have and enjoyable holiday of some sort
Lowell says
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.
Reeta Sethi says
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>
Lynn says
Lynn from Manitoba says you best be posting more dang it.
Vegetable Garden Blog says
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?
Chelsea says
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.
Liz says
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?
YDavis says
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.
James says
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
Tractors says
Love the posts, looking forward to many more over 2010.
L.Bo Marie says
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
Lynn says
got my first post up….check er’ out.
just went and tapped some maple trees, let you know how that turns out.
farmhouse says
this is great..sites
Edie Frederick says
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
Zach French says
Number 1 grade Cedar
http://www.discountcedarfencing.com
Jay@ free shed plans says
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
Woodsman says
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~
growing seeds says
thanks for the blogs. i simply love reading them! keep it up!
sungreenhouses says
Glad to visit your blog from google.com
You have done a good job.
May I have a newsletters from your site?
Thanks.
Bing