Putting My Feet Up

I'll spend some time here this winter.

At least a little, on rainy and really cold days. Winter is coming and the last delivery for the 2009 season of June’s Corner Garden is this Thursday. It has been a very good season and though I don’t like to see it end, I am ready to slow down into a winter pace. People sometimes ask me what I do in the off-season. The work doesn’t ever quite stop, but it shifts to more inside work than outside work (at least for December and January).

Here are a few of the things I’ll be working on this winter:

A few beds are ready for winter, still more to go.

1. Finish cleaning up the garden and getting it ready for winter. I hope to have all the beds cleared and either planted with cover crop or covered by a leaf mulch by the end of  November. I still have some plants (lettuce, kale, endive and escarole) in one bed and will keep growing in the hoop houses (lettuce, kale, leeks, mustards, arugula, bok choi, other greens), partly to feed us and partly to experiment with how much will actually grow during the winter.

I am looking forward to refurbishing the orchard.

2. Take care of the orchard. This is my big project for the winter. The support system is old and needs to be replaced, so we thought this would be a good time to make changes to the orchard. I will be researching systems for espaliered trees and will try to find an “expert” to help us create the best design/layout for the orchard. We also want to put a permanent fence around the orchard, since the chickens spend quite a bit of time there. I’ll continue to research (and take requests!) for different varieties of apples, especially heirloom varieties, to replace trees as needed.

I am waiting for the 2010 catalogs to arrive.

3. Dream, plan, order, clean and organize seeds and seed starting equipment. First I’ll clean and organize all the pots, trays and seeds used this past season, ready to be used again in February. Then, I’ll start the dreaming, planing and ordering seeds. (I really do this all year, but will get it on paper in January.) I am thinking about melons next year. If you have eaten some good varieties from local growers,  I would love to hear about them.

4. Read and learn. My Autumn Food Growing class will continue until December 9. I’ll look for other classes, workshops or conferences to attend. I have a huge stack of books that I want to read. I don’t know how much I will get through, but will read as much as I can (in print and online).

These are some of the books that will be sitting by my chair by the fire.

5. Work on the June’s Corner Garden blog. I am hoping to add pages, to make it more of a website, as opposed to just a blog. My main idea is to add pictures, information and recipes for the different fruits and vegetables I grow.

6. Finish up the bookwork and record keeping. Since the business is small, the books don’t take too long to complete. Studying the records from the garden and sales will help in planning for next year.

7. Back outside. In February, I start more work outside again, beginning with pruning the trees, grapes and berries. Inside, I’ll be starting seeds.

Barbie can have the chair again in March.

I plan to post a few times to the blog this winter and I will send an occasional e-mail update. I am thankful every day to have a job I love and such great customers. Thanks for making 2009 a wonderful season!