Earth Day and Arbor Day are coming up. So I’ve been reading some books about gardening and climate change and related issues, courtesy of Chelsea Green. The following book explains how to grow organic vegetables year-round in unheated or minimally heated greenhouses.
The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses
Most people think of gardening as a warm-season activity. They may also know of greenhouses as the “hothouses” used to grow tomatoes or strawberries in the winter. There are other options, however, and this book provides comprehensive and detailed instructions for those alternatives. I was surprised and impressed by how much can be done with how little.
First, Eliot Coleman introduces basic concepts: coldhouses (unheated greenhouses) and coolhouses (minimally heated greenhouses kept just above freezing); deep-organic farming; cold-hardy vegetables, succession planting, and protected cultivation; mobile greenhouses and movable row covers. These are the tools, techniques, and principles that underlie everything else.
Next, Coleman provides historic background from the French market gardens during the second half of the nineteenth century. This includes a look at the tools and techniques they used, and how those have been rediscovered or improved upon by contemporary growers. Much of this information had languished forgotten for years, until recently.
Then come detailed explorations of individual aspects of year-round gardening: how to get started, the yearly schedule, sunlight, coldhouses, and coolhouses. It’s fascinating to read about what factors really influence plant development and how; the available light seems to be more important than temperature in many cases. Winter crops, summer crops, and greenhouse design delve into the specific plants and structures most useful for this type of gardening. By choosing the right species and cultivars, and giving them basic protection from harsh weather, it’s possible to harvest year-round without requiring high-tech expensive greenhouses or costly heating. That information could be absolutely vital if the world goes in a direction that threatens food production and distribution.
Later chapters deal with specific techniques and processes of year-round cropping: soil preparation, sowing, weed control, winter harvesting, marketing, pests, diseases, etc. Finally there are discussions of tools useful in small-scale farming and the role of deep-organic principles on a small farm. Much is written down here that usually goes unspoken, like the idea that the best tool for the job may not be the same for two different people – you have to figure out what works for you and use that. Another excellent point is that soil feeds plants and plants feed people; deep-organic farming involves making the best soil possible, thus minimizing the need for pest/disease control and maximizing the flavor and nutrition of the crops.
The extensive resource section includes appendices on climate, temperature, tools, seeds, and sowing dates. There is also an annotated bibliography. The index is pretty good too.
On an aesthetic and philosophical level, this book also holds up well. It’s printed on chlorine-free recycled paper using soy-based inks, illustrated with many beautiful full-color photographs. The author’s voice is engaging and entertaining as well as informative.
There are thousands of gardening books on the shelves, but some of them stand out by virtue of doing something different. The Winter Harvest Handbook does this with precision and insight. First, it takes gardening into a new realm that few other books have explored. Second, it shows an intense and methodical examination of the many aspects of winter garden, in enough detail to give readers a high chance of duplicating the effects. The author has meticulously tested and recorded results for many types of plants and techniques, summarized into recommendations. He has also investigated as many aspects of winter gardening as possible, minimizing the chance of unexpected issues popping up. Third, this book treats its topic as a process to be shared, not a secret to be guarded. It vigorously encourages readers to try whichever of the ideas appeal to them – and then share their experiences with other people so as to advance the field.
The Winter Harvest Handbook chronicles the use of its techniques on a small commercial farm growing produce for sale to local restaurants and retailers. That makes it a treasure for anyone in small-scale organic agriculture. However, the concise focus also means these tools, techniques, and principles adapt fluently to homestead use. Movable row covers alone can expand the growing season in a small garden; a large family garden could incorporate an inexpensive movable coolhouse and gain even more use of the same space. So the book has very wide appeal for gardeners and farmers. Most highly recommended.
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