For many crops the preferred storage method negates the need for a root cellar. Anything that is canned, dried, or frozen can be kept right in your kitchen without any change from store bought groceries. However there are some crops that are stored fresh but require specific conditions. Things like winter squash, beets, and cabbages would … Continue reading How to Store Crops Without a Root Cellar
by Ira Wallace When I was growing up in north Florida in the 1950s, my grandmother was always sowing seeds, every month of the year. About once a month throughout the summer she would seed more cucumber, cantaloupe, zucchini, and summer squash, plus three different types of sweet corn. Where summers are hot, humid, and … Continue reading Succession Planting Warm-Season Crops for Hot Summers
We’ve had some very heavy rains this summer, and it’s reminding us why planting cover crops is so important this fall. Cover crops increase the carbon content of our soils through root growth, root sloughing in response to mowing, and when we incorporate vegetative growth into the soil, directly tilling the plants under or composting … Continue reading Cover Cropping for Unpredictable Weather