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Across the Fence:  Farming in Cold Climates  |
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Alpaca Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
59 Posts
Katy
Fairhope
AL
USA
59 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 02 2008 : 5:53:59 PM
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Hi Girls!
Being from the South, I am fascinated by those who can farm up North where it's cold. I am a real weenie when it comes to being cold.
My question is - what are some things that you cold weather climate farmgirls do to help yourself get through the Winters? or to get prepared for them?
I recently posted an interview I did with an Alpaca Farmgirl from Maine on my blog at http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com
I learned so much.
(see I'm fascinated by this, because I know I would last 5 minutes!)
I look forward to hearing about your experiences.
Thanks!
Katy S. in Alabama
Visit me at www.alpacafarmgirl.com |
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K-Falls Farmgirl
Chapter Leader
2096 Posts
Cheryl
Klamath Falls
Oregon
USA
2096 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2008 : 6:47:49 PM
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We snuggle a lot... Oh no you weren't asking about that.... Speaking for myself & hubby on our homestead acre will cover outside plants with lots of compost & straw, we leave a light on in the pump house and wrap our pipes if it gets below 0
our neighbors cover their horses with blankets and some of the barns have heaters in them.. We just turn up the heat in the house. We also wear longjohns and throw an extra quilt & flannel sheets on the bed,!
http://www.k-fallsfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
Cheryl #309
Farm girl sister
Enjoy the little things in life....someday you'll look back and realize they were the big things. |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2008 : 03:10:04 AM
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We use a water stove to heat the house and domestic water. It works like a car radiator in that heated water (via wood) is circulated over pipes then air is blown across the pipes and heats the air in the house =forced air and really makes for a nice soak in the evenings. We have at times gotten water temps up to 200, so the longer water runs, the hotter it gets. And when we have been working outside all day and come in chilled to the bones, it really feels good. We don't have children so the scalding issue isn't a problem. The really nice thing is, all the wood and mess is outside.
So starting this time of year too, when we are off together, Saturdays are spent stockpiling wood. It helps when one of our best frineds is an arborist.
For garden, we use floating row covers on more tender veggies and plant cold hardy things like collards, turnips, chard, leeks and cabbage.
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2008 : 03:16:58 AM
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Forgot to add, we also winterize the chickens by facing coops to the east so they catch warming sun first thing. We bed them down with extra layers of wood shavings, and if it's going to be really cold or blustery, we install temporary wood baffles on the sides of the coops or lower tarps.
Haven't been able to get over ice in the waterers, so I'll carry warm water every other day.
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2008 : 05:58:31 AM
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As for just surviving the winter without our pocket books being eaten alive, we always have to winterize the house to keep the heat inside, and cold outside.
As far as farming, there are crops need/want a cold season, so some crops are planted in the fall to wait in the ground until it warms up in the spring. Some people use greenhouses to extent the growing season.
I always like to lay a nice thick layer of compost down on my beds. In the spring this helps to keep down weeds in the first couple of weeks and it helps rejuvenate the soil.
If you plant enough during the growing season, you can actually can and put up quite a bit of food for the winter. If we had large enough plot of land, my husband and I could come very close to feeding our family off our own land if we had animals and a large garden.
Some of the specific things I do to get ready for/during winter are:
Switch to foods that contain more Omega-3 fatty acids
Cook lots of Chili's, Stews and soups
Cover the windows in Shringwrap plastic to cut draft issues (really helps with keeping heat in and cold out)
Make sure the weather stripping around the outside doors is doing it's job and replace it if necessary.
Bring in and tend to garden tools
Make sure there is a shovel in the trunk of the car
Make sure the snow shovel is right outside the door where it is easy to find
I also tend to stockpile food a bit more during the winter when I go to the store. If we get snowed in, we need to be able to still whip up warm and tasty meals. Nothing makes a person get panicked more than not having food or water available to them.
I also pack up all my short sleeved/thin shirts and shorts and pack them away until spring/summer.
I make sure our coats still fit and aren't completely worn out. And of course with as fast as Nora is growing she needs a new coat soon.
Oh! And studded Snow tires on the car!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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Alpaca Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
59 Posts
Katy
Fairhope
AL
USA
59 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2008 : 06:21:08 AM
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Thanks Farmgirls for all the great tips! Keep them coming.
I love the "snuggle" suggestion! You gals seem to have it figured out. Inspiring.
Katy
Visit me at www.alpacafarmgirl.com |
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Jami
True Blue Farmgirl
1238 Posts
Jami
Ellensburg
WA
USA
1238 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2008 : 07:12:23 AM
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We brace ourselves for a high electric bill as all livestock water troughs have a heater with extension cords running every which way--and keeping hoses thawed for refilling. Put flannel sheets on the bed and start wearing socks 24/7 versus my bare feet running around during the warmer months. Increase feed amounts for the livestock...never blanket the horses as they are outside and need to grow a warm winter coat of their own. They will have snow on their backs during winter from being so insulated by their own coats, same with sheep. The guard dog gets some straw put in his house for insulation. The pet dogs get to sleep in the garage at night. The garden gets puts to "sleep" over winter, root crops have straw on them for a longer harvest time and annuals are pulled out and composted, soil turned and compost added for a winter feeding under the snow, turned again in spring before planting. Perennials are cut back. Lots of leaf raking goes on in late fall before the snow. Tarp the hay stacks.
No heated barn, boy that would be a concept. I get very tired of the cold but don't enjoy the hot summers either, so we just deal with it either way.
To get through it, I try to enjoy it. Snowshoe and cross-country ski for fun, ride my horse in the snow on a nice winter day, stay inside more and knit, sew, read and watch movies and prepare for the winter holidays, and just trudge through the chores outside with lots of insulating clothes on. And pray for spring. I don't think the cold bothers me as much as all of the hours in the dark. I really miss the longer daylight of warm weather seasons. One thing I love about winter is that the wind doesn't blow and that is one wonderful thing here where we live! Flies are gone too.
Jami in WA
Farmgirl Sister #266
http://woolyinwashington.wordpress.com/
http://farmhouseflair.etsy.com |
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5 acre Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1007 Posts
~~~*Terri*~~~
WA.
USA
1007 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2008 : 08:47:55 AM
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All of the above are too true, high elec. bills, making sure all the tank heaters and heated water bowls still work from last year, wood in, window coverings in good order, warm boots and clothes brought in from storage... and the best part is what one farmgirl sister said earlier...
"The snuggling...." teehee...
I dont grow anything until January, in my greenhouse, I need a few months break....
Farmgirl Sister #368
http://froccsfrillsfurbiloesandmore.blogspot.com
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Alpaca Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
59 Posts
Katy
Fairhope
AL
USA
59 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2008 : 6:06:59 PM
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Jami and Terri,
We have our super high electric bills in the summer because we have to run fans at the barn and the AC at the house. Our winter ones are so low in comparison. Thank you for your perspective. My friend from Maine said the same thing about the lack of daylight hours being worse than the cold for her.
Katy, Alpaca Farmgirl
Visit me at www.alpacafarmgirl.com |
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jo Thompson
True Blue Farmgirl
603 Posts
Jo
the mountainside of the Chugach
in Alaska
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2008 : 6:20:04 PM
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It can be very frustrating! I'm trying garlic this year, it's sort of carrots and potatoes. A siberian diet in alaska.....
"life is drab without a lab"
http://web.mac.com/thomja/ |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2008 : 10:02:12 PM
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Jo knows cold - for this Colorado girl - being snowed in for a month at a time is heaven to me. I started all year long collecting plastic gallon milk jugs. Over the years I have a stash - about the week of our first frost I dump the water I have stored and fill them with new water. I do not waste last winters water - trees get their last good drink before frost. I do have three freezers and a full pantry so food is never an issue. I store many different types of cooking fuels, even a solar cooker so I do not have to eat cold foods. I also stock pile many type of ways to light my way. I have two pairs of snow shoes, the best outdoor clothing to make chore time pleasant, and all the other things that the ladies mentioned. Since I have babies during the worst of winter and I do not have a heated barn I make sure I have plenty of heat lambs to keep my sweetheart warm. I do not use heated buckets because one year I had a ewe melt herself to a bucket - luckly it was just her heavy fleece but my best friend had a fire start in her barn with one and she lost her barn but worst of all, her whole flock of sheep died in the fire. I have a spot in the barn penned off for me with a table, chair, tablelamp, heater, electric tea kettle, clock and blankets. Makes staying out with the girls bearable when the temp dives way down. Chicken get a very deep layer of straw, leaves and shredded junk mail along with a heat lamp. During the deep cold of winter all we can do here is read our seed catalogues and plan our spring. The second year we had planted some cold crops, a small batch but that year we had the worst winter ever and lost all of it - we had snow so high we had to crawl on our stomachs with hay tied on my back to get out to the animals = this went on for weeks - did not care about the crops worries we would lose all of our animals (85 in total) instead by working around the clock, melting snow and crawling food around we did not lose a single animal but boy was that a winter.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
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jo Thompson
True Blue Farmgirl
603 Posts
Jo
the mountainside of the Chugach
in Alaska
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2008 : 10:43:41 PM
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Here's a hug and smooch going your way Gracie.......
"life is drab without a lab"
http://web.mac.com/thomja/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2008 : 05:53:02 AM
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Wow Grace! That is amazing!
Last year on the Palouse was a 50 year record breaker for snow. I would go out on Saturday to help my friends at the horse ranch. We had to dump the muck somewhere but the snow drifts bigger than I am were making it a bit hard, so we had to pack down snow literally into ramps so we could go dump the muck into the field!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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Jami
True Blue Farmgirl
1238 Posts
Jami
Ellensburg
WA
USA
1238 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2008 : 07:09:13 AM
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It is all a matter of where you live as to electric bills, etc. I have the lowest bill all spring, summer and early fall but my house is extremely dusty during those months because we keep cool with windows open and fresh air. We get a breeze most every night so even on hot days it isn't unbearable. I do have a one-room A/C unit for those days of 100+...a couple of weeks usually in the summer. It just takes the edge off of the heat.
Grace, what a story! Do you live in the mountains or flats where it drifts shut to get snowed in? Interesting that you have babies in the winter with your weather...you've got moxie girl!
Jami in WA
Farmgirl Sister #266
http://woolyinwashington.wordpress.com/
http://farmhouseflair.etsy.com |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2008 : 07:21:08 AM
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I live on the plains but at higher altitude then most. Two years ago our drifts out to the barns where eight feet high - In one spot I just dug a tunnel to get to the smaller barn. Personally I love staying on the farm so I am never upset about that - it just makes it tricky sometimes to get packages to customers. The time we had the worst storms all the personal blows where trying to get dug out and to rescue the cattle way out on the far plains so we had to wait two weeks but hardish on that was after the second day we had a propane malfunction and lost all of our gas. My oldest son and I spent two weeks with heat, so on went our wonderful outdoor gear (he is in the outdoor industry - loves to ice climb and such)so we just looked at is as cambing mode. We lost electric power around 5 or 6 times but as I said when you spend most of your time just trying to take care of animals you really do not consider the rest. Most of the time I just snowshoe out with my packages on a sleigh. As for when I have babies it is the girls who cycle that way - when they where younger we would be done with babies by Thanksgiving or early December but now they are late January and February. I keep having a long talk with them about this issue but they are not taking my advise. Who does???
Big bear hugs back at you Jo - got your email - "Let's hope so"
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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Alpaca Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
59 Posts
Katy
Fairhope
AL
USA
59 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2008 : 10:19:27 AM
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Grace,
Wow! You are one tough farmgirl! I know how it is though when you are caring for your animals. You just do it for them. Went to your blog and left a comment. Beautiful fiber!
Best, Katy
Visit me at www.alpacafarmgirl.com |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2008 : 11:09:49 AM
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Your not nuts Alee - I love what I do - even when silly things like my hand gets frozen to a metal panel while trying to deliver a goat, or a llama falls thru the snow and has to be pulled out by a make shift sled made out of plastic traps and two of my Great Pry's help pull her out. Just a normal snow day here..
I keep trying to find folks to work and stay so welcome aboard just bring long johns and a good sense of humor.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2008 : 11:22:35 AM
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Hi kathy
I am not sure if it is being tough but rather we do what we have to do when we have to. Thanks for visiting my blog - I visited your too - laughed so hard about the folks calling thinking there was something horribly wrong with their animal sunny themselves. I have had folks do that to me - their driving by and see a llama or alpaca enjoying the sun and they drive up the driveway like a bat on fire - scaring the you know what out of me only to startle the whole farm and have the animals jumping up and running... When we moved out here - folks thought I was raising weird horses - The farm name added to the whispers.
This weekend I will be posting some alpaca stamps that a friend and I created many years ago - we disband the partnership, I sold my stock off to a local alpaca breeder but while cleaning out the shop and basement for my remodeling projects I found a box of stamps used at open houses, shows and national events. Thought I find them some new homes.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
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K-Falls Farmgirl
Chapter Leader
2096 Posts
Cheryl
Klamath Falls
Oregon
USA
2096 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2008 : 8:15:16 PM
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Really nice blogspot grace. Beautiful wool!
http://www.k-fallsfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
Cheryl #309
Farm girl sister
Enjoy the little things in life....someday you'll look back and realize they were the big things. |
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Alpaca Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
59 Posts
Katy
Fairhope
AL
USA
59 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2008 : 07:41:32 AM
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Oh Good Grace! Send me a link when you have the stamps posted. It is funny how people think we're weird. They just don't know the rewards of living on the farm...
Best,
Katy
Visit me at www.alpacafarmgirl.com |
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Across the Fence: Farming in Cold Climates |
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Farming in Cold Climates
