December 2, 2016 – Rain, Rain, Rain – and Winter Gardening

          There is nothing more glorious to a gardener than soft soaking rain.  We got a touch of it on Tuesday, but yesterday afternoon into evening it was a tumultuous storm.  It made my heart sing because we are in extreme drought.

          Of course the storm probably brought down limbs that I will have to pick up and haul off.  But, we DID receive the rain’s life force nourishing the soil.  In fact, I would be the happiest of souls if it rained for two weeks straight - but then everyone would be moody and grouchy for Christmas.

          I did notice the storm darkened the day much earlier than usual and I can’t convey it better than the famous quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise:

. . . November rain had perversely stolen the day’s last hour and

pawned it with that ancient fence, the night.

          Usually I plant a winter garden.  I have experimented with this for several years and the real secret is ample rains at time of planting.  Well, August and September were bone dry and so was October with one little rain.  So, since my raised vegetable beds were as dry as dust, I didn’t bother because I was in extreme drought and we are on well water.  The decision to water or take long hot showers was an easy one for me to make.

          BUT, now that we have had a real soaking rain – I am going to be experimentally optimistic. Do you like that phrase?  I am going to dive into my seed box today, which is a big plastic tool chest, and find Asian greens, beets, spinach, and lettuces seeds that are the type grown near Paris in their winter gardens and go out and sow them.

          I will be using the 5 small cold frames I have. I will be covering the open top ones only when the temperature is dropping towards freezing.  From my experience, down here in the South it is just as difficult, if not more difficult to keep plants from “cooking” in too much heat from an unvented cold frame than to keep them safe from a frost.   Frost protection is easy. Pop something over them late afternoon and pull it off in the morning.  We rarely have many freezing days, and when we do just leave the protection on.

          Drying winds are more damaging to winter crops here in the South than cold temperatures.

          Below is a link to the most recent Eliot Coleman YouTube video where he was speaking to farmers in Asheville, North Carolina, November 9, 2016.  It is awesome – watch it – and it will inspire you to grow on the back side of the calendar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm6khNRIGhE

         

          Also, below is Eliot Coleman’s website which has a listing of his many helpful books.

http://www.fourseasonfarm.com/books/

I have the following three books and I think they are fabulous.  You can probably borrow these from the library to give them a quick read. But, once you’ve digested this concept of winter gardening, I am sure you will add all his books to your gardening library as well.

The Winter Harvest Handbook by Eliot Coleman

Four Season Harvest:  Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long by Eliot Coleman

The New Organic Grower:  A Master’s Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener by Eliot Coleman

          I started winter gardening about 6 years ago.  Many years have been more successful than others due mostly to ample rain or no rain. But, all of it has been enlightening, exciting, with more successes than failures. I have also had some really good eating and often enough to share with close friends.

          Eliot discusses Claytonia and Maché in his You Tube which I have tried and they truly grow here in this clime with no winter protection.  One year, their protection was an old scatter rug tossed on them at the last minute.  The next year I didn’t even bother covering them from frost and they came through beautifully.  Both spinach and Swiss chard winters over without a problem.  In fact, one year my spinach rosettes got 2 inches of snow on them and it was the most gorgeous spinach I ever had. They call snow poor man’s fertilizer; I believe it has something to do with nitrogen.  I will need to research that more and get back to you.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds have most of the seeds Eliot Coleman mentions.  I have been very pleased with their seeds.  Their link is below:

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/vegetables/winter-growing-guide-high-tunnel-scheduling.html

         

Also, they have a winter’s growing guide:

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/vegetables/winter-harvest-planting-chart.html

          It is an awesome website with more than enough information to get you started or get you dreaming.  Johnny’s Research Farm is in Maine – I am in North Carolina.

So, when I started this a few years ago I had to do my own research for High/Low/Average temperatures – I am sharing it with you below:

My research for the Charlotte, NC – High/Low/Average Temps

Note:  You simply cover when things are too cold – frost temp.

Plan on an easy on and easy off cover.

High  - Low - Average temperature chart from historical history found “somewhere on line”.

Month	High	Low	Average
Sept	82	63	73
Oct	73	51	62
Nov	63	42	52
Dec	54	35	44
Jan	54	32	42
Feb	56	34	45
Mar	64	42	53
April	73	49	61
The following is a Day Length chart for 35 degrees Latitude - here in Forest City, NC I did this chart a couple years ago to find out how much actual “LIGHT/SUN” we have a day.  Note: We don’t dip under 10 hours a day for too long.  That is the Persephone Period that Coleman and Johnny’s discuss. These are all a.m. to p.m. times [h=hours; m=minutes]
9/15	7:07	7:30	12h22m
9/22 Fall Equinox – 12h day and 12h night
9/30	7:18	7:08	11h50m
10/15	7:30	6:48	11h17m
10/30	7:44	6:29	10h45m
11/15	6:58	5:17	10h18m
11/30	7:13	5:12	9h58m
12/15	7:24	5:13	9h48m
12/21 – Shortest Day – Winter Solstice
12/31	7:31	5:22	9h50m
1/15	7:31	5:35	10h04m
1/31	7:23	5:51	10h28m
2/15	7:09	6:06	10h57m
2/28	6:54	6:18	11h24m
3/15	7:34	7:31	11h57m
3/20 Spring Equinox – 12h day – 12h night
3/31	7:11	7:44	12h32m
4/15	6:51	7:56	13h05m
4/30	6:33	8:08	13h35m

                    Summer Solstice 6/21 – Longest Day

          I hope this sparks an interest in you to explore a new and exciting gardening experience.

          I am off to play in the dirt today in my ratty old cashmere sweater underneath my garden clothes.  In a future blog I will share pictures of my winter gardening.