Winter Production. The Costs. The Labor. The Reality
I have been prompted, more than once, to give a summary of what it REALLY takes to grow (regenerative and pure) food in the winter here in Colorado, at 7,000ft, in one of the roughest and most terrible locations in the country - all while doing so with no supplemental heating, tractors or chemicals. IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? It sure is! Here is what our greenhouses (unheated) look like in the winter: Not only is it possible to grow food in the winter in these conditions, but here are some of the results from 2018: Beautiful, right? Yes. Piece of cake, right? Not so much. In the winter, it takes a lot more than you would think to do this and there are MANY obstacles to growing in the winter. Things like: Row cover maintenance (and cost), varieties, regeneration time, diseases, frozen pipes, irrigation, processing, greenhouse temperatures, ventilation and more. ROW COVER - What is it and how is it managed? Row cover is essentially a breathable blanket tha