Winter Market II: Observations by Devorah Ketai, Our Winter Farmer

Growing produce for the winter market has been a cold-weather treat. Like any grower, I've become super alert to the temperatures and conditions outdoors. They determine the temperatures in the hoophouses and whether the plants need to be protected from the elements. On the other hand, that beautiful, protective layer of hoophouse plastic makes the increasingly cold temperatures seem much less daunting. I arrive at the farm knowing the high is only 45 degrees for the day, but I immediately shed my winter coat as I walk into the sun-warmed hoophouse--already 80 degrees by 10:00 a.m.!

Luscious and bountiful

I'm not the only one spoiled by this warm microclimate in the middle of December. The plants might not take off like they would in July, but they are certainly noticeably alive and active. Their obvious growth blows my mind right now, during the shortest days of the year. I take off for the weekend, wishing the little green babies well. When I return on Monday and make my rounds, all I can think is, "They've grown up so fast!" The arugula is a noticeable inch taller, and the radishes have obviously been eating well and increased their diameter a good quarter-inch. These are big steps when there are only nine hours of sunlight in the day!

Broccoli

I am so appreciative of these hoophouse microclimates for encouraging a bountiful winter harvest. They aren't heated or lit artificially, so all of the extra boosts are coming from the sun. The sun warms up the air and soil, speeding up cellular processes and growth. The sunlight, however short, is obviously enough to aid in their photosynthesis. It's great to think about these biological processes in the approaching dead-of-winter, when so much around us is becoming dormant. My trips to the hoophouses also keep me from becoming dormant. Rather than bundling up and fearing the cold, I say "I think I'll go outside and play today!"

See you Saturday, December 15th, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for the second winter market!

Winter Market II: Lessons Learned, by Devorah Ketai

What a bounty of the most local goodness!

On a practical note, it's been interesting to see the pace at which plants grow, and how much we're able to produce and harvest week by week. Speed of growth during this period is greatly affected by sunlight hours and temperature. According to Eliot Coleman's The Winter Harvest Handbook, we are in the Persephone period, when sunlight is less than ten hours per day. [See here for the myth of the vegetation goddess, Persephone.] Plants grow extremely slowly during this period of time. With regard to temperature, while the plants benefit from a warm day, they are mostly affected by average temperatures. Hence, if the hoophouses reach 80 degrees during the day but drop to 30 degrees at night, they are only experiencing an average temperature of 55 degrees, meaning they won't grow as fast as one would think with 80-degree days!

Burgeoning arugula!

One helpful aspect of winter growing, though (as Eliot Coleman notes), is that once plants have established root systems, they'll grow back quickly after harvesting, even during this period of short days and cold temperatures. This explains why, even though I cut the arugula and braising mix for the first market, it's already almost fully grown for the second! I just seeded some new spinach, however, and what I have learned from Eliot Coleman is that it might take a long time to reach maturity, as it didn't have an established root system before the days shortened. My hope is that we have enough different kinds of plants, with already developed root systems, that we'll have plenty of food to last us through these winter months!