Hi I'm Erin.
Here on the ranch calves are the main source of income.
It was clear to Mike and I very early on that we needed to diversify our income sources.
Farmers' market was a natural fit.
This winter that diversification continues with winter growing.
Crops will be planted in our high tunnel, with no heat and harvested when there's
snow on the ground and the temps don't get above freezing.
Let's hope this works on Our Wyoming Life.
When Mike and I came to the ranch in 2008 and left our office jobs in radio, gardening
was never my plan.
But in 2010 everything changed.
My mom saw a few sentences in the local paper stating that the farmers' market was moving
locations and looking to expand.
We had always gardened when I was a kid and it was something that I felt I knew how to
do.
I was also pregnant with our oldest daughter Mackenzie and I was looking for a way to help
provide some income for our family, besides the cows, without me having to go to work
and leave the ranch and soon leave our newborn daughter at home or daycare.
So in the summer of 2010 we gardened for our family just like we always did.
Whatever crops we had extra of went to farmers market.
A few jars of jam were made and after attending a handful of markets I was hooked.
Mackenzie was born in January and that spring I became a market farmer.
I didn't know what a market farmer was but that's what I was doing.
The big garden was tilled and fenced giving me an additional 8,400 square feet of space
to grow my crops.
Now instead of growing for just our family, we were growing for numerous families.
Since that first new garden was tilled a lot has changed.
We've had two more children, we started graining and finishing beef, the high tunnel
was built, pigs were purchased and grained, an orchard was planted and another high tunnel
will go up this spring.
The mission to provide additional income for our family has never wavered.
It just simply evolves and changes depending on our capabilities and the demand from our
customers.
We are now venturing into new territory in the gardens.
Crops will now be planted and tended too year round.
There is no longer an off season.
Last spring we dabbled with winter growing and successfully grew lettuce, radishes and
spinach during March and April.
Now it's time to get serious about winter growing.
More crops will be planted and by spring the entire space of the high tunnel will be filled
with cold hardy crops.
Now here's the really crazy part of this winter growing plan.
We have no heat in the high tunnel and won't be adding any.
The ground never freezes in the high tunnel and we will use that natural heat along with
more row cover and plastic to keep our plants going year round.
It's going to freeze in there.
That's just the reality but with the right crops selection and by capturing as much heat
as possible this is going to work, we think!
Now before anything is planted for winter summer crops have to come out.
This is the main reason we need an additional high tunnel.
One for winter and one for summer.
That way we are not having to fight for space and crop seasons don't have to be cut short
when it's time to plant the next crop.
Cucumbers were pulled mid summer as they were not producing very well and it was too hot
for them this year.
Scallions and 3 rows of carrots replace the cucumbers.
Next, out come the tomatoes.
We did cut the tomato season somewhat short.
They would have been fine for another few weeks but seeds needed to go in the ground.
Plus with the shorter days and cooler temps the tomatoes weren't growing very much at
this point anyway.
All the green tomatoes are picked and they will turn red and be processed into salsa
to be sold this winter at market.
Mike gets the dirty job of tilling the soil.
Everything then gets raked and leveled out.
Now armed with stakes, string and a tape measure, more planting can happen.
All the beds will be measured out and each will have a different crop in it.
The beds where the seeds will go are 30 inches wide and 12 inches will be left between the
beds for walkways.
More carrots get planted to finish out the 30 inch bed.
Tomatoes were in the way when the first planting was done.
Next spinach is sprinkled over the bed and then lightly raked into the soil.
Radishes are planted the same way.
Finally one more bed of carrots also get planted.
A sprinkler is set in the middle and turned on to get everything wet.
It'll be very important in the next few weeks to keep the top layer of soil wet while
the seeds are germinating.
If the seed coat dries, it dies.
There is more space remaining the high tunnel for additional crops.
The peppers from this summer still need to be pulled and that will happen here shortly.
The space they currently occupy won't be planted until February or so.
Once our days start getting longer lettuce will be transplanted as well as broccoli,
kale and pea seeds will be sown.
This winter our farmers' market is also expanding into the winter months.
For the first time we will have a once a month market starting in November and ending in
June.
I hope to have fresh, locally grown produce at every market.
That is a commitment I have made to my customers and I hope that I can deliver.
I'm not going to lie, I'm terrified.
I probably take all of this way to seriously but when I say that I'm going to do something
for our customers I feel I need to deliver.
One thing that we will be learning this winter is the timing of everything.
Crops are going to take longer with shorter days and cooler temps.
From the very beginning of my market farming career I thought I knew what I was doing,
but every year I learn so much more.
This winter gardening is really one big experiment.
It might fail.
But if it does we will figure out a way to solve the problems and keep putting seeds
in the ground.
If it's successful I'm going to be really very happy that I can grow year round, in
a zone 4, in Wyoming with no heat.
Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss out on the winter veggie journey.
Mike has preg checking the cows coming up and before you know it there will be snow
on the ground and it's back to feeding the cows every day.
Thanks for joining us in Our Wyoming Life.
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