What do I do all winter is probably the most frequently asked question this time of year and I have decided that it is one of the hardest ones for me to answer. It is by no means a simple one to respond to because there is so much that makes up a vegetable growers off season. I clearly don't just sit on my butt all day...all though there are a few days here and there that I attempt to try; I mean normal people do that every-so-often. Farmers? Not so much. But I try. The final day of our "growing season" is the day before Thanksgiving even though we are doing a lot of season-extension growing now. I mean, I went down to the field and harvested some spinach for my lunch today (I'm spoiled, I know).
The farm stand closes, I spend time with family and friends on Thanksgiving and the day after, well, I obviously sleep in past 5:00AM (yes, my day starts that early, sometimes earlier). A few days go by of cleaning my office. I like to clean all the mud and dirt from under my desk. I have it easy, my office abuts the seed room so I can walk in muddy boots and all (My great-grandmother would find no humor in that at all). A few days go by of getting to the bottom of the pile that has been growing since May or there-about. Well, there is two piles. The "now pile" which no matter what, I need to make time for at least one day a week (rainy days are best) and the "I think this can wait until the end of the year pile." You are probably reading this thinking, is this how she functions?! I swear I am not the only one. In fact, at Delegates session at the most recent Farm Bureau meeting a farmer (from my County, I won't say any names) filed a resolution about changing the date on something all farmers have to face in the season (the height of vegetable growers season in these parts) strictly because the really important paperwork ends up in the "I think this can wait until the end of the year pile" where it really does not belong. It just is a tedious piece of paperwork for farmers to complete. I was happy to hear that myself and my friends aren't the only ones who's life revolves off of two piles for an entire season. Judge me all you want but it seems to work.
After a few days of catching up in the office and catching up on rest, this happens:
And then the planning for next year begins:
- Schedule equipment maintenance
- Crop Plan
- CSA Shares
- Goals & New ideas
- One major structure/land upgrade AKA "Spring Project" (still my all-time favorite)
- Conferences & Classes
- Seed Orders
- Website/Social Media updates
It's complicated. But 2014 planning is well underway! Labels: winter on the farm
