Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Praise for Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest As the obvious and necessary trend of organically grown, locally sourced food progresses, resources like Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest will become more cherished and relied upon year after year. Binda Colebrook has given us a reference book rich with practical tips, first-hand experience, and best of all, region-specific advice. If self sufficiency and growing food are important to you, and you happen to live in the Maritime Northwest (Willamette Valley to southern BC), this is a book you should own. — Mark Macdonald, West Coast Seeds. In Cascadia, winter gardening is essential to achieve homestead food independence. Binda Colebrook’s book contributed hugely to that possibility. Newly arrived in Cascadia, I was deeply grateful when Winter Gardening was published in 1979. It was Binda’s book that moved me to start Territorial Seed Company. Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest is perhaps the most important Cascadian gardening book ever. — Steve Solomon, author, Gardening When it Counts and The Intelligent Gardener Reading the new edition reminded me what a groundbreaking book Binda Colebrook’s Winter Gardening was for coastal gardeners when it first came out over 30 year ago. Since then this classic has been updated and reprinted many times for the excellent reason that the advice it contains is timeless, very practical and clearly explained. Not only is the information in the new edition as sound as ever, but the text has been substantially updated in a fresh format, with a current list of references and resources (including more information for Canadian readers). This valuable book deserves to be in the library of anyone growing food in the unique coastal climate of the Pacific Northwest. — Linda Gilkeson, author, Backyard Bounty and Year-Round Harvest From the seed to the soil to the kitchen, Binda Colebrook’s gardens and garden writing have been my inspiration for 40 years. Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest is the distillation of a lifetime of disciplined curiosity, the eloquent blend of the science and the spirit of growing food. — Lane Morgan, author, Winter Harvest Cookbook, Good Food Guide to Washington and Oregon, Territorial Seed Co. Cookbook The best kept secret in the maritime Northwest is that there are many vegetables that can be grown and harvested through the winter and into spring. Binda demystifies this subject and makes the world of year round vegetables accessible and fun for any adventurous gardner! — John Navazio, Plant Breeder, Organic Seed Alliance Dedicated year-round vegetable gardeners will cheer to learn that Binda Colebrook’s beloved Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest is being republished this year by New Society Publishers. This perennial favorite is a friendly, detailed guide to everything about winter gardening in our neck of the woods. It is filled with practical advice and tons of season extension techniques perfectly tailored for backyard growers. The planting calendar and discussion of timing are invaluable and totally accessible. What really steals the show are the vegetables — tried and true (mostly) open-pollinated or heirloom cold-hearty varieties that are uniquely suited to thrive in our maritime Northwest winters. If you want to eat from your garden all year, this is an essential book for successful fall and winter harvests. — Lisa Taylor, author, Your Farm in the City and Children’s Education Manager at Seattle Tilth [This] is a great resource for Northwest gardeners who want to eat from their garden all year. Binda Colebrook’s experience and knowledge encourage beginning and experienced vegetable gardeners alike to expand their harvest to four seasons. When I first began growing fall and winter vegetables in my own garden, it was the 2nd edition of this book that I used for inspiration and information. The new edition expands upon earlier versions, with timely and useful information on newer tools available to the gardener, including more sophisticated cloche and cold frame designs and information on integrating your winter gardening into your summer schedule. Good, practical advice, pest management, soils and composts, variety choice, it’s all here. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the potential of food production in our maritime climate. — Terry Maczuga, Farm Manager, Cloud Mountain Farm Center, co-owner Silver Creek Garden Copyright © 2012 by Binda Colebrook. All rights reserved. Cover design by Diane McIntosh. Image © GAP Photos (Maxine Adcock) Printed in Canada. First printing February 2012. Paperback ISBN: 978-0-86571-708-4 eISBN: 978-1-55092-500-5 Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below. To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North America) 1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to: New Society Publishers P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada (250) 247-9737 New Society Publishers’ mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision. We are committed to doing this not just through education, but through action. The interior pages of our bound books are printed on Forest Stewardship Council®-registered acid-free paper that is 100% post-consumer recycled (100% old growth forest-free), processed chlorine free, and printed with vegetable-based, low-VOC inks, with covers produced using FSC®- registered stock. New Society also works to reduce its carbon footprint, and purchases carbon offsets based on an annual audit to ensure a carbon neutral footprint. For further information, or to browse our full list of books and purchase securely, visit our website at: www.newsociety.com Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Colebrook, Binda Winter gardening in the maritime Northwest : cool-season crops for the year-round gardener / Binda Colebrook. -- 5th ed. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-86571-708-4 1. Vegetable gardening--Northwest, Pacific. I. Title. SB321.5.N58C65 2012 635.09795 C2012-900485-5 Contents Acknowledgments ............................................................................................xiii Preface to the Fourth Edition ..........................................................................xv Preface to the Fifth Edition .............................................................................xix What This Book is About .................................................................................xxi 1. THE PRINCIPLES OF WINTER GARDENING .........................................1 Climate ................................................................................................................1 Site ........................................................................................................................5 Light and Warmth .........................................................................................5 Drainage ..........................................................................................................7 Shelter ..............................................................................................................7 Soil ....................................................................................................................... 9 Green Manures (Cover Crops) ................................................................11 Mulches ........................................................................................................ 14 Fallowing ...................................................................................................... 14 Fertilizers ......................................................................................................15 A Seed Breeder’s Perspective ...................................................................... 18 Varieties and Saving Seed ........................................................................... 19 Saving Seed .................................................................................................. 21 Timing ...........................................................................................................24 ix x WINTER GARDENING in the Maritime Northwest 2. WINTER GARDENING MECHANICS ......................................................29 Starting Out ....................................................................................................29 Beginner’s Easy and Very Hardy List ......................................................29 Spacing .......................................................................................................... 30 Beds ................................................................................................................ 30 Rotation .........................................................................................................31 Winter Weeds .............................................................................................. 32 Picking Your Produce and Eating it ........................................................ 32 Self-Confidence .............................................................................................. 34 3. CLOCHES, FRAMES AND POLYTUNNELS ..............................................37 Introduction