Our produce will be at market on Tuesday, despite the snow we have in the forecast for Monday night. Winter farming creates these kinds of logistical challenges, so we’ve switched up our harvest and delivery schedule to get things done before the storm. I’m feeling gratitude for my friends who will help with the market table if I need to stay on the hill and knock snow off of greenhouses and low tunnels and also for the customers who come to market to buy our vegetables.
I’ve been marveling at how much we are able to harvest here in the middle of February. This is partly because it’s been such a warm, mild winter, but also because of all the hard work over the last few months to keep sowing, prepping and planting, staying in the rhythm of the work despite the shift in the seasons. Kale, chard, collards and bok choy are abundant in their winter glory. Lettuces and tender Asian greens like Tokyo Bekana, mizuna, purple choy and tatsoi are all thriving, as are the successions of arugula. Scallions, beets and turnips are rocking, and radishes will soon be back in the lineup.
With the big cold coming, we’re harvesting most of the crop of winter cabbages. I’m going to leave one bed out and cover it well with a frost blanket to see how they fare, but a hundred and fifty small to medium heads are now safely in the cold storage. They’ll be headed to CSA, farmstand, the farmers market and sauerkraut this week and next, an expression of winter bounty that brings me deep joy.
With the snow coming in, we’ll be laying frost blankets over the hardy outdoor crops to help with the freeze and prevent bird damage. We’ll also be laying floating row cover over the greenhouse beds because the birds like to shelter in the tunnels, and if the snow lasts more than a few days, the covers will prevent the kind of crop loss we’ve seen in the past. We’ve learned hard lessons over the years, so we no longer have skins on the weaker greenhouse frames, and three of the five that are skinned have props underneath them for extra snow support.
I’ve gambled heavily on the strength of the low tunnels built with the Neversink Farms LowCat conversion kit that turns the metal EMT conduit hoops into caterpillar-style tunnels with bungees over the top of the cover on each hoop and anchors at each end. I’m hoping that they’re strong enough to hold the snow load, because I have five wide terrace rows with the bulk of my late winter plantings nestled inside them. I’ll also hedge my bet by brushing the snow off each morning.
The thing about farming in the winter is that I know I’m gonna get some real cold weather and snow, but it’s different every year. It mostly arrives in February and March, but it has happened in December and January, and some of our biggest snows have been in April. Because of the variability, I just have to stay the course, sowing, prepping and planting through the winter with the knowledge that there is always a whammy somewhere along the line but hoping that the hard times aren’t frequent.
Some winters we lose more than we win, and I become discouraged. Running a farm and market channels year-round takes patience and fortitude. I have to be careful with burnout because there isn’t much time to recharge. I know that every time I miss a planting window, it means that a couple months later I’ll miss a harvest window, for as ye sow, so shall ye reap.
Despite the difficulties, we’re getting better each year. New tools and equipment make us more productive so that we grow more food in the same space for bigger chunks of the year. This past year there were no blown-out spring crops languishing in the summer; we replanted and rocked on. This winter there is one bed of tomato cages and residue that reminds me the work isn’t done, but every other bed on the farm is planted to winter crops or vibrant with cover crops that fix nitrogen, build soil, soak up leftover nutrients and prevent erosion.
I like winter farming more than summer farming. The days are shorter, there is less water stress, and I prefer the crunchy, fabulous greens of winter over the nightshade dominant lineups of summer. I love zucchini and basil, but I adore cilantro and butternut. Salad mixes and cooking greens are in their element in the winter, and I eat as many of them as I possibly can.
I sit writing in the darkness of an early Sunday morning as the woodstove ticks, and the coffee is hot and good. The sounds of a cold winter rain accent the warmth of the kitchen as I gird myself for the day to come. I have harvested produce almost every day in the past week, and though my body is sore from the stoop labor, my heart is glad. As always, much love and great success to you on your journey!
Casey O’Neill owns and runs HappyDay Farms, a small vegetable and cannabis farm north of Laytonville. He is a long time cannabis policy advocate, and was born and raised in the Bell Springs area. The preceding has been an editorial column. The Mendocino Voice has not necessarily fact-checked or copyedited this work, and it should be interpreted as the words of the author, not necessarily reflecting the opinions of The Mendocino Voice.