Winter on the urban farm

Spring will be here in just a few days, so I have been contemplating winter. When I was working a desk job and dreaming of my future life on the urban farm, a couple of thoughts nagged at me: what would I do with myself all winter and would I go crazy? Sitting around my living room day after day is not my idea of a good time. I like to be busy and physically active. Now that I have a month of winter farming under my belt, I have a better picture of what next winter will look like.

So what do urban farmers do in the winter?

Winter in Wisconsin.

Planning: winter is a good time to go to your office (in my case that would be riding my fat bike through the snow to the local coffee shop) to plan for next year.

My winter office.

During the growing season and at harvest I make notes of what crops did well. This will help me decide what varieties to keep and which to replace. I also have planting maps from each year, so I can work on the next season's rotation and companion plantings. Since Two Wheels Urban Farm is in the growth stage, winter can be spent mapping out where new raised beds and other new farm additions will go and estimating supplies and budget needs.

One map iteration from my big farm notebook.

Education: there is always so much to learn! Which soil amendments are best, how can I make compost faster, and how difficult is it to raise my own chickens?  The winter provides cold weather and short days, just right for camping out at the library and reading. There are also many options for conferences and classes. This year I attended the 2016 Gardens Summit in Madison and learned about veggies, pollinators and composting while networking with local growers. There is a free online conference called the Home Grown Food Summit, and next year I'm planning to attend the 2017 MOSES (Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service) farming conference. I'm also currently finishing up a women's bicycle maintenance class called We Are All Mechanics-- I'm thinking Park Tool School might have my next bike repair class.

I keep re-checking out this book and should probably buy a copy for myself.

Volunteering: another important way I spend my free time is to volunteer. The winter is the perfect time of year for me to slow down and give back to the community. This year I've volunteered for three organizations that mean a lot to me: Fair Share CSA Coalition, Wisconsin Bike Federation, and the Madison Area Master Gardeners Association.

A cool sign from the Fair Share CSA open house.

I'm going to enjoy these last days of winter and start making my spring to-do list... continue indoor seed starts, fence building, prepping the beds at the community garden plot, and harvesting asparagus!