38. Working for Winter

The work of the fall will hopefully translate to more produce this winter.

We’ve covered the beds we planted, and are hoping for the best, with baby carrots sprouting, spinach maturing, mesclun and lettuce mixes getting very big (more to harvest!), cabbage curling to head, pak choi branching its lovely emerald leaves, collards sweetening, and broccoli collecting cold dew, the fall garden is now ready to be the winter garden.

We’re using Agribon-70, a thick, agricultural fabric that allows light and water to pass through, but protects the plants from hard frosts, snow, and those pesky low temperatures. It’s no greenhouse, for sure, but it does the trick of raising the air temperature around the plants just enough to continue their growth. Plus, we’re growing those varieties that are cold-tolerant, and even taste better after a frost.

Not much more to say than that: just hoping that the time spent tending the fall crops, the work building the beds and hoops, and the expense of the row cover works to increase what we can offer at market over the cooler months.