Winter on the homestead

Winters are the toughest season to get through for most people, but even more so for homesteaders and gardeners. Here's what I'm up to this winter...

Grow Through All Seasons

First things first, I'm still gardening! Living in Zone 8 means that we have an extended growing season and mild winters. I use the succession planting system (more on that in a future blog post) to make sure that I'm almost always growing something outside.

This winter, I have peas, romaine, spinach, Brussels sprouts, and Swiss Chard growing in the garden. There are a few perennials that I use year-round as well, including rosemary, chives, and thyme.

So that means during these winter months we're eating a lot of greens and soups! We do try to eat seasonally, meaning we're eating the fruits and vegetables that would naturally be growing and ripe this time of year. So we're not buying tons of tomatoes at the grocery store to replace what we were growing over the summer. Instead, we're eating potatoes, squash, and root vegetables.

Sounds kind of boring though, right? So the trick is to store away some of that summer goodness while your garden is thriving in the summer months so that you'll have it come winter! I do have a pressure canner that I haven't worked up the courage to try yet (again, another future blog post), but we do dry beans from the summer garden and freeze tons of other things. Our freezer is chock full of tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, and cantaloupe right now. Each year we learn something new and put away a little more for the winter.

Prep for Spring

Outside of those the fall and winter crops, our main focus during the winter months is preparing the yard for our spring garden next year.

Outdoor activities include adding organic material like fallen leaves directly to the soil in our garden beds, working the compost piles (yes, plural - more on that later), and making any repairs. The summers here can be scorching so doing things like moving stone around or building new raised beds is best done during the cooler weather.

Indoors, I'm working on my favorite thing - planning the spring garden! I've already chosen what I'm going to grow and ordered any seeds that I didn't save from last year and now I just have to figure out how much of each thing to grow and where in the garden it will go.

This can be tricky! You don't want to grow the same thing in the same spot year after year because it will drain the nutrients in your soil, invite pests populations to explode, and cause a host of other problems. You also want to pay attention to which plants are friends versus which don't get along so well. This is called companion planting. For example, you don't want to plant onions near your beans because they'll inhibit their growth. So it's a bit like putting together a puzzle.

Arranging your garden is a bit like organizing the seating chart for a wedding.

Each plant needs a certain amount of space, will grow a certain height, prefers a certain amount of sun and water, and has it's own friends and enemies.

Mend, Repair, and Make

Winter is the perfect time to take care of indoor projects like sewing up holes in clothes, adding missing buttons back onto shirts, repairing tools, and making new things! My husband and I both do a lot of DIY projects. For me, that might mean quilting, sewing, crocheting, and making holiday gifts. He does a lot of the woodworking and household repairs.

The bottom line is, part of homesteading is the mentality that you should try to fix whatever you can first before just tossing it out and replacing it. Anything that you can make yourself, you should, rather than just buying. Nobody can fix and make everything (except maybe Santa's elves), but all of us can fix or make something. So use your skills and talents to your advantage. Or use these winter months to learn a new skill! The more you know, the more you can do.

Don't Forget the Wildlife

Finally, I'm taking extra care of keeping the wildlife in my yard happy this time of year. Maintaining a welcoming environment for the critters is obviously a year-round priority for many reasons (yet another blog post!) but I take extra care in the winter for two reasons. First, this time of year is tougher for them just like it is for us and I'm a sap for animals. Second, I want them in my yard during the summer months to help with pest control and keeping everything in harmony. That means I need to keep them here during the off season as well!

I keep my bird feeders full of good quality seed and bird butters and the bird bath full of clean water. The birds are happy and visit every day, which is not only a joy to watch, but it means they'll keep coming to visit. In the spring and summer months, I lay off the bird food and let them scavenge for bugs in the garden. And they do a fantastic job! Last year I grew well over 15 tomato plants and only found 2 tomato hornworms the entire year!

Last, I let pieces of the yard go "wild" for the cooler month. It may only be a 4x5 foot plot, but it's a spot for all kinds of critters to over-winter. And all of the critters working together come spring time will be key!