Winter Gardening

The other morning, I awoke at 5 AM startled by how dark it was. To think that this time 4 weeks ago, I was already dressed and laced up to do some early yard work. Despite the weather being insufferably hot and humid these past few weeks, you can still feel the days of summer drawing steadily to a close. To many around our parts, this may sound a bit depressing. I have to admit that I'm not one of them. You see, I've never been a huge fan of summer (shocking for a gardener to admit, I know). I guess I'm just a creature of cooler weather or maybe too many childhood summers sent baking in "the urban jungle" have left a lasting impression on me. Who knows? What I do know is that growing food doesn't have to end with the summer season.

I am a huge fan of farmer and guru Eliot Coleman, best known for his writings on winter harvesting. His Four Season Farm in Harborside, Maine specializes in growing food all year long using only low-tech, non-heating (and in some cases, minimal-heating) elements. Coleman's technique relies upon, among other things, choosing the right varieties of winter crops, succession planting on specific fall dates, and a couple of added layers of protection during the harsh winter months. Such will be my inspiration for the coming season. I figure that if Coleman can accomplish all of what he does on a commercial scale in zone 5, I can at least have some success with my winter garden in zone 6. There's still so much to do before our first frost, and such precious little time...like the nature of most things.