Four Books for Growing Food in Winter
Don’t let cold weather stop you from enjoying and growing food! For many, the coming of winter simply means cultivation moves indoors or under cover. Small farmers, homesteaders, home gardeners, and commercial growers can extend the growing season by following just a few of the techniques outlined in the books below. And, there’s no need for urbanites and small-space dwellers to feel left out – you, too, can celebrate a winter harvest by growing fresh produce indoors all year round with help from our Farming & Homesteading and Gardening books.
If you love eating home-grown vegetables but always thought you had to stop at the end of summer, this book is for you. Eliot Coleman introduces readers to the surprising fact that most U.S. states receive more winter sunshine than the south of France. In his book, Four-Season Harvest, Coleman shows how North American gardeners can successfully use that sun to raise a wide variety of vegetables during the winter months by using backyard cold frames and plastic covered tunnel greenhouses without supplementary heat.
Featured Excerpt:
Gardening Tips from Eliot Coleman: How to Start Seedlings in a Cold Frame
Don’t have space for a full-size garden? Or are you looking for ways to increase your access to fresh greens all year long? Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening offers good news: with nothing more than a cupboard and a windowsill, you can grow all the fresh salad greens you need for the winter months (or throughout the entire year) with no lights, no pumps, and no greenhouse.
Most techniques for growing what are commonly referred to as “microgreens” left him feeling overwhelmed and uninterested. There had to be a simpler way to grow greens for his family indoors. After some research and diligent experimenting, Burke discovered he was right—there was a way!
Featured Excerpts:
Grow a Year-Round Indoor Salad Garden, even in winter
Celebrated farming expert Eliot Coleman helped start the organic farming movement 30 years ago with his book, The New Organic Grower. Now there is a revised and updated version, The New Organic Grower, 3rd Edition, with even more tips, tricks, and tidbits! He continues to lead the way, pushing the limits of the harvest season while working his world-renowned organic farm in Harborside, Maine.
In The Winter Harvest Handbook, anyone can gain access to his hard-won experience. Gardeners and farmers alike can use the innovative, highly successful methods Coleman describes in this comprehensive handbook to raise crops throughout the coldest of winters.
Featured Excerpt: Can’t Find the Perfect Gardening Tool? Make Your Own
Today only a few dozen large-scale producers dominate the greenhouse produce market. Why? Because they know and employ best practices for the most profitable crops: tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, leafy greens, lettuce, herbs, and microgreens. The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower’s Handbook levels the playing field by revealing these practices so that all growers—large and small—can maximize the potential of their protected growing space.
Featured Excerpts: Sustainable Food From the Local Greenhouse
Recent Articles
Want to witness the magic of the mini-forest? When you practice The Miyawaki Method, a unique approach to reforestation, you’ll see an empty lot or backyard transform into a biodiverse forest before your very eyes. The following is an excerpt from Mini-Forest Revolution by Hannah Lewis. It has been adapted for the web. Photo Credit:…
Read MoreDo you want to learn how to transform your balconies and windowsills into productive vegetable gardens? Try urban gardening! Choosing the right crops based on climate and light conditions, along with creating a companion planting strategy to prevent pests and attract pollinators, can help maximize food production with limited space. The following is an excerpt…
Read MoreTesting soil in your garden is the first step to a more bountiful harvest. It’s not as hard as you might imagine, either — simply take a small sample, get it examined, and you’ll be on your way to healthy soil and a promising harvest this season. The following is an excerpt from The Regenerative Grower’s…
Read MoreGet one step closer to the edible forest garden of your dreams by creating a plant grouping! These arrangements of plants help contribute to a healthy, thriving food forest. The following is an excerpt from The Home-Scale Forest Garden by Dani Baker. It has been adapted for the web. Planning a Plant Grouping Deciding what plants to…
Read MoreBirds: they’re beautiful, they sing sweet songs, AND they can help our gardens thrive. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of birds in gardens, and how you can attract more to your backyard! The following is an excerpt from The Healthy Vegetable Garden by Sally Morgan. It has been adapted for the web.…
Read More