We closed on the house on October 14th and immediately began the mad rush to get the property ready for winter. We tilled and planted cover crop before we even began moving any furniture. On Nov. 1st (my bday) we planted garlic and transplanted the kale, collards, and asian greens that I had seeded in trays way too late. We then began work building the low tunnels to protect those crops and the hoop house for the pigs – just barely finishing before the ground was completely frozen. Things finally calmed down in December once we got the pigs settled in. I knew Klamath Falls winters can come hard and fast, although I hadn’t experienced it personally. Luckily, it didn’t come early, but based on conversations with locals, it does seem to have been particularly cold (negative 20’s many times).
So much changed while I was gone in Portland these last two weeks: the snow melted, the pigs got fatter, and my little struggling greens grew! As I feel the season changing and see the results of our labor, I begin to reflect on what we learned our first winter in Klamath Falls…
- You can’t move frozen snow. My low tunnels were completely barricaded in by 1-2 ft. of frozen solid snow. There was no way to ventilate, water, or even check on the greens. I thought they were for sure goners! Surprisingly, many survived although they certainly struggled (Toscano kale didn’t make it, but Red Russian did!)
2. You can’t stick poles into frozen ground. Yeah, I know – duh! Seems like a no-brainer, but we had planned to expand the pig shelter much sooner. We didn’t think about not being able to stick the fiberglass rods into the ground to setup the electric fence. It was so cold, they probably wouldn’t have wandered around the pasture much anyway. They were happy to root around in their warm hoop house.
3. Once the ground thaws, pigs can dig a lot deeper. Now it’s time to stick the poles in the ground and expand the fence!
4. Try everything. All my planting was behind schedule and it felt like I was probably wasting my time. I wasn’t sure if I should even try to grow anything through the winter, but I hoped that even if they hobbled along, they would take off once there was more daylight hours. That is exactly what’s happening and it feels great! Even my really late direct-seeded greens are doing well!
5. Don’t use row cover in the winter. I thought it would provide a good double-layer under the plastic. It just got destroyed. Turns out frozen things are sticky and rip fabric. 
6. All activities involving water are difficult. Once again, no-brainer, but it was surprisingly inconvenient to have freezing temperatures almost all the time. We’re pretty sure a pipe burst somewhere in the back (even though we blew out the pipes and did our best to winterize) and were unable to use our frost-free water hydrant in the back because of a leak.
7. Dry cold is way better than wet cold. I’m surprised by how cold I am in 40 degree weather in Portland compared to 20 degrees down here!
8. Klamath Falls is beautiful in the winter. Every morning and evening I love looking out the back window. The pigs have the best view of the hillside though. So many beautiful colors!
I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. It was challenging, but we learned a ton and had a lot of fun. Spring is just around the corner and I can’t wait! Detailed CSA information coming very soon!
S T R O N G B A C K 