[waterbucknz]

Hi folks I'm Tim from Canberra Australia and a keen Veggie gardener, Canberra is in the equivalent of the US zone 8, but of course we are in the Southern Hemispher so are heading into spring with all the beauty of blossoms and the bursting of life that takes place at this time of year. Not only that but it means a busy time in the garden after the relative dormancy of winter. The veggie patch is still a produtve time in winter with harvesting of Brassicas, beets, spinach etc. We do not get snow but have frosts down to about -6 c which is cold enough to give the chill factor so important for those deciduous fruit trees.

 

[stephanie]

well hello, you bet this is just the opposite.I am watching the trees loose leaves and the end of my summer harvest. thinking about putting in some winter hardy veggies this year. It worked last year with lettuce but thinking kale may be fun and a bit of garlic for spring time.nice to have you join us on this tie/forum.

 

[Tammy]

Great to have you here! Welcome!

 

[waterbucknz]

well hello, you bet this is just the opposite.I am watching the trees loose leaves and the end of my summer harvest. thinking about putting in some winter hardy veggies this year. It worked last year with lettuce but thinking kale may be fun and a bit of garlic for spring time.nice to have you join us on this tie/forum.

Steppanie,how did you survive all last winter on just lettuce, you are not a rabbit are you?

 

[stephanie]

had other stuff but last winter was my first time growing things in winter with a row cover so it didn't freeze. Didn't want to loose a bunch of stuff to snow and freezing so just grew lettuce last winter. The garden grows more than that, this year was beets,corn,winter squash,collards,green beans,peas,potato's,asparagus then also went to eastern Washington and got crates of fresh fruit and canned that. Also raise 2-3 pigs every year and chickens for eggs/meat. the farm is still small and growing every year still working on clearing trees for pasture space so I spend less on hay for the horses/donkeys. My pasture is mostly big Douglas fir trees,alders,pine,cedar,hemlock,salal,ferns,wild rhododendrons,wild blue huckleberry and red,black berry wild. It is green here all the time even in the dry times which last about a month, no poisonous snakes, just small ones that eat bugs,small mice and slugs(shell less snails),I have small deer (white tail) that sleep in my yard. The bears wander through and so do the cougars and bob cats. there is a lake about one city block from me that I can fish in. The indians have casinos here.LOL

 

[waterbucknz]

Well Stephanie, I'm impressed (and jealous!) you certainly have a lot going on there and a Zoo also! Growing in winter reminds me of a very handy book called "The Winter Harvest Handbook" by Eliot Coleman. His book is really useful as are some of his other titles. He has his place in Maine which is most likely a similar climate to yours. I bought my copy through Amazon. Your climate is so different to where I live, it gets cold here in winter down to -6c at night but we do not have snow. It is not green here all year and gets very dry here in Summer. I envy your farm it sounds idyllic but no doubt a lot of work. I live on a typical house block now and am gradually turning the garden into a food haven. I at one time had two farms raising sheep cattle and goats and was quite succesful with over 4000 sheep mainly for wool and some for the fat lamb trade. Only about 40 head of cattle and 350 goats for cashmere. Good luck with preparations for winter veggie growing, now is the time to get started for that most likely. The lake near here is full of European carp which are good for making fertilizer!
Good luck at the casino also, we have one here but do not gamble.

 

[stephanie]

don't gamble it is bad luck my farm will stay small and never get more that 5 acres.that is a ton of sheep and cattle to deal with. Maine actually gets colder longer and has more snow than I do. I get a ton more rain am a bit west of Seattle. The peninsula is surrounded by salt water and I have mt on both sides of me. Nothing is flat here and roads are never straight.