This time of year, many vegetable growers are still trying to extend their growing season and others are gearing up to continue growing straight through the winter. In planning for my own vegetable production, I wanted to learn more about season extension and year-round growing techniques. I discovered The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse by Lindsey Schiller and Mark Plinke and … [Read more...]
5 things you need to survive winter
When we first moved to the country in 2002, I had no idea what I needed to survive the outdoors during winter. That first year, I was so cold because I wasn't dressing properly for the weather. Over the years, I gradually started shopping more at the farm supply stores and less at the mall. Although it might seem that they have a lot of the same products, such as coats and … [Read more...]
5 tips for turkeys in cold weather
by Victoria Redhed Miller We live in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains in northwest Washington state. At our elevation of about 1000 feet, we typically get a fair amount of snow between November and February. An average winter would include a lot of nights with temperatures in the 20s, some nights in the teens and often a week or so in single digits in … [Read more...]
Review: The Log Book
Who knew that anyone could write more than 100 pages about heating your home with wood? Well, that's exactly what Will Rolls did in the second edition of The Log Book: Getting the Best From Your Woodburning Stove. He is a forester who specializes in using wood as fuel.This book contains everything you ever wanted to know about combustion, the science of burning, buying a … [Read more...]
Cold Ducks: Keeping ducks in winter weather
by Victoria Redhed MillerWe have raised laying ducks for nearly six years now, and one of the things we are asked about most frequently is how to care for ducks in the wintertime. We live in the foothills of Washington State's Olympic Mountains, at an elevation of 1000 feet. We get a fair amount of snow each winter, sometimes being snowed in for a week or more at a time. … [Read more...]
Chickens in winter
One of the biggest concerns of future chicken keepers, as well as novice chicken keepers, who live up north is how their birds will survive the winter. The short answer is that they'll survive just fine! You don't have to worry about heating the coop or feeding them hot cooked grains, both of which were done in the late 1800s in a failed attempt to get hens to lay … [Read more...]