S. 2 Ep. 14 Better Row Cover -Broccoli & Carrots / Winter Prep - Zone 5a

Follow us as we come to the end of the season for 2025. Growing zone 5a.

Garden was Grass for years and years before 2024 - it was fully tarped - then cover cropped - then in 2025 was the first time growing in this garden - the design and placement has to do with sun / slope / access to tools shed and house - which took 1 year to understand - tarps and winter cover crop (2024) took 1 year - testing what grew in the area (a new area of growing) takes 1 year - now coming in 2026 we will be able to calculate and move forward with longer term goals of supplying 3 families with non-chemical food!!

Winter Prep!!
make a list of things to do before your first freeze comes ... ideally, you've harvested everything (unlike us this year...ha!) - still waiting on the Broccoli and Carrots ;)

Sanitize - bleach and water (one blue cap full of bleach for every 10 gallons of water) - can measure out 10 gallons by using a 5-gallon bucket and fill that up twice into a water trough
Soap and Water - any regular soap - we used dawn soap - to clean all the tools / harvest totes
Leave both Seeding Trays (sanitized) and tools / harvest totes (yes, we did clean them, just not on video as my phone died)

Thanks everyone for following! Hope these videos are helpful!!

Please ask any questions!!

Happy Growing!!

~Kristin

Winter - End of Season Check List
(made 1 month before the End of Season)
Plant Garlic (cover with STRAW for insulation and use straw (no chemicals / no seeds))
Harvest ALL Crops (except what's left of the Spinach / Broccoli / Carrots)
Remove Black Tarps (on the Flower Bed)
Break up Soil (where black tarps were) to seed winter cover crop
Broadcast (hand seed) Winter Cover Crop (OG Seed Winter Rye / Hairy Vetch / Daikon Radish)
Remove all dead crops (crop residue) - put in compost if clear of disease - no fungus on plants
Put Potted Plants in Greenhouse (Fig trees / Grape vines / blueberry plants) will transplant 2026
Insulate Perennials with Straw (water before insulation)
Row Cover on Broccoli and Carrots (insulate w/ straw)
Get water out of water hoses - don't want water lines to freeze - store hoses in barn
Sanitize / Clean all tools / harvest totes / seeding trays
Harvest Broccoli and Carrots? (don't know when they will be ready - this was an experiment for how long we could extend our growing season)

List of our other Videos:

2025 Ep. 13 Winter Cover Cropping Flower Bed
   • S. 2 Ep. 13 Winter Cover Crop Seeding the ...  
2025 Ep. 12 Family Garlic Planting!! from (Saved Garlic Seed!!) & Harvest!!    • S. 2 Ep. 12 Family Garlic Planting!! from ...  
2025 Ep. 11 Garlic Taste Test!! Did We Meet Our Goals?? - Calculate Garlic Seed    • S. 2 Ep. 11 Garlic Taste Test!! Did We Mee...  
2025 Ep. 10 Direct Seeding!! Late in the Season (Carrots / Broccoli / Lettuce/ Radish)    • S. 2 E. 10 Direct Seeding!! Late in the Se...  
2025 Ep. 9 Garlic Harvest! / Tarps OFF Crimped Cover Crop    • S. 2 Ep. 9 Garlic Harvest! / Tarps OFF Cri...  
2025 Ep. 8 First Plantings! & 1st Harvest! (Garlic Scapes!)    • S. 2 Ep. 8 First Plantings! & 1st Harvest!...  
2025 Ep. 7 Fencing!!    • S. 2 Ep. 7 Fencing!! May 31 - June 10, 2025  
2025 Ep. 6 Mow /Crimp & Cover the Cover Crop /Plus Start Rabbit Fencing    • S. 2 Ep. 6 Mow /Crimp & Cover the Cover Cr...  
2025 Ep. 5 Recap & What's New? / Regenerative? Organic?    • S. 2 Ep 5. Recap & What's New?/ Regenerati...  
2025 Ep. 4 Chemicals aren't Labeled! Mulch Manure Compost    • S. 2 Ep. 4. Chemicals aren't Labeled! Mulc...  
2025 Ep. 3 What I would do Differently & The BIG Dig    • S. 2 Ep. 3 What I would do Differently & T...  
2025 Ep. 2 Field! SPRING is Here! 2025    • S. 2 Ep. 2 - Field! SPRING is Here! 2025 G...  
2025 Ep. 1 Start of Garden Goals and Planting Design!!    • 2025 Season 2. Ep. 1 - Start of Garden Goa...  
2024 Ep. 9 Fall Walk Through Video:    • Ep. 9 Final Perimeter Dig - Fall Walk Thro...  
2024 Ep. 8 Planting Garlic Video:    • Ep. 8 Garlic Planting!! Oct 28, 2024 - MN ...  
2024 Ep. 7 Jerry's Interview Video:    • Ep 7. Jerry's Garden - Stillwater, MN - In...  
2024 Ep. 6 Garlic Calculation Video:    • Ep. 6 Garlic Calculation - Estimate Garlic...  
2024 Ep. 5 T-post / Quackgrass Video:    • Ep. 5 - Field Prep #3 T-post /Quack Grass ...  
2024 Ep. 4 Cover Crop Planting Video:    • Ep. 4 - Field Prep #2 - Seeding Winter Cov...  
2024 Ep. 3 Breaking Up the Soil Video:    • Ep. 3 - Field Prep #1 - Breaking Up the So...  
2024 Ep. 2 Tarp Removal / After the Flood Video:    • Ep. 2 - Tarps #2 - Removing after the Floo...  
2024 Ep. 1 Soil Test Video:    • Ep. 1 - Flood / Soil Tests / Tarps - June ...  

#organic / #Regenerative / #permaculture / #companionplanting
#farmer / #food #Edible #garden #Educator!! #homesteading #healthysoil #growyourownfood #soilhealth #soilquality #farming #planting #trasnplant #gardening #covercrops #rowcover #wintering