Whether you’re a doomsday prepper, an off-grid homesteader or a die-hard survivalist, you likely have a fair amount of land on which you grow food or maintain livestock. This way, you don’t have to hunt and forage or rely on grocery stores for food.
During the warmer months, this approach might seem simple — idyllic, even. However, when Jack Frost deals an icy blow, caring for your land becomes much more difficult and labor-intensive. Luckily, there’s still time to prepare your property, shelter your animals and plan for a successful winter. Here are 10 tips to help you do just that.
1. Prepare Your Garden
After the first frost, it’ll be incredibly difficult to work the soil in your field or garden. The initial freeze can also kill off tender vegetables you plan to harvest and store for winter. That’s why it’s so crucial to prep your garden and reap one last harvest before the cold front arrives.
Harvest tender vegetables like tomatoes, zucchini, peas, beans and pumpkins first, as these varieties are unlikely to survive the frost. Pull out these crops and all other debris, including diseased plants, broken tools and other rubbish. That way, you don’t have to worry about this when spring rolls around.
Semi-hardy vegetables like cabbage, Swiss chard and carrots can remain in the garden after a frost. However, it’s best to harvest and store them before the ground freezes. These crops can also benefit from some protection from the cold. Use tarps or row covers to prevent damage, death and tough, inedible veggies.
Remember to add an inch or two of compost to your garden beds before the ground freezes, too. This way, the soil can soak up essential nutrients over the winter. Then, add a layer of straw or mulch to prevent erosion, weeds and nutrient leaching.
2. Consider Crop Rotations
Garden bed preparation varies greatly depending on growing methods. While some homesteaders prefer to cover their beds during the winter, others implement crop rotations to harvest food year-round. This option is especially appealing to survivalists who rely heavily on farming or gardening to sustain their off-grid lifestyle.
If you use no-till growing methods to minimize soil erosion, invest in cover crops to protect the beds over winter. Winter rye, winter wheat and hairy vetch are popular choices. However, if you want to reap a more useful, edible harvest, try planting hardy root vegetables like carrots, turnips and beets. Leafy greens like Asian greens, winter lettuces, parsley, kale and spinach thrive in cold climates, too.
You must plant these crops in late summer or early fall, so they require a fair bit of planning and preparation. They won’t grow much during the colder months, either, but they’ll stay in good condition for eating. That means you’ll have to grow enough to harvest without regrowth.
3. Take Inventory and Stock Up
To get where you’re going, you need to figure out where you are. First, take inventory of your homestead before winter arrives. How much food do you have in your pantry? Items rich in healthy fats and proteins will best sustain you during the cold months. That means foods like beans, rice, wheat and ghee should be pantry staples.
You should also keep fruits and veggies on hand. Use canning, drying or freezing methods to keep your shelves stocked with herbs, berries, cucumbers and more. Purchase whatever you can’t make yourself from a fellow gardener or the local grocery store.
Then, periodically take inventory throughout the season. Keep a list of what you have, what you don’t have and what you’re running low on so you can plan accordingly. Remember that you — and anyone you live with — will likely be doing manual labor during winter, so you may have to stock more than usual.
4. Winterize Equipment
Mechanical equipment like tractors and generators require special attention when temperatures drop below freezing. If you don’t ready them for the cold snap, you risk your machinery breaking and needing to be repaired or replaced.
Why not set yourself up for a successful season — and minimize repair costs — by winterizing your equipment? If running diesel items, switch to No. 1 fuel with a lower cloud point. Check engine fluids and top off the oil tanks before storing machinery for the winter. Then, clean everything to prevent mud and other debris from freezing onto it during the winter.
Last but certainly not least, take time to repair any broken equipment now. This step is especially important if you want to hit the ground running in the spring. At the very least, conduct an inspection and take note of damage so you know what you’re working with when warm weather finally arrives.
5. Plan Water Storage
How much water does your land need to survive the winter? Don’t just think of the crops. You and the animals need water to survive, too. The key is storing enough of it to last through winter weather emergencies.
As a rule of thumb, livestock will consume 1 gallon of water for every 100 pounds of bodyweight. That means a 1,600-pound adult cow will drink 16 gallons a day. The same-sized dairy cow will require twice as much, so plan accordingly. Remember to factor in water for bathing, cooking, scrubbing dishes and doing laundry, too.
Store your supply in a greenhouse or root cellar to keep it from freezing. Additionally, heat your waterers with propane or use insulated tanks to prevent animals’ water from icing over. Rubber tire tank solutions may also prove effective in keeping livestock water supplies fresh and flowing.
6. Stock up on Feed
Water isn’t the only thing to stock up on if you want to keep livestock alive. Feed is just as important. You must keep a good amount on hand, especially if you live in a rural area or consider yourself off-grid. After all, you never know when a winter storm might blow through and keep you shut up at home.
Besides having feed on hand, if you pasture range, you may still want your animals to get their greens. Where are your free-range chickens supposed to get fresh grass when the ground is rock-hard and covered in snow? Aside from aerating your lawn to minimize soil compression, there’s little you can do to promote healthy growth during winter. In this case, growing your own fodder could be a good alternative.
Provide your animals with superior nutrition and save money by using a DIY indoor growth system. First, acquire some grains like barley and oats for soaking and sprouting. Then, use hydroponics to get them growing. You should have a full harvest every five to seven days. Feed the entire mat of grass to pigs, goats, cows and other livestock to keep them fit and healthy all winter long.
7. Prepare Livestock
Livestock need fresh air, but keeping them out in the cold all winter is a no-go. While many animals can survive the frigid temperatures, most will suffer sickness and death if they get wet. Keep your animals in a tight but well-ventilated barn when it’s raining or sleeting and use hay to insulate the walls and floor. Heavily bed hog houses so the animals have a warm place to lie and blanket your horses if they get wet.
Mend all fences before winter arrives, too. The last thing you want is your animals escaping in the middle of a blizzard, and maintaining your land’s enclosures is a good way to keep livestock safe. Plus, if you do it now, you won’t have to worry about messing with pliers, wires and other materials when the temperatures are frigid and there’s snow up to your knees.
Be cautious of slick surfaces from sudden, severe icing over hard-packed snow. Frozen ground in barnyards can easily twist legs and break bones. If you’re unable to confine livestock to a barn or stable, sprinkle hayseed, sawdust, wood ashes or sand on the ground to keep them from slipping and prevent serious injuries.
8. Insulate Your Home
Once you’ve battened down the hatches on your barn, it’s time to do the same to your home. Whether you live in a big log cabin or a one-person tiny home, insulating your dwelling space is key to staying warm this winter. Ideally, you’ll have sealed up any cracks around windows or doors before the temperature drops. However, there’s still time to add door stoppers, plastic window covers or insulated drapes to these common problem areas.
Remember to insulate any pipes in your basement or crawl space, too. Metal pipes can easily freeze and burst if the power goes out or it gets particularly icy. Reduce your risk of flooding and minimize repairs by wrapping exposed pipes in fiberglass or applying insulating spray foam. Additionally, keep cupboards open to improve airflow and prevent the pipes under your sinks from bursting.
Last but certainly not least, make the most of your insulation efforts by tending to your home’s exterior. Cover outdoor spigots with styrofoam and store all hoses and irrigation systems for winter. Check your gutters for clogs to prevent ice dams, and keep icicles from forming by properly insulating your attic. Most of these tasks are easier to accomplish before winter but are still doable if there’s little to no snow accumulation.
9. Manage Road Access
If you live in a rural area or on a large plot of land, road access should be a top priority during the winter months. Snow and ice can pose dangers to yourself and your animals if you let them accumulate too long. Plus, you could get snowed in, which would limit access to food, water and other necessary supplies.
That’s why it’s so important to prepare your snow-clearing tools well before the first blizzard. Depending on your conditions, you may require special equipment like a snowblower or a truck snowplow to get the job done. However, if you live on a small plot, a snow shovel or two may suffice. Use these tools early and often to remove snow as it falls and keep roads, driveways and sidewalks clear.
Keep melting salts or chemicals on hand, too, as these products will minimize ice buildup and maintain safe pathways for farm equipment, cars and humans. Just remember to use an animal-safe solution where livestock or pets might roam. Rock salt can dry out paws, damage hooves and cause burns if animals roll around in it. Sand, straw and pet-safe ice melt are good alternatives.
10. Plan for Emergencies
Regardless of how well you care for your land over the winter, emergencies still happen. When they do, you’ll want to have a plan in place and plenty of supplies on hand to respond accordingly. Consider what might go wrong when ice forms and snow flies. What kinds of scenarios might you face in the weeks and months to come? Thinking through potential emergencies will help you develop an actionable plan.
Whatever snags you run into, you must have at least a three-day supply of food, water and wood or fuel for heat. Make sure the food you select is easy to prepare and requires little to no cooking. Secure a backup heat source like a generator or wood-burning stove, and stock up on medicines in case you’re sick and unable to leave the house. Keep a first-aid kit on hand, too, and brush up on your skills if it’s been a while.
Get to know your neighbors and keep a cellphone handy, even if you’re trying to live off-grid. That way, you have a way to contact those nearest to you if something goes wrong. Post phone numbers for the local veterinary office, hospital and police station on your fridge, too. You never know when you’ll have to make a call for help on your landline.
Evaluate and Improve
One of the best ways to care for your land is to keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. That way, you can look back on previous years, learn from your mistakes and successes, and make improvements the next time around. Keep notes on your garden, livestock, property, home and even the weather.
How might you use this information to take better care of your land next winter? Assess, evaluate and improve. There’s nowhere to go but up from here.
Author Bio:
Jane is the editor-in-chief of Environment.co. She is passionate about sustainability, gardening and homesteading.
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