Downtime on the farm:
US: Winter months not as quiet as once before
Even crops growing inside modern greenhouses march to the changes of the seasons. In Tega Cay, Mindy Robinson of Tega Hills Farm uses the fall equinox to time her changeover from summer, starting winter lettuce cultivars in early September. With late summer harvests still underway, her limited greenhouse space dictates strict management. "Sometimes it's hard to pull something out when it's doing really well," she says, "but you have to be ready to change it up."
For Koenigsberg, space management means rotating active fields with those left fallow to recover from the drain of summer's "heavy feeders" like tomatoes. Instead of feeding us, cover crops like clover or rye feed the soil by preventing erosion and providing additional nutrients. Seeded in late summer for winter growth, they will be plowed into the dirt to make way for spring food crops.
Meanwhile, other fields boast marketable food crops through all but the bitterest winters. Traditional Southern greens like kale and collards come to market all winter, along with broccoli, brussels sprouts and lettuces. To protect them from the deepest freezes, Koenigsberg erects fabric row covers pulled tight over hoops. Though they add extra costs to his budget, "a few degrees of increased temperature ... can be the life and death difference for some of these crops," he says.
Even Robinson's heated greenhouses require additional care as the temperature drops. Though each one is equipped with a natural gas heating system, the lettuces are also sensitive to humidity. So end covers have to be raised and lowered, while husband Mark keeps an eye on all those heaters. "Especially on the nights that are going to be down below freezing," she says, "he gets up every couple of hours to go check on things." So much for settling down for a long winter's nap.
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