Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

Catherine asked some great questions yesterday about gardening this time of year. I wanted to encourage her and all of you to get out and continue gardening! Particularly as the economy continues to tank, I believe it will be critical that we all have a regular supply of food on our own homesteads.

For our family, this is critically important as we have been without regular income for nearly 2 years now. And Autumn and Winter gardening is lots of fun. There are no bugs to deal with and minimal weeds. The cooler weather also makes for a more pleasant gardening experience.

Here in Tennessee, we find that Spring crops actually grow better in the Autumn garden. Beets, lettuce, chard, and cabbages do beautifully. All can handle light frosts and when the real cold sets in, we'll use floating row cover and even old sheets on baling wire hoops to protect them. Now this may not be possible everywhere but there are plants that can be grown well into the Winter months even as far north as Maine!

I've written a bit about our current gardening endeavors here if you are interested in more information.

So tell us all about your Autumn and Winter garden!

Kristin Hoffman homesteads with her family in the hills of East Tennessee and blogs about alternative energy, family farming, and home schooling with her husband at www.solarfamilyfarm.com. The Hoffmans also run Knot4Fun, a family business dedicated to teaching kids the practical skill of knot tying and adventurous outdoor play. Kristin can be found these days frantically planting as much and is possible in her garden so the family has lots of yummy vegetables to eat for the winter!